Zoos in the Movies

I find that movies with zoos in them are quite condescending.

 

Even though this didn't make it into the story, the Disney animated film Oliver and Company was going to have a character steal a panda from the city zoo (the film takes place in New York, so it was probably going to be the Central Park Zoo).

 

Much of the plot of Star Trek 4 involves a fictional aquarium in San Francisco featuring Humpback Whales.

 

Just watching On Her Majesty's Secret Service (James Bond film, for those unfamiliar with it) and wondered if the scene around the 45 minute mark was Lisbon Zoo; black bears could be looked down upon by passing public? Some of the opening scenes are filmed around nearby Estoril apparently.

 

It was filmed at the bear pit in Bern, Switzerland. 007 TRAVELERS: 007 Filming location: Bear Pit and Nydeggbrücke

 

Was the old exhibits at London Zoo at the time in An American Werewolf in London outdated?

 

I have some things too add

Lions on the Loose (1941) It’s considered a lost film but judging by the synopsis there were scenes at a zoo, probably one around Hollywood. What’s interesting to note is that I believe this might be the first recorded instance of a ringtail on film.

Lions on the Loose (lost documentary short film; 1941) - The Lost Media Wiki

Too add some information about Zookeeper, some of the filming took place at Franklin Park Zoo because that was the zoo it was based on. Weirdly though, I don’t know why they chose to add animals like grizzly bears, wolves, and elephants into the zoo since back in 2011 and even today, they aren’t there. Also because this has been on my mind for the last 3 years and I don’t know where else to put it, on the DVD cover for the film there is an African Elephant, even though only an Asian Elephant is present. One more tidbit, the giraffe that was played in the film, died after filming at Franklin Park.

 

I just watched "Gaspard at the wedding" a french film set in an intriguing zoo - i couldn't find out which zoo its set in- does anyone know?

 

Parc Zoologique du Reynou In Limousin, France

 

there doesn't appear to be a gallery for them on this site? has anyone been there? they appear to be an amazing open range zoo!

 

I put a few pictures in the “France - other” gallery, a while ago...



I’ve not been for a few years. Certainly, it was a nice place, but pretty basic. Quite a large collection of hardier ungulates, carnivores and primates - but nothing too delicate!

 

There are scene in the 4th episode of the new Netflix chess drama "The Queen's Gambit", which suppose to feature the Chapultepec zoo in Mexico city. The actual zoo filmed is the Berlin Zoo and the Ape house specifically.

 

A short scene in The African Queen (starring Humphrey Bogart and the wonderful Katharine Hepburn) was filmed at Whipsnade.

According to Lucy Pendar, director John Huston returned from Africa to shoot the last scenes at a London studio but realised he didn't have film of a zebra grazing in the rain. He visited Whipsnade on a glorious day (a rarity on the Dunstable Downs!) and so had to ask Mrs. Pendar's father, the zoo's resident engineer, to lay out hoses in Spicer's Paddock (now home to white rhino), giving the effect of a tropical storm.

 

The scene was filmed in the old 'Wolf Wood' now 'Meet the Monkeys' and down towards the Elephant and Rhinoceros Pavilion

 

One of my favourite films

Do you know if the wolves in that scene were actually from the London zoo ?

They looked remarkably tame but I think they were actually authentic wolves rather than a wolf looking breed of domestic dog.

 

This film doesn't feature zoos as it is set in prehistory but I'm pretty sure that "Quest for fire" featured / starred zoo animals (wolves, lions, brown bear and elephants) to great effect.

 

Not a movie, but I'm just watching the original Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin with the scene from Longleat. I'm just wondering if the older forum members found it funny at the time, where a keeper shoots a lion because Reggie got out of his car in their enclosure? I can't imagine that featured in the remake.

 

Some French films show zoos and sometimes their occupants, mainly in Paris and for short scenes :
- "Le Père Noël est une Ordure", "La Grande Vadrouille", "Seuls two" in the Zoo de Vincennes
- "Adèle Blanc-Sec" (and the cartoon movie "Un Monstre à Paris") in the Jardin des Plantes.
There's also a film called "Vilaine" where an Elephant escapes from a zoo, but I don't know the park where the zoo scene has been shot.

 

There have been at least three movies with some scenes shot at the Rio de Janeiro zoo. Those are: O Noivo da Girafa (1957), featuring actor Amácio Mazzaropi; Tarzan and the Great River (1967), featuring recently deceased actor Mike Henry and O Trapalhão na Arca de Noé (1983), featuring actors such as Didi Mocó, Sérgio Malandro and Xuxa. Take a look:

 

To my knowledge two movies in Turkish feature zoos.

Konuşan Hayvanlar (Talking animals) is taken in Bursa Zoo. Doesn't have good ratings.
Maskeli Beşler: İntikam Peşinde (The masked five: Pursuing revenge) has a scene taken in Darica/Faruk Yalcin zoo