The Central Park Zoo is a very small, very urban zoo. It’s easy to imagine that the animals that live there would be New Yorkers first, wild animals second. That idea forms the core of the Madagascar franchise. This group of animals—a lion, hippo, giraffe, and zebra—are urbane, “show-biz” animals that love the adulation of the crowds, the three square meals a day, and the safety that comes with zoo life.
