Mason and Phil are two chimpanzees that appear in the Madagascar universe. Both are very sophisitcated in the movies.
In the first movie, Mason is seen waking up to dig in the trach can near his cage. He gets a newspaper and a coffee. Mason waskes a still sleeping, Phil, calling him a flithley monkey. Later that night, during Marty's party, they hear a birthday song with the lyrics "You look like a monkey, and. smell. like one too!" The other animals laugh, but Mason spits out his tea (he was holding a tea cup) in surprise and embarassment. Behind him, Phil sniff his armpit then faints off his branch.
When Alex, Melman and Gloria (who breaks a brick wall) escape to find a runaway Marty, Mason and Phil notice. Mason says Tom Wolfe's speaking at Lincoln Center and agrees with Phil to go throw poop at him. They, along with the other animals, are caught by the police at Grand Central Station.
It's sometime after that, we see them with the other animals (the main four and penguins) on a cargo ship to Africa. The chimps are across from the penguins. Skipper asks Mason for some reading assitiance, Mason can't so he asks Phil. Phil only speaks with sign language and can read. At the end of the movie they are seen on the ship with Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria, only to find out the ship is out of gas.
In the sequel they're on the plane with the main animals leaving Madagascar to New York. The penguin's fixtures to the plane fail, leading to a terrifying fall but the chimps calmly continue to play chess.
They crash in Africa, and are asked by Skipper for thumb-assitance in fixing the plan. Phil curses in sign lanuage, Mason replies amused "I should wash your hands out with soap." After stealing a few tour jeeps from humans, the penguins are amazed to see the chimps recuited more chimps to help with the building. Skipper's reaction at the huge work force is "Well I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Mason cool states "Oh I doubt that."
At apperication for the collected chimps, Skipper says "I'd like to kiss you, monkey." Mason thinks about it for a second, then nonchantly says "Oh alright, but you're so darn ugly." He kissed Skipper, lips on beak, without caring while the penguin is rather disgusted.
While it seems the chimps are consistently, if not chaotically, fixing the plane by night they're all on strike. Mason and Phil discuss wages with Skipper and Kawolski. Mason wishes to discuss materiney leave, but the peguins deny the 'commies' because they're all seemingly male. Gloria, Melman and Marty plead with Skipper so they can have the plane and save Alex but Skipper is stubborn. Phil bring out scandalous pictures of Skipper with a hulu doll for blackmail. A reluctant Skipper gives the chimps materiny leave and all the zoo animals, plus the extra chimps go to save Alex and his father from angry tourist.
During the adventure of saving the lions, the chimps work as a telephone/chain between the father and son(in a basket unconnected to the plane) and the other animals driving the plane. The messages are horribly altered, and all end in Basset Hound, which almost leads to killing the lions but breaking the dam for the rest of the savannah.
The two chimps are seen leaving with the honey-mooning penguins (Skipper and his doll) away in the plane with teasure found (by the savannah animals who were searching for water).
They return in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.
In The Penguins of Madagascar, their personalities are more exaggerated. Phil is an inconsiderate slob and Mason is a neatfreak always cleaning after him. It's a flawed but loving friendship.
