The first panel of the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con kicked off this morning with DreamWorks Animation’s Hall H presentation. Starting the proceedings was a first-look clip from Tim Johnson’s Home, featuring the voice of The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons as Oh, a bumbling alien from a race known as the Boov. When his people invade and take over Earth as their new permanent residence, the banished Oh teams up with Rihanna (in the guise of human girl, Tip) to save the world.
The clip took place after the Boov have settled into their new digs, in this instance the roomy rues of gay Paris. The Eiffel Tower has been rechristened 'The Great Antenna' and floated above the city on an inverted dome of rock, like a French iteration of Warcraft’s Dalaran. Tip and Oh are surrounded by the Boovian army, led by Steve Martin’s megalomaniacal general and a botched execution, a hectic chase in alien bubble cars and the wanton destruction of the Parisian suburbs soon follow. The standout, unsurprisingly, is Parsons’ Oh, lending more than a touch of Dr. Sheldon Cooper to his alien antics.
Perhaps more anticipated, though, was the second unveiling, Penguins Of Madagascar, bringing a grand total of four clips from the upcoming spin-off movie. The first being the birds’ infiltration of Fort Knox, featuring an inspired subterfuge gag with the penguins rolling across a zebra crossing. The second introducing John Malkovich’s evil octopus, Dr. Octavius Brine (aka Dave), the next featuring an all-action chase through the canals of Venice as the three avians are pursued by a trio of deadly octopodes, before Benedict Cumberbatch’s crack team of Arctic avengers, The North Wind, swoop in to save the day. The fourth unveiled Dave’s master plan in a communique to The North Wind HQ. To give it away would be a spoiler but suffice it to say it involves something called 'Medusa Serum'.
For veteran Madagascans, the concern here would be that the Penguins gag, while scene-stealing in a supporting role, might wear a little thin stretched over a dedicated feature. Happily, from what we’ve scene the gags come fast and funny, broadening the comedy beyond the slightly single-note comedy of their appearances in previous films. All of which bodes well for the finished picture, out in December.