We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Broken-Down Zoo, and the 200 Animals That Changed a Family Forever

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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. Despite this, the young couple were convinced that they could buy the failing zoo and save its animals, many of whom faced being put down.

a b c d Kit, Borys (2010-05-17). "CameronCrowetodirect'Zoo' ". TheHollywoodReporter . Retrieved 2011-09-27. Knegt, Peter (December 14, 2011). " 'The Artist' Tops Phoenix Film Critics Awards". Indiewire . Retrieved July 15, 2012. The in-progress Amur Leopard enclosure. While it used to home jaguars (who ate part of the wooden hutch) and lions, Benjamin hopes it will soon hold one of the rarest species on earth (Image: Shannon Brown/PlymouthLive) 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 zoo scenes were filmed at Greenfield Ranch in HiddenValley, ThousandOaks,California, where a zoo was erected for the filming. [8] [9] Development

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For me, the author wasted the potential for a really cool book. It is both about the choice of content and the style in which it was written. In "We bought a Zoo" a lot of space is occupied by the description of financial and administrative problems, including problems with obtaining credit and renewing licenses, problems with banks and officials. Mee writes with real pleasure about all renovation and construction works at the zoo - no wonder, since he professionally writes articles about DIY. You can learn from these stories what you need to pay attention to when designing a zoo, although Mee also writes about renovations at home, workshop or restaurant. Detailed descriptions of how and where someone hit the nail and with what tool drove me crazy as well as other detailed descriptions of uninteresting activities or events, such as garbage disposal. 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. The rewards were evident every day right from the start. Tigers, bears and lions in the garden (well, in enclosures in the garden), the chance to bring a better life to more than 200 exotic animals, and re-open a much loved attraction which also had a valuable role to play in education and conservation. This was our motivation - the financial rewards of zoo ownership, by the way, are non-existent or, more accurately, negative. If you love animals, a man with a strong will and solid determination, and don't mind a forward and direct writing style, this book may be exactly what you're looking for.

a b Fleming, Mike (2010-11-09). "CameronCroweTapsHis'AlmostFamous'AlterEgoFor'Zoo,'AndElleFanning,Too". Deadline . Retrieved 2011-12-29.And, after all, Benjamin knows first-hand how healing it is to work in the magical atmosphere of Dartmoor Zoo. “Yes, losing Katherine was very, very tough on all of us. But this is an amazing place for us all to live and the animals give us such joy. The kids are OK, I'm OK and the zoo is OK. You can come through and smile.” There's a bit too much emphasis on the process and not enough on the emotion and character development.

I loved the story but the writing style, perhaps too plain and direct, made me feel like I'm reading a newspaper article instead of a book. It didn't allow feelings to be properly shown. And it didn't allow me to really bond with any of the characters either. The humour also fell flat and felt like sarcasm most of the time. ScarlettJohansson as Kelly Foster, the 28-year-old lead long-time zookeeper at Rosemoor Animal Park who is Benjamin's love interest and is a mother figure to Dylan and Rosie.

Dylan, unhappy about having to stay, confronts his father and they have a heated argument. They reconcile the next morning and Dylan admits he misses Lily. Benjamin tells Dylan his favorite motto: that you only need 20 seconds of courage for something great to happen. Benjamin realizes that instead of trying to start over by forgetting his wife, he should accept that she will always be a part of him. Dylan, following his father's advice, confesses his love to Lily, and she forgives him. Benjamin’s dream was to refurbish the zoo and run it as a family business. But with a grand reopening scheduled for spring, there was much work to be done and none of it would be easy for these novice zookeepers.

What worked:I really liked the book. The subject was interesting, Benjamin Mee has a great voice, and there was a surprising amount of conflict in the book (Will they get the money to buy the zoo? Will the zoo open on time--or at all? Will Mee's wife recover from her illness?). I liked Mee's family and his employees. Most importantly, I liked Mee himself, which is vital in a memoir. Harris, Scott (2010-06-24). "Matt Damon May Lead Cameron Crowe's 'We Bought a Zoo' ". Moviefone. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05 . Retrieved 2011-10-29. Salter, Jessica (3 Mar 2012). "WeBoughtaZoo:thetruestorybehindthefilm". TheDailyTelegraph. Archived from theoriginal on 2020-09-19 . Retrieved 30 Nov 2013. Dragan, while waiting patiently for breakfast, posed so wonderfully in the early morning sunlight (Image: Shannon Brown/PlymouthLive)

Principe, Darleen (12 December 2013). "Historic Hidden Valley property proving a tough sell". Thousand Oaks Acorn. His extraordinary will and determination to succeed meant they passed, and on July 7 they opened to the public as the rebranded Dartmoor Zoological Park, with signs that Katherine had designed. "Opening day was such a relief," Mee says. "But all day strangers – who knew our story from the local paper – kept coming up to me saying, 'Katherine would have been so proud of you.' I wasn’t expecting it. I had to go to the office to take a breath, but someone had put up my favourite picture of her on the wall. When I saw her there looking at me, I cried for two hours." Rich, Katey (2010-05-17). "CameronCroweCommitsToWeBoughtAZooForLate2011Release". Cinema Blend . Retrieved 2010-10-29. RollingintheDeep'RollsAwayWithSongoftheYearat2012BMILondonAwards". BMI.com. October 9, 2012 . Retrieved May 29, 2015. We Bought a Zoo (Film Tie-in): The amazing true story of a broken-down zoo, and the 200 animals that changed a family forever