Madagascar Live! Operation: Vacation – You’ve Got to Move It, Move it to Busch Gardens to See It!

Today we previewed “Madagascar Live! Operation: Vacation” in the Stanleyville Theater at Busch Gardens Tampa, which is newly enclosed for this high-energy show. I always enjoy seeing the DreamWorks characters, which include King Julien, Mort, Gloria and Alex the Lion. The show officially opens on May 18th, 2013. Keep reading for photos and video!

Madagascar Live! Operation: Vacation is a completely live show, with singers, dancers and a live band joining the characters. Guests can even meet the characters after the show, and we were told they’d be at the front of the park as well. The show is about 20 minutes in length, and I expect it to be tremendously popular!

Vice President of Entertainment Nancy Hutson and President of Busch Gardens Jim Dean spoke briefly to the crowd, which consisted mostly of schoolkids looking forward to the show.

This really is a high-octane show from beginning to end – and features many favorite DreamWorks characters! Penguins Skipper, Private, Kowalski, Rico are the first on stage.

Lighting effects, a live band and singers add to the excitement!

Gloria the Hippo learns to do the Hippopotamus dance.

Alex the Lion is the next to roar onto the stage! I mentioned that the audience was almost entirely kids – and they went absolutely crazy for all the characters. Busch Gardens has a huge hit on it’s hands.

Of all the characters here, my favorite is probably Mort, with his big eyes (which is one of the reasons I’m such a Puss in Boots fan!) King Julien and Mort really “moved it”!

Here is the full show – but you really need to see it in person to get the full effect!

After the show, we met some of the characters. There will be meet & greets after every show, and there will also be an opportunity for VIP seats with a meal option – but details of that aren’t yet out. It sounds like at least one character will be at the meal, which I believe will just be lunch. I’ll update the article once I know more!

Robert Bearden from Mickey Updates enjoys dance-offs with characters, and he challenged Julien here to a dance!

Busch Gardens Park President Jim Dean with Alex the Lion:

Here is our interview with Park President Jim Dean about Madascar LIVE! Operation: Vacation!

Dancers from the show kneel in front of the penguins:

If you haven’t been to Busch Gardens lately, there is SO much to see and do there! I expect Madagascar Live! Operation: Vacation to be an extremely popular addition to the park. If you are heading to Busch Gardens on May 18th or 19th, there will be extra opportunities to celebrate, with dance parties througout the park, Jack Hanna shows, and fireworks on May 18th! Check out the official Busch Gardens website for all the details.