Penguins of Madagascar (2014)

An American animated film, Penguins of Madagascar (2014), was a collaborative effort by DreamWorks Animation and PDI/DreamWorks. Following the adventure of three heroic penguin brothers Skipper, Rico, and Kowalski, the story begins when they bravely rescue an abandoned egg from leopard seals on a drifting iceberg. The chick that hatches becomes their beloved brother, Private. Ten years later, the penguins break away from Circus Zaragoza to celebrate Private’s birthday by breaking into Fort Knox for his favorite snack- Cheesy Dibbles. Despite his true desire to be recognized as a full-fledged team member, Private’s wish seems unattainable. However, things take a dramatic turn when the penguins are abducted and taken to a submarine where they come face to face with Dave- a bitter Giant Pacific octopus disguised as a human scientist named Dr. Octavius Brine. Dave’s resentment stems from being upstaged by the cute antics of the penguins during his tenure at Central Park Zoo and subsequent transfer between zoos and aquariums as an unwanted creature.

Rico consumes Dave’s bioweapon, known as the Medusa Serum, along with his snow globe collection before the penguins make a daring escape. As they navigate through Venice, Italy while being pursued by Dave’s henchmen, they are ultimately rescued by the North Wind, a team of highly skilled individuals working for an inter-species intelligence agency. This team includes Classified, the leader and a British Eurasian wolf; Corporal, a powerful polar bear from Norway; Short Fuse, a demolition expert who happens to be a Belgian harp seal; and Eva, an intelligence analyst who is a snowy owl from Russia. After revealing the Medusa Serum to the North Wind members, Rico inadvertently alerts Dave who then hacks into their computers and exposes that he has created more of the deadly substance. As penguins from various exhibits around the world start disappearing, Classified deems Skipper’s team too much of a liability and quickly sedates them before arranging for their transportation to Madagascar on a plane.