After giving age-old fairy tales a makeover with a lovable green ogre named Shrek and his wisecracking sidekick Donkey, DreamWorks decided to leap headfirst into the trope of talking animals with its next major franchise: Madagascar. The first film, released in 2005, introduced us to Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, and a host of other quirky animals at the Central Park Zoo, laying the groundwork for what would become a wildly successful franchise.
While most people are familiar with the main movies, the Madagascar franchise has also expanded into several short films. In honor of its 20th anniversary, here's how to watch the Madagascar movies in order.
Madagascar (2005)
The film that started it all, Madagascar introduces viewers to four main characters: Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, and Gloria the hippo. These animals have spent their lives living comfortably in captivity. But when Marty begins craving a life of freedom and plans an escape, teaming up with a group of mischievous penguins determined to return to Antarctica, Alex, Melman, and Gloria set out to rescue their friend. Their excursion sets off a chain of events that ultimately leaves the gang shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar.
The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper (2005)
After the roaring success of the first film, DreamWorks released an eleven-minute Christmas special short film called The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper. It follows the comically elite team of penguins as they embark on a quest to find one of their members who goes missing on Christmas.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa picks up after the events of the first film. The gang realize they liked their life in New York and plan a journey back to the Central Park Zoo. However, on the way back, they accidentally crash-land into a wildlife nature reserve in Kenya, where they run into more animals of the same species as them. At first, this seems like a dream come true, but the more time they spend with their own kind, the more the four friends realize that wildlife isn’t all it's cracked up to be.
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)
Having escaped Africa, Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman try once again to make their way back to New York City, only to end up halfway across the world in Europe. The gang decide to join a traveling circus and befriend its staff, including Stefano the sea lion, Vitaly the tiger, Gia the jaguar, and Sonya the bear, King Julien’s true love. They work together to revive the circus to its former glory while being relentlessly pursued by the eccentric Monaco Animal Control officer, Captain Chantel DuBois. After many failed attempts to return home, the zoo animals finally make their way back to the Central Park Zoo in Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, only to realise that, somewhere along the way, they had grown to love the life of adventure. Grossing over $746 million worldwide, the third film is the most successful film in the history of the franchise.
Madly Madagascar (2013)
A short film taking place sometime between the events of the second and third movies, Madly Madagascar features all the main characters and centers around the aftermath of King Julien selling magical love potions to the members of the watering hole. Chaos ensues as the animals begin to magically fall in love with each other.
Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
Many times, the supporting characters in an animated film become even more popular and beloved than the main characters, take the Minions from Despicable Me or Puss in Boots from Shrek, for example. Similarly, in Madagascar, as much as viewers love Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman, there’s a whole separate fanbase devoted to the four penguins. A spin-off film centered on them had been in development ever since the first feature film debuted in 2005. Finally, in 2014, Penguins of Madagascar, a spy adventure chronicling the penguins’ origin story was released. The film follows the squad as they try to stop a disgruntled octopus from taking revenge on the rest of the cute zoo animals.
All Hail King Julien: New Year's Eve Countdown and Happy Birthday to You (2017)
Three years after the last feature film in the series, Madagascar fans were treated to a special short featurette of Alex and the gang celebrating New Year’s together in All Hail King Julien: New Year's Eve Countdown. The same year, DreamWorks also released another one minute special titled All Hail King Julien: Happy Birthday to You.
Where To Watch All 'Madagascar' Movies In Order
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