The gang plans to celebrate Melman's birthday at an outer space exhibit featuring a cool space-rover vehicle. But when Gloria becomes obsessed with a handheld game, she misses out on special moments with her friends and learns the value of living in the present.

The gang heads to "Best Fans Day" at NY's Giraffe Stadium, where Alex gets caught up in the attention of rooting for the winning team. When his behavior ends up hurting Marty's feelings, Alex learns that his friends are the only team that matters.

Gloria's belief in herself is tested when she auditions for "Swan Lake" and gets rejected because she's a hippo. With some help from her friends, she learns that she doesn't need someone else to decide she's a prima hipporina—she already is.

When the happy-go-lucky sea lions draw crowds away from his show, Alex decides that he needs to act like the sea lions. But upon finding his attempts to compete with them don't bring back the crowds, Alex learns to be true to himself.

Melman finds a lucky flower and is convinced that today will be his best day ever. But when a series of unlucky events threatens to ruin his day, he's faced with the choice to drown in his sorrows or "take back the day."

When their favorite zoo visitor loses his teddy bear, the gang goes on a wild adventure through New York City to return it to him. In the process, Marty learns that some things in life can't be found in an instruction manual.