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Madagascar: A Little Wild - The Year of the Lion (S4E3)
During the Lunar New Year festival, Alex is disappointed to learn that there's no Year of the Lion. Determined to be somebody important, he sets out to become the star of the festival by taking on the role of the Dragon - but he eventually learns that every role has importance and realises the costume that fits him best is his own fur.
| Runtime (min) | 23 |
|---|---|
| TMDB Rating | 10.0 (1 votes) |
| Air Date | 2021-08-06 |
| Genres | Animation, Kids |
| TV Rating | TV-Y |
Where To Watch
Storyline
Storyline
In the vibrant atmosphere of the Lunar New Year festival, Alex discovers that there is no Year of the Lion, which leaves him feeling disappointed. Determined to shine during the celebrations, he decides to take on the role of the Dragon, believing that this role will elevate his status and make him the star of the festival. However, as he dons the elaborate costume, he soon learns that being someone else may not bring him the fulfillment he seeks.
Throughout his journey, Alex interacts with his friends, who help him realize that every role at the festival is significant in its own way. Ultimately, he comes to understand that his true identity and worth lie in accepting himself as he is, leading to a heartwarming conclusion where he embraces his own fur and the unique qualities that make him special.
What Parents Say
In this episode, parents may appreciate the underlying message of self-acceptance and the importance of recognizing one's own worth. Alex's quest to become the center of attention prompts discussions about the pressures children may feel to be someone they're not, especially during special occasions. His eventual realization that every role, including his own, is valuable can serve as a great lesson for kids to embrace their individuality.
The episode also highlights the significance of cultural celebrations, showcasing the Lunar New Year in a fun and engaging manner. Parents can use this opportunity to educate their children about different cultural practices and the values they represent, fostering an appreciation for diversity and the importance of community celebrations.
What Children Can Learn
Kids watching this episode will learn about the importance of being true to oneself. Alex's journey teaches them that trying to be someone else might seem appealing, but it's essential to recognize and appreciate one’s own identity and contributions. This message can resonate with viewers, encouraging them to embrace their unique traits and talents.
Additionally, children will gain insight into the significance of cultural traditions, as the Lunar New Year festival serves as a colorful backdrop for the story. The vibrant decorations, costumes, and celebrations depicted in the episode spark curiosity about cultural diversity and the various ways people celebrate around the world, promoting inclusivity and understanding.
Five Most Asked Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the main theme of this episode? | The main theme revolves around self-acceptance and the realization that every role has its importance. Alex learns that rather than trying to become someone else, embracing his own identity is what truly makes him special and valuable. |
| How does Alex feel about not having a Year of the Lion? | Alex feels disappointed and left out when he finds out there isn't a Year of the Lion during the Lunar New Year festival. This motivates him to seek a more prestigious role, leading to his decision to become the Dragon for the celebrations. |
| What lessons do Alex's friends help him learn? | Alex's friends play a crucial role in helping him understand that every character at the festival has significance. They guide him to appreciate the importance of his own identity and the unique contributions he can make, which ultimately leads him to embrace who he truly is. |
| How does the episode celebrate cultural diversity? | The episode showcases the Lunar New Year festival through vibrant visuals, traditional decorations, and the celebration of various roles within the festival. This depiction introduces children to cultural traditions and encourages them to learn about and respect different customs and celebrations. |
| What can children learn about self-worth from Alex's journey? | Children can learn that self-worth comes from accepting and valuing who they are rather than comparing themselves to others or striving to fit into a mold. Alex's journey emphasizes that everyone has their own unique strengths that make them special. |
Cast
Show 4 more cast
Writing
- Stacey Evans Morgan — Writer
Directing
- Mike Kunkel — Director
- Robert Briggs — Director
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | When their favorite zoo visitor loses his teddy bear, our gang goes on a wild adventure through New York City to return it to him - and in the process Marty learns that some things in life can't be found in an instruction manual. |
| 1 | 2 | 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." |
| 1 | 3 | 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. |
| 1 | 4 | 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. |
| 1 | 5 | 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. |
| 1 | 6 | 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. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Alex is mistaken for a Maine Coon and takes over that cat’s life in the penthouse. At first, comfortable with his shmancy new life, Alex grows to miss his old life and learns that it’s lonely at the top. |
| 2 | 2 | On Junior Marshals’ Day at the fire station, Melman gets stuck in a firetruck on its way to a real emergency. With Alex’s help, Melman must overcome his fear of heights to help save a stuck cat, and learn that even heroes get scared sometimes. |
| 2 | 3 | When Marty accidentally “steals” a pair of slippers from a department store, he plans an elaborate “heist” to return them and learns in the end that it’s easier to own up to your mistakes than to cover them up. |
| 2 | 4 | When a litter of hedgehogs are temporarily relocated to the habitat, Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria become their “babysitters.” |
| 2 | 5 | It‘s Kate‘s birthday and everyone in the habitat has something amazing planned, but Melman is worried that his homemade/hoof-made gift won’t measure up. |
| 2 | 6 | Gloria becomes determined to earn her Queen of Kindness Kidizen badge and welcomes some free-spirited rats who need a place to stay into the habitat. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | When Alex realizes he’s too small to climb onto his new habitat “stage”, he feels too small for his dreams- until he hears of a big, new roller coaster at Coney Island and figures if he can ride the big coaster, that’ll prove that he’s a BIG deal! |
| 3 | 2 | The habitat is celebrating “Sloth Day” in honor of its newest arrival: cool, chill, Lucia the sloth, who just arrived from Costa Rica! |
| 3 | 3 | When Melman learns that his friends stay up late every New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop in Times Square, he’s determined to stay up with the big kids and join the fun. |
| 3 | 4 | When fun-loving, water-dwelling tadpole LALA shows up in Gloria’s tank, the two become underwater besties! |
| 3 | 5 | Gloria wants spring to come! She’s SICK of winter and is counting down the days until the Central Park pond melts so she can retrieve a toy she lost in the water before it froze! |
| 3 | 6 | Marty relishes his role as producer/organizer of the annual Animal Pride Parade. So when an unusual striped animal arrives, Marty tries to figure out which animal float ODEE ELIOT belongs on. |
| 3 | 7 | Alex lands a role in a big Hollywood movie, but his part is threatened by a diva-like bull. Alex nearly gives up, but with the help of his friends, learns that no one can bully him out of what he loves to do. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | When Melman loses his first tooth, he fears he won't be Kate's baby any more and goes on a city-wide chase to recover his tooth before Kate can replace him with a younger, cuter animal. |
| 4 | 2 | When Ranger Hoof invites Marty on a Junior Ranger night trot in Central Park, Marty is determined to prove he's got what it takes to do the job - but when Alex tags along for the ride, Marty learns that "what it takes' is a whole lot of teamwork. |
| 4 | 3 | During the Lunar New Year festival, Alex is disappointed to learn that there's no Year of the Lion. Determined to be somebody important, he sets out to become the star of the festival by taking on the role of the Dragon - but he eventually learns that every role has importance and realises the costume that fits him best is his own fur. |
| 4 | 4 | Lala, who's grown into a froglet, is ready to finally join the gang on a big adventure in the city! But she relies on her water bowl to get around, and Gloria goes overboard in trying to protect her tiny friend in the big world… Only to realise that she underestimated all Lala is capable of doing. |
| 4 | 5 | When a snowstorm blocks Kate from accessing the zoo, Melman decides to become "substitute Kate" and make sure the animals are cared for. But when the animals go wild in the snow, Melman's future-paramedic skills are put to the test during an outbreak of stubbed toes and boo-boos. A series of stumbles makes Melman question whether he's cut out to be a paramedic - until he learns that mastering a goal takes grit! |
| 4 | 6 | When Gloria meets a shy hermit crab, named Starlene, with a secret talent of tap dancing, Gloria plans a flashy production for Starlene’s debut so she can share her talent with the world! |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | When Lala announces she's moving out of the habitat, Gloria feels sad. But instead of admitting it, she puts all her energy into throwing the "happiest" goodbye party for her tank mate's last day in the habitat. |
| 5 | 2 | When the gang goes camping in vacant part of the zoo, Melman is nervous for his first ever sleepover away from the habitat and relies on his friends to scare-proof the experience for him. |
| 5 | 3 | When the gang gets bored of their old toys, a mysterious treasure map appears to be the answer to their problems. But when the treasure isn't what they expected, the gang learns that you can make your own fun. |
| 5 | 4 | When the gang plans a habitat-wide, friendly basketball tournament, Gloria becomes overly competitive in her quest to win. After she resorts to cheating, Gloria realises that real winners are good sports, and everyone has more fun when they play fair and square. |
| 5 | 5 | Alex prepares an acrobatic performance which he wants to perform on Mary Sue and Todd's new live talk show! But when Ant'ney unexpectedly goes viral and is invited on the show instead, Alex is determined to outshine his friend and learns that a friend's success doesn't diminish his own. |
| 5 | 6 | When the gang asks him to read aloud their new favourite mystery book, Marty is too embarrassed to admit that he hasn't yet mastered reading. Marty obsesses so hard on his reading practice that he gets locked inside the library overnight with one of the library's therapy dogs, leaving the pair to team up and bust out before sunrise. |
| 5 | 7 | During the holidays in the habitat, Melman’s determined to add one more sticker to his yearly “nice” list. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | Marty finds a puppy and, deeming it a Lost and Found item, resolves to locate its owner- until the pup turns out to be a wild Arctic Wolf Pup, and much more of a handful than Marty anticipated. |
| 6 | 2 | When a famous salsa-dancing parrot from Cuba comes to the guest habitat, Gloria’s determined to reunite the icon with her estranged dance partner, ultimately learning to mind her own business in matters of the heart! |
| 6 | 3 | When Bartholomew the Bat’s wing is healed, and he’s returned to the wilds of New Jersey, the gang decides to pay him a visit. |
| 6 | 4 | On the night of a much-anticipated toy-car race, Melman discovers a popped tired on his toy ambulance. Assuming that someone did it on purpose, Melman enlists Marty and the gang in a noir-like search to find the misbehaving tirepopper. |
| 6 | 5 | The gang gets their paws on some CRITTER CARDS, NYC’s latest toy craze, and Gloria is determined to collect them all! But when Gloria loses Melman’s rare and special card, the gang goes on an adventure in the city to get it back. |
| 6 | 6 | When Bill the Flamingo moves into the guest habitat, the nosy new neighbor discovers our gang sneaking out for Alex’s big cat food audition- and insists on joining their adventure. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | To prove to his Ma that he’s responsible enough to move into a nest of his own, Ant’ney sets out to safely return a lost egg. |
| 7 | 2 | When Ranger Hoof invites Marty to Junior Ranger Horse training, Marty insists on playing by the book- the ranger rulebook. |
| 7 | 3 | During an animal painting exhibition at the NYC Art Museum, Melman (whose crayon-artworks at the Habitat is legendary) worries that his classic-cute style isn’t up to snuff. |
| 7 | 4 | When newly minted journalist Gloria creates her own Habitat podcast, The Daily Glo (“For animals, by animals!”), she’s eager to cover all the “scoops” around the zoo. |
| 7 | 5 | Alex decides he wants to become a celebrity chef, but his food leaves much to be desired. |
| 7 | 6 | After hearing Melman perform a fantastic, original country song during his daily bath, Ant'ney signs Melman up to open for a huge country star, Lil Baa, at an all animal concert called Farm-a-Palooza. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | When Rocky asks Alex if he’ll direct his original musical, RATS, Alex accepts, despite having zero directing experience. When the show devolves into disaster, Alex realizes he should’ve told Rocky he was a newbie at directing, and still has lots to learn. |
| 8 | 2 | Ant’ney’s got dreams of becoming a corner crooner, but when it’s time for him to take over the family business (a pigeon-version of a bodega) Ant’ney hides his true passion from his family. |
| 8 | 3 | When Gloria enters a surf festival, Marty sets out to earn a Junior Ranger Badge by spearheading a beach cleanup day. |
| 8 | 4 | When Gloria decides to spend a day at the Central Park Pond with Lala, she's shocked and intimidated to find Lala leaping high into the sky with her new frog friends. |
| 8 | 5 | The Nature Channel prompts Melman to believe that he and the gang are too different to live under one roof; Melman escapes to the Bronx Zoo to find his real herd: other giraffes. |
| 8 | 6 | When Marty catches the eye of Hoof’s human ranger, he’s offered the chance to skip the rest of junior ranger training and become New York’s first Zebra Ranger Horse! |
| 8 | 7 | With his friends pursuing their own ‘things,’ Alex feels like he’s being left behind! When he undertakes an epic adventure of his own – a trip to space – Alex learns that even through life changes, the bonds of friendship don’t have to. |
| 8 | 8 |
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