Madagascar is a 2005 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. It was directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath (the latter in his directional debut) from a screenplay by Mark Burton, Billy Frolick, Darnell, and McGrath, and features the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith, with Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, and Andy Richter voicing secondary characters. The film's plot revolves around four animals from the Central Park Zoo who unexpectedly find themselves stranded in Madagascar, and must learn to adapt to the wild.
Madagascar was released to theaters on May 27, 2005. Despite its mixed critical reception, it was a commercial success at the box office. The film launched a franchise with a series of films, including two sequels: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa in 2008 and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted in 2012, both to a more positive reception. A spin-off featuring the series' penguin characters, Penguins of Madagascar, was released on November 26, 2014.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Despite Madagascar having never been represented in the main Parade, the characters have made several appearances in Universal's Holiday Parade Featuring Macy's and its predecessor, Macy's Holiday Parade.
They first appeared in the 2005 edition of Macy's Holiday Parade, to promote the then-recent media release of the first film. The float was a very basic trailer, with the Madagascar logo placed at the front. The four penguins; Kowalski, Skipper, Rico, and Private, alongside the film's primary protagonist, Alex the Lion, would oftentimes appear on this float. It was retired after the 2011 run of the Parade and its current state and condition are unknown.
With the rebranding of Macy's Holiday Parade to Universal's Holiday Parade Featuring Macy's in 2017, Madagascar was one of the three films chosen to be represented in the Parade. The unit stepped off with Kowalski, Skipper, and Private on a float entitled Operation: Find Santa, where the penguins band together to find Santa and help him deliver his presents to people across the globe.
The float is followed by a balloon, featuring Rico in a tropical blimp. It is constructed with various rags, leaves, and sticks, and is decorated with a Christmas wreath on two sides. This balloon is also one of the only balloons in Parade history to use an animated feature, in the case of the leaf-clad propeller.
King Julien then makes a grand entrance, sitting upon a throne of presents, with decorated palm trees hanging above. Escorting the royal lemur down the route is a group of Leapin' Lemur dancers. Following Julien, Pineapple from All Hail King Julien also flies high as a balloon.
Capping off the unit, Gloria, Melman, Alex, and Marty wish spectators a Merry Madagascar as they celebrate Christmas in Central Park Zoo.