Fifteen years after the beloved Madagascar franchise began, it’s roaring back to life with DreamWorks Animation’s latest series, Madagascar: A Little Wild. Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippo are returning to the screen, but this time as children. The series is now streaming on Hulu and Peacock.
As young kids residing in their rescue habitat at the Central Park Zoo, the fun-loving foursome take on all-new adventures and learn big lessons in their New York City home.
“We love so much of the franchise and that has informed the way we have developed and produced this series,” Co-Executive Producer Dana Starfield tells Parentology. For the team behind Madagascar: A Little Wild, Starfield describes the franchise’s history as “inspiration” for the series as they reimagined the characters as kids.
“We were able to create this world that we were hopeful reflects the real world and New York,” Starfield says. “There are so many stories that need to be told that aren’t always told, so many perspectives that aren’t included.”
The four pals that fans know and love are joined by new characters, both animals and human. Dave and Pickles are two monkeys who converse using American Sign Language (ASL). The pair helps the foursome get in and out of the zoo for their many shenanigans.
Ant’Ney is a new pigeon friend who is their New York City guru, bringing them all the information they need to navigate their time in the city. Kate is the caring, all-knowing zookeeper. Together, the two serve as the friends’ much-needed voice of reason for their adventures both in and out of the zoo.
Starfield says, “We created our own version of ‘What do these characters look like in our world and what are the characters we want to create for our world?'”
The series is led by Executive Producer Johanna Stein (Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny) and Starfield (Monster High: Welcome to Monster High). The cast is voiced by Tucker Chandler (I Lost My Body) as “Alex,” Amir O’Neil (Mann and Wife) as “Marty,” Shaylin Becton (Fast & Furious: Spy Racers) as “Gloria,” Luke Lowe (Big City Greens) as “Melman,” Jasmine Gatewood (Animal Kingdom) as “Kate” and Eric Petersen (Kirstie) as “Ant’Ney.”
What’s next for the iconic zoo pals? The producers are keeping the show’s future under wraps, but teased that the animals still have plenty to learn as kids.
Madagascar: A Little Wild is now streaming on Hulu and Peacock. Watch the trailer below: