We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Change Their Lives Forever

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In August 2011, it was announced that Icelandic musician Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, the lead singer of the band Sigur Rós, would be composing the music scores for We Bought a Zoo. [11] Director Crowe described the choice as "only natural", since "Jónsi has been a part of the making of We Bought A Zoo from the very beginning". [11]

Knegt, Peter (December 19, 2011). " 'Descendants,' 'Drive' Lead Satellite Award Winners". Indiewire . Retrieved May 29, 2015.

The zoo staff, led by head keeper Kelly Foster, start making renovations to reopen the zoo to the public. When Kelly asks Benjamin why he bought the zoo despite knowing nothing about zoo management, he simply responds, "Why not?" Meanwhile, Dylan is very unhappy and misses his friends, causing him to retreat further into his art. He is soon befriended by Kelly's 13-year-old homeschooled cousin, Lily, who develops a crush on him. Elle Fanning as Lily Miska, [7] the 13-year old home-schooled cousin of Kelly and worker at the zoo's restaurant who lives within the zoo. Although she is too young to legally work, she is paid "under the table" out of her cousin's salary. She likes Dylan, who is at first unaware of this fact.

Roger Ebert, reviewing for the Chicago Sun-Times, awarded the film two and a half out of four stars, describing the film as "too much formula and not enough human interest". He added that the film's "pieces go together too easily, the plot is too inevitable, and we feel little real energy between the players". However, he praised Damon, who he said "makes a sturdy and likable Benjamin Mee". [18] The New York Times reviewer Manohla Dargis criticized Crowe's direction, writing that it "makes the escalating tension between Benjamin and Dylan the story's soft center," while keeping "the brutality of illness and death... safely off-screen". She also noted that the film uses "classic movie logic", specifically pointing out the way that Benjamin quits his job and that he "doesn't agonize about how he'll keep his children housed, fed and clothed". On the other hand, Dargis wrote that "you may not buy his [Cameron's] happy endings, but it's a seductive ideal when all of God's creatures, great and small, buxom and blond, exist in such harmony."" [19] Annual Young Artist Awards - Nominations / Special Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012 . Retrieved July 23, 2018. Recently widowed Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), still grieving his loss and dealing with school behaviour issues and the expulsion of his 14-year-old son Dylan (Colin Ford), decides to get a fresh start by buying a new house. After touring many houses with his daughter Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) and his realtor, Mr. Stevens (JB Smoove), and finding none to his liking, his daughter finds a paper with what seems like his perfect house.a b Fleming, Mike (2010-11-09). "Cameron Crowe Taps His 'Almost Famous' Alter Ego For 'Zoo,' And Elle Fanning, Too". Deadline . Retrieved 2011-12-29. Instead of an escaping grizzly bear, as portrayed by the film, it was a jaguar called Sovereign that had escaped. [27] Benjamin's children were also younger (aged four and six respectively) than the children in the film. [27] Matt Damon as Benjamin Mee, the father of Dylan and Rosie Mee, the owner of the zoo and the love interest of Kelly Foster, who is trying to restart his life after the death of his first wife, Katherine. [4] After managing to get the place up and running, Benjamin - who was a journalist before becoming a zoo CEO - wrote a book about the trials and tribulations of running a zoo, and the tragic loss of his wife, Katherine, just after the family moved in.

We didn't get a lot of money from the film but we did get a lot of attention and that was the main motivation for doing it."verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ Thomas Haden Church Joins 'Killer Joevbvb' & 'We Bought A Zoo' ". ScreenRant. 6 October 2010 . Retrieved 2010-10-29. Benjamin Mee has been grieving the loss of his wife, Katherine, for seven months. When his 14-year-old son Dylan is expelled from school, Benjamin realizes that the family's current situation is not working, they are all grieving, and everything around them reminds them of Katherine. Benjamin decides to make a fresh start, starting with a new home. John Michael Higgins as Walter "Walt" Ferris, a strict zoo inspector who earns the dislike of many people, especially Peter MacCreedy. The adorable capaybaras will greet you at the entrance to the zoo. Like giant guinea pigs (Image: Shannon Brown/PlymouthLive)

a b c d e f Mee, Benjamin [in Italian] (2007-06-23). "My Family & Other Animals". The Guardian . Retrieved 2011-12-07. The zoo scenes were filmed at Greenfield Ranch in Hidden Valley, Thousand Oaks, California, where a zoo was erected for the filming. [8] [9] Development [ edit ] The film's plot and actual events differ. The real Benjamin Mee is British, whereas in the film he is American. The story was adapted for an American audience and Mee approved the changes. [26] The actual zoo Mee bought is Dartmoor Zoological Park, located in Devon, England. [27] The fictional zoo in the film is called Rosemoor Wildlife Park and is located in California, US. Stéphanie Szostak as Katherine Mee, the deceased wife of Benjamin Mee and mother of Dylan and Rosie Mee. We were silly enough to come and look at it, to rule it out," Benjamin said. "And, of course, we got caught up in the whole drama that, if it was going to close, which it looked like it was, most of the animals would be destroyed. So we pulled out all the stops and went through lengthy negotiations for about six months and managed to buy the zoo as a broken closed zoo without a license."More than 10 years after the film initially aired, it is still regularly watched by people across the world, and it still shown on TV, including this weekend on Channel 4 at 13:25 on Sunday, January 8. In the interim, Dartmoor Zoo became a charity, allowing them to accept more donations from kind-hearted visitors, and save money in other areas. As the film clearly points out, it is very expensive to run a zoo. The song Gathering Stories was on the shortlist of 39 songs that had a chance of being nominated for Best Original Song Oscar at the 84th Academy Awards. [12] This song was co-written by Jonsi Birgisson and Cameron Crowe. [12] Benjamin's brother, Duncan ( Thomas Haden Church), is an accountant who urgently advises Ben not to buy a zoo. Well, that's the function of a good accountant. How many times has my own accountant entreated me, "Roger, whatever you do, don't buy a zoo!"