I watched Madagascar just before I first went to New York and then again when I got back and the second time I got it much better. Which is why I call it the spirit of New York. Far from being a children’s animation film, which is one level at which one can relate to it, it is a spoof on the ’’zoo’’ like limited existence of a New Yorker who can’t see beyond his immediate environs. A pretty interesting perspective and metaphor! I wonder how many New Yorkers may have agreed with it. All in all an interesting movie (my child loves it too and never tires of watching it on the DVD that I finally decided to buy). Kinda grows on you. You can’t but help falling in love with the characters. Dialogue is brilliant in comic quality and prepare to laugh throughout the movie. They just feel so real. However its not for you if animation per se bores you and spoof is not your genre of choice.