Marty dreams of living in the wild and runs away from the Central Park Zoo. His friends chase after him and get caught and sent to Africa. However, their crates end up being thrown overboard on the way and they land on Madagascar. On the island, Alex changes from a happy leader to a savage wild lion focused on meat, even trying to eat Marty. The penguins also crash the boat on the island. All the animals work together to save Alex from his wild side so they can go home on the boat, fighting off fossa in the process. Eventually good Alex returns and fights off the fossa, but they discover the boat is out of fuel, leaving room for a sequel.