IMAX Corp. and DreamWorks Animation SKG today announced that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa will be released in IMAX theatres worldwide on Nov. 7, 2008. The animation studio’s next five theatrical releases will get the IMAX treatment, carrying the partnership through to May 2010. The Madagascar sequel will follow the June 6 release of Kung Fu Panda, followed by the studio’s first three stereoscopic 3-D titles, Monsters vs. Aliens (March 2009), How to Train Your Dragon (November 2009) and Shrek Goes Fourth (May 2010). The pics will benefit from this summer’s rollout of the first IMAX Digital theatres.
‘IMAX’s early scheduled deployment of its state-of-the-art digital projection system has made possible the release of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa into The IMAX Experience,’ says DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. ‘DreamWorks Animation remains committed to delivering a premium entertainment experience to our audience and further extending our relationship with IMAX helps us to achieve that goal.’
‘The virtual elimination of film prints enables studios to release titles in a shorter window,’ adds IMAX co-chairmen and co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. ‘This allows IMAX theatres to program more content, which we believe will translate into increased revenue for exhibitors and ultimately lead to accelerated growth of the IMAX network worldwide.’
In Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippo, King Julien, Maurice and the penguins all return for another wild adventure that begins when the penguins repair an old, crashed airplane and keep it in the air just long enough to reach vast plains of Africa. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer and Andy Richter reprise their voice roles for the film, which is co-directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, and produced by Mireille Soria and Mark Swift.
