In the New York Zoo, a heroic lion named Samson tells his younger son Ryan stories of his adventures in the wild. When the zoo closes at night, all the animals are free to roam. Samson and his crew, consisting of Benny the squirrel, Bridget the giraffe, Larry the anaconda, and Nigel the koala, compete in a turtle curling competition while Ryan hangs out with his friends. However, Ryan accidentally causes a gazelle stampede which head to the game and trash it. Samson and Ryan get into an argument which leads to Ryan walking off in anger before Samson can apologize to him. Later, Ryan wanders into a green container and gets shipped away by a truck, which the legend tells will take him to the wild.