Tom McGrath Archives | Otaku No Culture

Boss Baby. From Back in Business to Family Business, the Clues are There…

Knowing the Netflix series isn’t required and I thought the next movie of the Boss Baby franchise on a rival streaming network unusual.

Playing on Peacock and theatres near you.

Spoiler Alert

The only shame with The Boss Baby franchise is the voice of Tim Templeton, one of the main characters, was recast. I would’ve preferred Pierce Gagnon from the Netflix continuation than James Marsden to take over. Tobey Maguire isn’t back because he doesn’t have the skills to sing. Usually someone else can fill in those bits but the producers opted to get a new performer. This information was reported on Yahoo News.

Unless Timmy’s voice cracked twice, he’s not likely to experience a second or third childhood since he never fully grew up. The hilarity isn’t tough to maintain. As a director, Tom McGrath‘s crazy sense of humour is exemplified when he was the brains behind Penguins of Madagascar. Ever since that series was retired, he’s been bringing his style to other properties. He directed Back in Business and shared creating the story with Michael McCullers. The short bursts of kiddie humour are off the rails—especially during the climax—and yes I miss the birds.

Continue reading “Boss Baby. From Back in Business to Family Business, the Clues are There…”

The Penguins of Madagascar: A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest) and James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

penguinsofmadagascar1

Ed: I have to think that the Penguins of Madagascar movie arrived far too late to make a noticable dent in the wall. If only the production went into high gear when DreamWorks realized they had a runaway product back in 2005, and it released around 2008, interest would’ve been high. To wait nearly a decade later diminished their overall appeal. As high-speed and kinetic as this film was, this animated beast was of a different colour. The story had none of the panache that introduced audiences to these merry penguins back when they first appeared in Madagascar. The the ha-ha from the television series is okay, but it did not quite work for me. I had high hopes and was let down.

James: The opportunity on marketing for this film was missed due perhaps to the length of time between projects. I saw no movie figures, no plushies of Skipper and his bunch, and I saw no limited run of Cheese Dibbles.

I wanted an all-star Penguins movie with King Julien, Mort, Marlene, et al but we were treated to an all-penguin film which would’ve been okay if the universe of the TV series was better utilized. What we ended up with were pale comparisons of their TV counterparts. And don’t get me started about the change back to using the original voice actor (Chris Miller) of Kowalski.

E: Oh good lord! More King Julien? As despised as he is by his fellow zoo animals, I don’t think I can stand a 90min film with him being prominent throughout. My friend, you have not been keeping up with the series as well as I have. Yeah, Jeff Bennett has spent more time to give Kowalski life, but I enjoy Miller’s more calculating version. However, I’m more bothered about how Skipper’s time alone in Denmark is quickly glossed over like it’s of no importance. Apparently they have never spent any time apart. That can lead to some continuity issues if everyone is going to believe the television and film series share the same universe when they do not.

Continue reading “The Penguins of Madagascar: A Movie Review”

The Penguins of Madagascar gets John Malkovich as the “Charming Villian”

The latest news about DreamWorks Penguins of Madagascar includes the following casting news:

The Penguins of Madagascar will be back in 2015, and they will have Benedict Cumberbatch and John Malkovich to contend with. Both actors are in high demand these days and the excitement is even better after sources say who they will play. Cumberbatch will voice a high-ranking animal CIA agent that’s after Malkovich, who will be a “charming villian.”

As for how the Penguins will play into this plot must mean they will leave their merry zoo life and might be globe-trotting in a high paced spy action thriller.

Expected to be back will be Tom McGrath as the voice of Skipper, Chris Miller as Kowalski, John DiMaggio as Rico and Christopher Knights as Private.

To helm the movie will be director Simon J. Smith (“Bee Movie”) interpreting the script by Michael Colton and John Aboud. Lara Breay (“Megamind”) is producing, while executive producers include Mireille Soria, Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell, all of whom are responsible for the original “Madagascar” trilogy.

Source: theWrap

What’s Next for the Penguins of Madagascar?

Skipper has a secret not only in The Penguins of Madagascar cartoon series, but also the film…

The Penguins of Madagascar

Skipper has a secret in The Penguins of Madagascar, and it involves some kind of covert operation that has him in trouble with Danish authorities. Throughout the series, references to this mysterious past of the leader of the Penguins has been made. He was declared Public Enemy Number One in Denmark. This tease is not the only reason to keep viewers coming back for more, but instead, its their crazy slapstick antics that keeps this series fresh. This style of storytelling has managed to keep this Nickelodeon series going for three seasons, and as for whether or not a fourth will happen, that may be stalled whilst a theatrical movie, is being developed by Dreamworks Animation.

Hopefully the big screen treatment that’s tentatively scheduled for a 2015 release will not be a mirror of the television series. Sometimes,the humour wears itself thin because the shorts are more in league to an Animaniacs moment. But when the world of the penguins is expanded to include the lemurs from the animated movies, the diversity is great. That managed to carry the Madagascar films until it got worn thin. Alex the Lion’s journey is over and someone (most likely Marty the Zebra) has to take his place.

Continue reading “What’s Next for the Penguins of Madagascar?”