Well, Melman and Gloria's was a side plot point established in the second film, and they were just continuing with what they had there... but I agree about Alex. The Jaguar herself was a very flat character to begin with. A token female character that had some attitude for a while. She wasn't very interesting at all.Madagascar 3 on the other hand, was great but not the best. It's story was good but I prefer the first or the TV series anyday. Stefano stood out however. Julian was funny as ever. But the story was a little all over the place and rushed. Alex's love story wasn't that interesting though, nor Melman and Gloria's. But, overall it was a great and an okay addition to the franchise.