Nickelodeon has greenlit 26 additional episodes of the CG animated comedy series “The Penguins of Madagascar,” a co-production with DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. it was announced today by Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. The pick-up brings the total order to 52 new episodes of the show, which will premiere on Nickelodeon following Nickelodeon’s 22nd Annual Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday, March 28 at 9:30 PM (ET/PT). The series will then move to its regular timeslot on Saturdays at 10:00 AM (ET/PT) beginning April 4.
“The Penguins of Madagascar,” based on the beloved penguin brothers in DreamWorks Animation’s hit feature films Madagascar and Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa, tells the story of a group of penguins who believes it leads an elite strike force with top-tier commando skills from its Central Park Zoo headquarters. The series is being produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.
“Our partnership with DreamWorks Animation has yielded a true gem in ‘The Penguins of Madagascar,'” said Zarghami. “We’re excited to be bringing these characters to our audience with the same level of excellence they have come to expect from the hit Madagascar feature films.”
Nickelodeon’s recent “sneak peeks” of the new series, which premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, drew an average of 14 million viewers (persons 2+, Nov. 28-30), including 7.2 million Kids 2-11.
The series features the all-new adventures of Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, four penguins who rule the roost at their Central Park Zoo home. While the brothers have their flippers full keeping their multi-species zoo neighborhood happy, at times their secret missions beckon them to venture out to New York City’s busy subways and sewer systems. Just as the team thinks it has its urban acreage under control, a new neighbor moves in next door: Julien, a party animal and self-proclaimed “King of the Lemurs,” with an entourage and overactive ego. Throughout the season, new animals will be introduced as well as old friends from the “Madagascar” theatrical films.
“The Penguins of Madagascar” is executive produced by Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley, (Disney’s “Kim Possible” and “Hercules, Sky High”) and reprises the voices of Tom McGrath as Skipper and Andy Richter (“Late Night with Conan O’ Brien”) as Mort. Additional voices include Jeff Bennett (Enchanted) as Kowalski, James Patrick Stuart (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”) as Private, John DiMaggio (“Futurama”) as Rico, Nicole Sullivan (“Mad TV”) as Marlene, and Danny Jacobs (“Futurama”) stars as Julien, King of the Lemurs.
