Having stolen nearly every scene in Madagascar – so much so they got their own TV spin-off - Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private  star in their own spy action thriller Penguins of Madagascar, set to his cinemas on November 26. And we’ve got a brand new trailer.

Penguins of MadagascarThe guys are back

Barring the scientific inaccuracies that see the titular Penguins survive in any given climate, PoM looks like the kind of raucous fun you’d expect from Dreamworks Animation who will hoping to prolong the success of the Madagascar franchise with yet another box office hit; the last film in the trilogy - Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted -grossed $746 million worldwide.

More: check out these Madagascar pictures

The CGI animation feature is helmed by Eric Darnell, the director of the original Madagascar trilogy, and by Simon Smith, who worked on Bee Movie. The original voice actors Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, John DiMaggio and Christopher Knights are set to make a return alongside a few familiar voices.

Watch the trailer for Penguins of Madagascar here


Benjamin Cumberbatch is one of those voices. He plays the smooth-talking wolf named Classified - a secret agent who heads up a covert animal-protection organisation called North Wind. Their motto: "No one breaks the Wind". John Malkovich will star as Classified’s nemesis, the evil octopus Octavius Brine.

“I don’t know what it’s like to be a penguin but I do know what it’s like to be a super-duper-smooth classified agent,” said Cumberbatch, referring to his lead role as Sherlock Holmes in an interview. The film is due to hit cinemas this winter, with Ken Jeong, Andy Richter, Chris Miller and Tom McGrath also lending the voices. 

More: Benedict Cumberbatch Punches Journalist For Keira Knightley

Penguins of Madagascar was originally set for March 2015 release date, but DreamWorks moved it up a few months to fall in November, giving it a Thanksgiving week bow – that’s sure to add an extra $50m or so to its first weekends totals. 

Stay tuned for our review of Penguins of Madagascar, but in the meantime, scroll for some crisp stills from the movie…

PenguinsSkipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private are the elite force charged with saving the world

Benedict Cumberbatch in Penguins of Madagascar
Benedict Cumberbatch's Classified loses his cool somewhat when confronted with cheesy snacks

Penguins of Madagascar movie
"Nobody breaks Wind"

Penguins of Madagascar
The penguins hatch a plan

Penguin cheesy dibbles
Those Cheezy Dibbles make it hard for everyone

Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private
Finally, something to give those penguins a smile

Wind
Classified and his crew