Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippo are friends who have lived their entire lives in New York’s Central Park Zoo. When Marty escapes from the zoo to explore the outside world, Alex, Melman, and Gloria attempt to rescue him, only for all four animals and a group of penguins to be captured and sent on a boat to Africa. However, said boat is hijacked by the penguins to go to Antarctica, leading the zoo animals to end up shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar, where they must adapt to their newfound surroundings.