We Bought a Zoo

The true story of Dartmouth Zoo. Only different and with added Scarlett Johansson

Inoffensive is probably the best word to describe this latest film from Almost Famous-helmer Cameron Crowe. Based (extremely) loosely on the story of Dartmoor Zoological Park owner Benjamin Mee, Crowe’s slightly sappy flick shifts the tale to the US and – via the medium of cute animals and even cuter kids – makes it all about the importance of family.

Whatever you think of the movie, there’s no denying that Fox has delivered an exceptionally strong BD package, with superb AVC 2.40:1 1080p imagery, dynamic DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio that really brings the location and its exotic inhabitants to life, and a menagerie of extras.

The latter include 20 deleted/extended scenes, a gag reel, the 76-minute five-part We Shot a Zoo documentary, 18-minute featurette about scoring the film, 29-min featurette about the real Benjamin Mee and the story of Dartmor Zoo, a gallery of 122 photographs by Neal Preston, an audio commentary and the theatrical trailer. Not bad at all.

20th Century Fox, All-region BD/R2 DVD, £25 Approx, On sale July 16
HCC VERDICT: 3/5

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