8 years after the events of the first game, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria (alongside the Penguins, King Julien, Maurice, Mort and the Chimps, Mason and Phil) decide to return to the Central Park Zoo, and travel there using an abandoned plane which was repaired by the penguins. Mort stows away, and ends up making the plane crash before it can arrive. They realize that they are in Africa, their old home. Alex reunites with his father Zuba, the alpha male of his pride, but Zuba's evil friend, Makunga, reminds him that every new lion must pass a rite of passage before being accepted into the pride. Alex nearly succeeds, but fails the last task (yelling his catchphrase), and is not allowed into the pride. Marty joins a herd of zebras identical to him, while Melman and King Julien become the doctors of the giraffes, and Gloria and Maurice kick a group of evil crocodiles out of the watering hole. Gloria then starts going out with a male hippo named Moto-Moto.