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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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 adorable capaybaras will greet you at the entrance to the zoo. Like giant guinea pigs (Image: Shannon Brown/PlymouthLive) Thomas Haden Church as Duncan Mee, [5] Benjamin's older brother and an accountant and Dylan and Rosie's uncle

Benjamin takes Dylan and Rosie to the restaurant where he met Katherine. He tells them the story of how he worked up the nerve to approach her table with "20 seconds of insane courage." He visualizes her at the table, and asks why such an amazing woman would talk to someone like him. She responds, "Why not?" After nine years in private ownership, during which Benjamin developed the collection, rebuilt the reputation of the Zoo, launched the Education and Research Department, he and his family donated the Zoo to a newly created charity, Dartmoor Zoological Society (DZS ). DZS is now operated by a dedicated team of specialists that report to the trustees who have overall responsibility for the running and development of the DZS. 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] Despite it being the off season for the zoo, they are currently open Fridays - Mondays from 10am, and will be running a number of offers throughout the year to make visiting even easier and more affordable during the cost of living crisis. Through January, the zoo are running Members Month - any Dartmoor Zoo member can bring up to four guests in for 50 per cent off.a b Chitwood, Adam (2011-12-19). "39 Songs Contend for Best Original Song Oscar; Nominees Include THE MUPPETS and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER". collider.com . Retrieved 2011-12-27. 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. He added the experience was "hugely formative" for him at the time - knowing they didn't know how to run a zoo and having to learn on the job, they saw first hand the very real risk to people and animal's lives. Benjamin learns that Katherine bequeathed him an investment account with instructions to use the money wisely while listening to his heart. Duncan advises him to walk away and start over with the money, but Benjamin decides to use the money for the repairs.

Actually, they made a fairly sympathetic - a very sympathetic film. About 50 per cent of it you could relate to as factual. Then, you know, there's a lot of drama and it's a much shortened story. But it was extremely surreal to see it with my kids, and see Matt Damon on the screen." Ben sees Dartmoor Zoo rebuilt in Californian hills". This is Plymouth. 2011-07-23. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24 . Retrieved 2018-03-11. The Hollywood Reporter commented that the film "has heart, humanity and a warmly empathetic central performance from Matt Damon", although it "doesn't dodge the potholes of earnest sentimentality and at times overplays the whimsy"; ultimately concluding that "Cameron Crowe's film has some rough edges, but it ultimately delivers thanks to Matt Damon's moving performance."" [20] Home media [ edit ]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.

At the film's outset, Benjamin Mee is still in mourning after the death of his wife. He's raising their kids Dylan ( Colin Ford), in his mid-teens, and Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), who is 7. Dylan is nabbed for shoplifting, and Benjamin, a journalist, decides it's time to leave the big city and raise them in the country. He finds an ideal house, which the real-estate agent only gradually explains comes with its own menagerie. The place was once a private zoo, shut down for reasons involving money and regulations, and Kelly Foster (Johansson) minds the animals with the help of Peter (Angus Macfadyen), a pipe-puffing Scotsman, and Kelly's teen niece, Lily ( Elle Fanning), who seems not entirely unaware she's in a script that may require her to sooner or later kiss Dylan. 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 ] 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.

Annual Young Artist Awards - Nominations / Special Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012 . Retrieved July 23, 2018.