With box-office receipts flowing in to the tune of $480 million worldwide, one of this summer’s few cash cows was always guaranteed to get a sequel. And sure enough, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg waded in with an announcement that Madagascar would join Shrek as his company’s second animated franchise. The sequel’s not due until 2008, but all of Madagascar’s voice cast, including Ben Stiller and Chris Rock, have signed up to reprise their roles.
The DreamWorks honcho also announced that Madagascar’s Penguin characters will get their own spin-off, which will be released on DVD in 2009. As voiced by Christopher Knights and Tom McGrath, the flappy funsters Private and Skipper are also due to appear in a 10-minute short that will be screened before prints of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, which hits UK cinemas on 14 October.