A Disappointing Continuation

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Note: This was originally written when "Christmas Caper" was released with "Curse of the Were-Rabbit" in 2005 before there was a page for this short film. Please forgive the dated references.Matched with "Curse of the Were-Rabbit" is a CGI animated short, "A Christmas Caper" staring the Penguins of this summer's "Madagascar". This is about a group of four militant penguins who live in the Bronx Zoo. It's Christmas Eve, and the youngest penguin, Private (Christopher Knights), feels bad for the zoo's resident polar bear who is alone. Private sets out to find him a present. When the rest of the group realizes that Private has gone missing, they set out to bring him back. Ultimately, they must rescue their junior member from an elderly Manhattan resident and her bloodthirsty miniature poodle.There were moments of humor, but no tone seemed to hold the entire production together. The scene on the street with the souvenir vendor was easily the funniest. There the penguins "blend in" with a group of nuns and inexplicably regurgitate dynamite. However, the whole affair felt misplaced as a prelude to the kind of story to be told in "Wallace and Gromit". Although the computer animation is eye-poppingly good, the penguins move frenetically and spend most of their time shouting at each other. It will probably satisfy any 5-year-old on a sugar rush, but wild behavior by itself simply doesn't amount to humor.The story resolves with a nod to friendship over presents, but it seems less genuine when the entire cast of "Madagascar" characters is suddenly there to sing a goodbye song. How coincidental that the DVD release happens to be only a month away. The Christmas theme also seems aimed to prime kids for the shopping season. Aside from the fact that penguins fit well in snow and ice, couldn't this have been set during some other time of year, perhaps say, Halloween?If you're late for "Wallace and Gromit", don't sweat it. This will pad the start time, so you can grab a snack for the real show.3 out of 10 for "A Christmas Caper"

There are so many sight gags and jokes in this 12-minute animated short it would make your head swim. The artwork is fantastic and the humor is equally fabulous. It's all a story about four penguins ready to celebrate Christmas when one of them goes out to cheer up a lonely polar bear. The others, with the "Black Hawk Down" credo of never leaving anyone behind, go after him and rescue the little guy from a brutal old woman and her vicious poodle.The story really is secondary to all the clever gags and visuals, too many to mention in here. Suffice to say that if you own the "Madagascar" DVD, do yourself a favor and check out this bonus feature. It is about as entertaining a dozen minutes as you ever hope to find. This is something you will want to watch over and over.....guaranteed!

I'm not sure why this film was tagged onto the Halloween release of Wallace & Gromit but it was a nice addition for the most part. I could have done with sharper comedy but for the majority I was laughing and enjoying the antics of the penguins who were (I'm told) one of the few good things about Madagascar. The plot sees one penguin go out to buy a present, only to end up taken home as a present by an old woman while the others rally to rescue him. It is a simple affair but was apparently bewildering to some of the adults (yes, not kids) around me in the cinema. One woman without kids saw some kids asking their mum where W&G was, so she got up, had a very loud conversation with them about it, then got up to go and complain to UGC staff that the wrong film was on (stopping on the way to inform some other parents that she would sort it out). Back again she informed everyone around her that it was a short film on before the feature – a practice she apparently had never heard and couldn't see the point of (meanwhile I struggled to just stay out of it).This may have distracted me somewhat but more distracting was the fact that this film was seeped in festive cheer at the start and end – not something I really want in October thanks all the same. This produced a typically American bit of smaltz at different points and I didn't see why they had set it at Christmas instead of just giving the penguins an adventure anyway. This was a bit annoying but for the most part the funny penguins carry it and make it good fun. Amusing regardless whether or not you've seen Madagascar, this is an enjoyable short film despite the Christmas theme basically taking the edges off it somewhat.

That is for some reason tagged onto the reels for the very halloween-y Wallace and Gromitt's Curse of the Wear Rabbit. It would have made more sense for this film to be tagged onto something in December but hey-ho.I've not actually seen Madagascar, so I'm not immediately familiar with these characters. But I have to say that the penguins were very funny. The story has one of them leave Central Park Zoo to look for the perfect Xmas present, only to end up an Xmas present himself. The other penguins soon follow him to a posh apartment building where a blind old lady plans to give him to her evil pet poodle.Very funny antics and hijinks follow. I wouldn't be surprised if this cartoon were nominated for an Oscar come February.