ZooScope

Category: Country: UK

  • Lolita. Dir. Adrian Lyne. The Samuel Goldwyn Company. 1997.

    ‘Lolita’ (dir. By Adrian Lyne, 1997) is based Vladimir Nabokov’s novel of the same name. It follows the story of Humbert Humbert and his twelve year old step daughter Dolores or as he nicknames her, Lolita. The relationship between these characters is far from the idealistic father-daughter relationship, as Humbert reveals his paedophilic motive. The…

  • Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-rabbit. Dir. Nick Park. Aardman Animations. 2005.

    Nick Park’s beloved stop motion clay creations have engaged audiences since 1989, with the unexpected friendship becoming British icons. In 2005 Park introduced a full-length feature movie, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit. Wallace and Gromit star as Anti-Pesto, a dynamic duo ridding their local village of rabbits in preparation for the vegetable…

  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Dir. Garth Jennings. Touchstone Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. 2005.

    Garth Jennings’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy introduces its science fiction narrative by destabilizing the assumption that human intelligence is greater than that of all other animals by conceptualizing that they are in fact only “the third most intelligent creature on the planet” and dolphins are the second.  A satirical image entitled ‘Why Dolphins are the…

  • The Witches. Dir. Nicolas Roeg. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc.. 1990.

    Only undeceived individuals might be able to tell a witch from an ordinary woman, for their most dangerous power is the sophisticated art of deception. “Real witches dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women; they live in ordinary houses and they work in ordinary jobs” (Roeg 1990, minute 2:25), Helga Eveshim…

  • Kes. Dir. Ken Loach. Tony Garnett. 1969.

    Ken Loach (dir.) “Kes” 1969 (Fig 1: Promotional Poster for the film) Since the dawn of man Birds, or more precisely, the notion of flight, has fascinated humankind. Proud and mighty birds of prey have found their way onto flags and military insignia as symbols of strength, independence and freedom. As such, the idea of…

  • Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli. 1984.

    Hayao Miyazaki’s 1984 film ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind’ follows the adventures of a young princess named Nausicaä who is part of one of the last tribes of humans remaining on Earth. A toxic forest has taken over most of the world as a result of mankind’s pollution; Nausicaä seeks to save the…

  • Treasure Planet. Dir. Ron Clements. Disney. 2002.

    In the animated film Treasure Planet anthropomorphism is used as a narrative tool within a wider concept of Hyperrealism which is ‘Disney Studio’s application of realist conventions of narrative, logical causality and character motivations – breaking with the largely non-realist and anarchic dynamics of the cartoon form.’ Anthropomorphism is used throughout this film as many of the…

  • Flipper. Dir. James B. Clark. Ivan Tors Productions. 1963.

    Flipper is a family film from the 1960s that centres on one fateful summer when 12 year old Sandy has an extraordinary experience with a dolphin. Sandy enjoys helping his father with the family fishing business but unfortunately a disease called the red plague is killing off all of the fish; when their town is hit…

  • Seabiscuit. Dir. Gary Ross. DreamWorks Pictures. 2003.

    ‘Seabiscuit’[1] is a 2003 film adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s 2001 novel Seabiscuit: An American Legend[2].The film follows the life story of an undersized racehorse named Seabiscuit, during the time of the Great Depression in the United States. Seabiscuit is born with the promise of a great future owing to his bloodlines and the stream of success displayed…

  • Water for Elephants. Dir. Francis Lawrence. 20th Century Fox. 2011.

    Water for Elephants (Dir. Francis Lawrence, 2011), based on the novel of the same name, is a story about a young man Jacob (Robert Pattinson) who joins a travelling circus and is unsurprisingly about confinement and freedom. It’s brimming with animals from horses to lions to the star of the show, Rosie the elephant, all of…