Skipper
Skipper is the leader of a crack commando team of penguins that live in Manhattan at the Central Park Zoo. Skipper sees himself and his men as POWs. He is determined to escape the zoo and lead his men back to their natural home in Antarctica.
The Skipper is an efficient, effective leader who commands the respect of his fellow penguins – not by barking orders like a drill sergeant – but by his no nonsense, confident demeanor. His men, Rico, Kowalski, and Private, follow Skipper without question – to hell and back if necessary.
When we first meet Skipper we see he is bent on escape. With only plastic spoons and Popsicle sticks, the tenacious penguins dig an escape tunnel (much like in “The Great Escape”) right through the concrete and rebar in the floor of their cage. A tough job, but Skipper’s team is a dedicated bunch and they finally manage to dig outside the walls and escape the zoo! Other zoo animals are inspired by the penguins’ success and decide to go AWOL, as well. Skipper and his men are caught up in a dragnet to recapture the zoo animals.
The animals are crated up and put on a boat to be transferred to a wild animal park in Africa. A turn for the worse, but Skipper does not let this discourage his men. Instead, he orchestrates an escape from their crate and, under his focused leadership, the penguin commandoes overpower the human crew, and take the ship.
The penguins divert the boat to Antarctica. The Skipper looks over his team and smiles, “Well boys, it’s going to be ice cold sushi for breakfast.”
