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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The remarkable true story of a family who move into a rundown zoo–already a BBC documentary miniseries and excerpted in The Guardian. The problems in achieving those rewards, however, were, as we kind of knew they would be, far greater than expected. Finding qualified staff to manage the animals, trying to borrow vast sums of money on a closed, failed business, and dealing with the regulations associated with getting a Zoo licence so that we could open to the public, kept us occupied about 23 hours a day. Then there were the complications caused by the escapes of several dangerous beasts, and by far the worst, right in the middle of everything, a family tragedy. Katherine had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour in France which had been successfully treated, but returned during our first Christmas at the zoo. 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. In the market for a house and an adventure, Benjamin Mee moved his family to an unlikely new home: a dilapidated zoo in the English countryside. Mee had a dream to refurbish the zoo and run it as a family business. His friends and colleagues thought he was crazy.

I learned much about the intricacies of owning a business open to the public, in particular. I learned a lot in general.I don't particularly like looking at animals behind wire. But, as a zoo director, I understand that it is absolutely essential that we keep them there. We can build up a broad genetic population in zoos and then if we can work out a way to regain an area the size of Siberia, just for tigers, then we can re-release them." When he arrived he was absolutely terrified, cowering in the corner of his crate,” says Ben. “Then I realised he’d never heard English before, so started speaking to him in French. He instantly looked right at me as if, ah ok you’re the same as those guys who fed me and were kind to me before, and then he was fine.” Rooney, David (27 November 2011). "WeBoughtaZoo:FilmReview". TheHollywoodReporter . Retrieved 2011-12-30. Colin Ford as Dylan Mee, [6] Benjamin's 14-year-old son, who is initially drawn to Lily and eventually develops feelings for her and has a strained and rough relationship with his father. Knegt,Peter (December 19, 2011). " 'Descendants,''Drive'LeadSatelliteAwardWinners". Indiewire . Retrieved May 29, 2015.

Buy an exclusive signed edition of our ‘We bought a zoo’ book, written by Benjamin Mee. This wonderful true story of our beautiful Dartmoor Zoo will give you the full picture of how we became the zoo we are today. 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]

Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) and his children struggle to move forward in life after the death of their dear wife and mother. Seeking a fresh start for him and his two mourning children, Benjamin buys and endeavors to save the life of a dying zoo, and in turn the life of his little family. — Kirby 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. a b Mariotti, Greg (2011-08-01). "Sigur Rós Frontman Jónsi Scoring We Bought A Zoo". The Uncool . Retrieved 2011-09-27.

Knowing it was the basis for what looked like a romantic comedy starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, I really wanted to LOVE this book. It was not at all what I expected and I tried to enjoy it for its own merits. If you've seen the movie, believe me, this is nothing like the film. BUT if you are an animal lover and find topics like extracting a tooth from a bear or how to get a decrepit animal park in shape for the inspectors, then this book may be for you. It was occasionally funny and heartwarming but Mee's tendency to go on an on about the beaurocratic process really diluted the pleasure of the good bits! The film ends with the zoo opening on a glorious Californian day with families queuing to get in (including the real Mees, who have cameo roles). But the reality in Dartmoor was of course very different. Stéphanie Szostak as Katherine Mee, the deceased wife of Benjamin Mee and mother of Dylan and Rosie Mee. But once the overall impact of the film was evident - that it was a good, positive message - even though it was factually a bit inaccurate, it was then just a question of answering lots of questions, the same questions, again and again in hotel rooms all across the world hoping it brought people to the zoo. We Bought a Zoo (Film Tie-in): The amazing true story of a broken-down zoo, and the 200 animals that changed a family foreverTo be honest, I still enjoyed it but this is one of the those books where the movies made changes that I feel improved the overall experience of it. RogerEbert, reviewing for the ChicagoSun-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] TheNewYorkTimes 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] 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.