Penguins of Madagascar

Some sidekicks just don’t belong in the spotlight, such as Penguins of Madagascar, a spin-off of the series of animated films that features a lot more of the waddling birds and a lot less of the African country in the title.

The quartet of geographically misplaced penguins made for a crowd-pleasing diversion in their prior three big-screen appearances (spawning a television sitcom of their own in the process), yet this globetrotting adventure – completely detached from its predecessors – feels like more of a financially driven than creatively inspired attempt to continue the franchise.

After a promising start that satirizes the recent glut of penguin documentaries, with the great Werner Herzog narrating, the story finds the ragtag penguins struggling to break free from the “cute and cuddly” stereotype as they launch a fledgling detective agency.

They soon meet their nemesis named Dave (voiced by John Malkovich), an octopus with a plot to eliminate all the world’s penguins as an act of revenge for always having to play second fiddle to the loveable birds at various zoos.

The giant shapeshifting Dave, with his eight arms and his powerful serum, are too much for the resourceful penguins to handle on their own. So they enlist the help of North Wind, a top-secret group of arctic creatures led by a wolf (Benedict Cumberbatch) who try to stop Dave in his quest for world domination.

The animation provides a highlight, as the obligatory 3D visuals are colorful and richly detailed as the story travels between exotic cities and famous landmarks for no other discernible reason than to show off its computer-animated replications of those same exotic cities and famous landmarks.

The film, directed by returnee Eric Darnell and franchise newcomer Sam Smith (Bee Movie), has its share of amusing sight gags along with some clever one-liners and puns that older viewers might appreciate. Yet the target demographic seems to be children with short-attention spans, those who will be thrilled with the plentiful action sequences and slapstick animal antics, intended to mask a script that emphasizes low-brow mayhem over narrative coherence.

Along the way, there are half-hearted lessons of teamwork and finding the beauty within, although the latter probably won’t factor into all the adorable plush-toy sales and fast-food promotional tie-ins just in time for the holidays.

Rated PG, 92 minutes.