Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippo, King Julien, Maurice and the penguins have been marooned on the distant shores of Madagascar.

They soon hatch a plan so crazy it just might work. With military precision, the penguins have repaired an old plane. Once aloft, they stay airborne long enough to make it to the wildest place of all – the vast plains of Africa where they encounter species of their own kind for the very first time. While discovering their roots, they quickly realize the differences between the concrete jungle and the heart of Africa.