As Christmas approaches, Alex the lion (Ben Stiller Ben Stiller), zebra Marty (Chris Locke Chris Rock), Milman the giraffe (David Hume David Schwimmer) and hippopotamus Gloria (Jada Pink Smith Jada Pinkett Smith) decide to say goodbye to Madagascar and return to New York for a long-lost holiday. The desolate farewell party failed to extinguish the enthusiasm of their return, and the good friends lit up the hot air balloon to set off officially, but they were shot down by Julian, the fox monkey king, as a red demon thief. Soon, the real red bandit appeared in the night sky, and Alex knocked it down by mistake in the chaos, only to find that the so-called red bandit was Santa Claus! Unfortunately, Santa Claus lost his memory. In order not to disappoint children all over the world, Alex and the Penguin gang decided to act as Santa's helpers and send gifts to every corner of the world.