Character from Madagascar by DreamWorks Animation
An Italian sea lion whose every emotion is visible on his face, whose circus career has involved more catastrophic failures than successes, and whose enthusiasm remains entirely undimmed by this.
Stefano has been in the circus all his life and loves it in the most uncomplicated way of anyone in the franchise. He loves it when it was good, he loved it while it was failing, and he loves it now that it's good again. His loyalty to the circus is not conditional on the circus deserving it. He's also responsible, indirectly, for Vitaly's accident — it was Stefano who lit the flaming hoop. He never fully forgave himself for this. His excessive cheerfulness is, at least in part, an apology he doesn't know how to say. He and Alex bonded first because Alex accidentally saved his life and Stefano interpreted this as skill. Their friendship deepened because Stefano's straightforward sincerity is something Alex doesn't know how to deflect. He called Alex 'Alice' for most of the film due to his Italian accent. He never corrected this.
A portly sea lion with the expressive face of someone who has never in his life successfully hidden what he was feeling. Wears his enthusiasm physically — wide eyes, open gestures, a voice that can communicate awe and panic in the same sentence. Sometimes performs with juggling balls, which he drops.