The Penguins of Madagascar - B

Rated PG, 92 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

Frenetic and colorfully busy, these "Penguins of Madagascar" make for a fun time

Super spy teams aren't born...they're hatched, quite literally. The energetic new animated movie "The Penguins of Madagascar," a spinoff from the "Madagascar" movie shows that spies come in all forms, even those that fly. Thin and entertaining, some of the humor will sail by the young ones, but they'll still get a kick out of it. The movie uncovers the secrets of the most hilarious covert birds in the global espionage biz: Skipper (Tom McGrath), Kowalski (Chris Miller), Rico (Conrad Vernon) and Private (Christopher Knights). They're joining forces with a smooth undercover organization, The North Wind, led a handsome gray wolf called Agent Classified (Benedict Cumberbatch). Together, they must stop the villainous Dave/Dr. Brine (John Malkovich) from destroying the world as we know it. Co-directed by Simon J. Smith ("Bee Movie") and Eric Darnell, who helped write and direct the "Madagascar" movies (along with the voice of the Skipper, McGrath), the bright and colorful "The Penguins of Madagascar" from Dreamworks Animation, the Penguins who stole scenes from those movies finally get their own big screen adventure, and it doesn't disappoint, though at the times it's a little dizzying and busy, particularly in the ultra fast-paced climax. These penguins prove that looks can be deceiving - they're cute, cuddly and quite cunning too - and they're all well-voiced by the McGrath and relative unknowns Miller, Vernon and Knights. They're joined by the always fun Malkovich, who makes for a terrific villain, and the ubiquitous Cumberbatch as their coy ally, along with the familiar Ken Jeong, whose voice you can easily spot in a crowd. The hijinks are colorfully and often creatively staged, though they get a tad redundant by the end, helped by some creative dialogue that puts a fun spin on celebrity names (the kids won't get it but their parents may), not to mention some overused cheese dibs, which have nearly as much screen time as the penguins. Pleasant, predictable and enjoyable, "The Penguins of Madagascar" is a fun diversion about penguins this Turkey Day.