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We Bought a Zoo

  • 2011
  • PG
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
156K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,457
1,015
Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, and Felix in We Bought a Zoo (2011)
A father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.
Play trailer2:28
17 Videos
91 Photos
ComedyDramaFamily

Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.

  • Director
    • Cameron Crowe
  • Writers
    • Aline Brosh McKenna
    • Cameron Crowe
    • Benjamin Mee
  • Stars
    • Matt Damon
    • Scarlett Johansson
    • Thomas Haden Church
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    156K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,457
    1,015
    • Director
      • Cameron Crowe
    • Writers
      • Aline Brosh McKenna
      • Cameron Crowe
      • Benjamin Mee
    • Stars
      • Matt Damon
      • Scarlett Johansson
      • Thomas Haden Church
    • 274User reviews
    • 261Critic reviews
    • 58Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 8 nominations total

    Videos17

    Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:28
    Trailer #1
    "Modern Day Adventurers"
    Clip 0:55
    "Modern Day Adventurers"
    "Modern Day Adventurers"
    Clip 0:55
    "Modern Day Adventurers"
    We Bought A Zoo: Modern Day Adventurers
    Clip 0:55
    We Bought A Zoo: Modern Day Adventurers
    We Bought A Zoo: That's True Joy
    Clip 0:47
    We Bought A Zoo: That's True Joy
    We Bought A Zoo: It's A Zoo
    Clip 0:50
    We Bought A Zoo: It's A Zoo
    We Bought A Zoo: Why Did You Buy This Place?
    Clip 1:11
    We Bought A Zoo: Why Did You Buy This Place?

    Photos91

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    + 84
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    Top cast76

    Edit
    Matt Damon
    Matt Damon
    • Benjamin Mee
    Scarlett Johansson
    Scarlett Johansson
    • Kelly Foster
    Thomas Haden Church
    Thomas Haden Church
    • Duncan Mee
    Elle Fanning
    Elle Fanning
    • Lily Miska
    Colin Ford
    Colin Ford
    • Dylan Mee
    Maggie Elizabeth Jones
    Maggie Elizabeth Jones
    • Rosie Mee
    Angus Macfadyen
    Angus Macfadyen
    • Peter MacCready
    • (as Angus MacFadyen)
    Patrick Fugit
    Patrick Fugit
    • Robin Jones
    John Michael Higgins
    John Michael Higgins
    • Walter Ferris
    Carla Gallo
    Carla Gallo
    • Rhonda Blair
    J.B. Smoove
    J.B. Smoove
    • Mr. Stevens
    • (as JB Smoove)
    Stephanie Szostak
    Stephanie Szostak
    • Katherine Mee
    Michael Panes
    Michael Panes
    • Principal
    Kym Whitley
    Kym Whitley
    • Cashier
    Todd Stanton
    Todd Stanton
    • San Diego Vet
    Lauren Sanchez
    Lauren Sanchez
    • TV Anchor
    Peter Riegert
    Peter Riegert
    • Delbert McGinty
    Roberto Montesinos
    Roberto Montesinos
    • Hugo Chavez
    • Director
      • Cameron Crowe
    • Writers
      • Aline Brosh McKenna
      • Cameron Crowe
      • Benjamin Mee
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Matt Damon's character climbs over the tree, the real Benjamin Mee, Milo Mee (Dylan in the movie), and Ella Mee (Rosie in the movie) can be seen as the first family in line. In the scene, Benjamin Mee is wearing what appears to be a Dartmoor Zoological Park cap, the actual zoo in England on which the movie is based.
    • Goofs
      The zoo opens on July 7, 2010 but when we see Benjamin Mee holding papers in the car when they go house hunting, in all the papers of the house listings, the date is Jan 3,2011.
    • Quotes

      Benjamin Mee: You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.

    • Alternate versions
      The North America DVD includes an alternate audio track that removes the swearing.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.46 (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      Don't Come Around Here No More
      Written by Tom Petty and David A. Stewart (as Dave Stewart)

      Performed by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

      Courtesy of Geffen Records

      Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

    User reviews274

    Featured review
    8/10

    Film Clips Don't Do This Movie Justice

    We Bought A Zoo is a heart-warming, fun movie. The casting is a good as you could wish for and if I had to choose, I'd pick this as my favorite Matt Damon film. For anyone who loves animals, and I have to confess I'm about head of the line as one of them, this is a marvelous picture with not only the people personalities shining forth, but so too the animals. In most cases, we all know that the brief film clips shown prior to the movie are supposed to be showing the best of the picture. In this case, that is far from the truth. I almost passed this delightful movie up because all I could think of was, if this is the best there is...I don't think so. I'm so glad I opted to see it in spite of my reservations. Who ever picked the preview clips should be fired...or retrained, perhaps, because what they went with most certainly didn't do this movie justice. Not even close. It's a really enjoyable movie and I'd recommend it to everyone.
    • patsworld
    • Jan 4, 2012
    • Permalink

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    FAQ22

    • How long is We Bought a Zoo?Powered by Alexa
    • Where is the real zoo that the film is based on?
    • What song is heard when Benjamin is looking for new houses to buy?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 23, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • 20th Century Fox (United States)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Un zoológico en casa
    • Filming locations
      • Thousand Oaks, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • LBI Entertainment
      • Vinyl Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $50,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $75,624,550
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,360,434
      • Dec 25, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $120,081,841
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 4 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
      • Datasat
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, and Felix in We Bought a Zoo (2011)
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