I have to say I'm usually not too big on these animated half-hour short films which are often spin-offs from feature films serving as a bridge until the next sequel and quite a few of these come out for the holidays and usually convey a message of what Christmas really is about. Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special didn't wow me, the Prep&Landing films I found rather underwhelming too, but Madagascar's take on the matter is really well done and makes for a pretty good watch. It runs for 28 minutes, but a huge part of that is the exaggeratedly long credits, but at least we get a famous song sung from one of the characters.There's some smart writing included, like the Cold War reference between reindeer and penguins and resulting thereof the Romeo-and-Juliet story featuring Natalie Wood's famous Latino accent for the female reindeer. In general, it's packed with film references (Casablanca etc.), which definitely elevated the material for me. The animation is as good as the one from the feature films and it may have been a good decision by the makers to not get too Christmas-y. Others have tried and failed, but this approach turned out successful and also has the effect that it can be watched pretty much anytime of the year without feeling inappropriate. However, that does not mean it does not have a couple holiday-relevant scenes that touch the heart, like the lion's comment on how he just wants to see snow, the penguins leading the sleigh like reindeer or the little girl being so filled with joy that she's hugging everybody from the gang. Definitely recommended.

Dreamworks usually sucks at making movies, but now they seem to fail at making Christmas specials.I mean, Christmas time is the perfect time to make a Christmas short, but this one just sucked. It was the typical Santa Claus with give not get messages in it. Plus the jokes weren't that great, there was a lot of side distractions (really? Penguin and Cupid?) as well as just plain old inappropriate "take advantage of Santa" moments.I know that you cannot mention Christ in anything these days, for fear of offending people, but if you don't mention Christ, then it really isn't a Christmas special, rather it's a holiday special.But I give them a 5 for effort.

I enjoyed the Madagascar movies and I love The Penguins of Madagascar, so I naturally wanted to see this festive special. And overall, I enjoyed it very much and even preferred it marginally over the movies. I admit I wasn't keen on the animation of Santa and one or two characters are a little bland, but overall it was very enjoyable, with a nice heart warming story and some very funny writing from especially the Penguins and King Julien(who almost steals the show throughout).The animation is nice, vibrant and colourful and the music is great, I especially liked King Julien's take on Santa Claus is Coming to Town, that was funny. The characters in general are fine, Melman isn't given much to do, same with some of the reindeer, but I loved the Penguins and King Julien and Alex and Gloria were nice to watch. And the voice acting is top notch. Merry Madagascar also moves quickly so it never feels boring. Overall, thoroughly enjoyable and kept me amused constantly. 8/10 Bethany Cox

The brand new holiday adventure stars everyone's favorite Central Park "zoosters" from Madagascar and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Merry Madagascar begins when Santa and his sleigh unexpectedly crash-land on the island, giving the jolly gentleman a case of amnesia. So it falls to Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria -- along with the ever-inventive Penguins -- to deliver the presents and save Christmas. And it doesn't hurt that Santa's Sleigh just might be able to make a little trip to New York City, so they can finally return to their beloved home. But during their appointed rounds, the four re-discover the magic of giving -- and that it is ultimately more important than their own wish to return home. Also included is a long-lasting North Pole/South Pole rivalry between the Penguins and Santa's reindeer, plus magic flying dust and a King Julien-based holiday called "Julienuary."