Alex (Stiller) is a lion who enjoys a charmed life as one of the leading attractions at a zoo in New York City's Central Park. While Alex and his pals Marty the Zebra (Rock), Gloria the Hippo (Smith), and Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) are happy with their lot in life, they occasionally have a certain curiosity about the outside world. And when the zoo's penguins decide to make a break for it,...

Alex (Stiller) is a lion who enjoys a charmed life as one of the leading attractions at a zoo in New York City's Central Park. While Alex and his pals Marty the Zebra (Rock), Gloria the Hippo (Smith), and Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) are happy with their lot in life, they occasionally have a certain curiosity about the outside world. And when the zoo's penguins decide to make a break for it, Marty follows them into the city. Alex, Gloria, and Melman set out to find Marty before he gets into trouble, but they're a bit too late, and soon the zookeepers have decided that the animals are restless and need to be returned to the wild. Soon the critters find themselves living on the coast of Madagascar, where they quickly discover they aren't quite suited for living in the wild.