ZooScope

Category: Language: English

  • Project Nim. Dir. James Marsh. Roadside Attractions. 2011.

    Project Nim, is a biographical documentary that tells the story of Nim Chimpsky, a chimpanzee who was subjected to an ambitious language acquisition research-experiment in the 1970s to determine if apes had the ability to communicate with humans. Taken from his screaming, and subsequently   sedated mother only a few days after his birth, Nim was raised…

  • A Bug’s Life. Dir. John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton. Disney Pixar. 1998.

    A Bug’s Life follows an ant colony in their struggle to keep the peace and tradition of providing food for their oppressors, the grasshoppers. Moments before they arrive to collect the offering, protagonist Flik accidentally causes the food to fall into a river thus leaving the ants with no offering and greatly angering the grasshoppers.…

  • Greyfriars Bobby. Dir. Don Chaffey. Disney. 1961.

    Based on the children’s story by Eleanor Atkinson[1] of a loving Skye terrier and his master, Disney’s Greyfriars Bobby[2] presents us with the heart – warming tale of a unique bond between Bobby and Auld Jock (Alex Mackenzie). Auld Jock and his loyal companion have a very special relationship – one that continues beyond the grave.…

  • Blade Runner. Dir. Ridley Scott. Warner Bros. 1982.

    Dystopian L.A. 2019 Blade Runner (1982) takes place in a futuristic and dystopian Los Angeles. Heavy industrialisation has caused great damage to Earth’s atmosphere and ecosystem, wiping out most of the planet’s animal species. ‘Replicants’, androids visually identical to humans, are engineered to perform manual work on off-world colonies. Their use is banned on Earth, where…

  • Lady and The Tramp. Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske. Walt Disney. 1955.

    Disney’s 1955 film Lady and the Tramp follows its two title characters, a pampered American Cocker Spaniel named Lady and a stray mongrel referred to by the dogs about town as ‘the Tramp’. Lady’s indulgent upper class life is disrupted when a baby arrives in her house. When Aunt Sarah comes to babysit with her malevolent Siamese…

  • Princess Mononoke. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli. 1997.

    Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime) is a Studio Ghibli film, written and directed by co-founder Hayao Miyazaki in 1997. The film takes place in the Muromachi period of Ancient Japan and follows protagonist Ashitaka on his journey to locate the origins of the demon beasts. In this world, Miyazaki has chosen to depict animals, not only in a…

  • Planet of the Apes. Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner. 20th Century Fox. 1968.

    Evolutionary Reversal in Planet of the Apes Planet of the Apes (1968) brilliantly satirizes the process by which humans simultaneously invented the concept of the “animal kingdom” and appointed themselves to its highest position. Adapting Pierre Boulle’s celebrated novel, Monkey Planet (1963), director Franklin J. Schaffner and screenwriters Rod Serling and Michael Wilson use the speculative licence of the…

  • Brave. Dir. Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Purcell. Disney-Pixar. 2012.

    The Disney-Pixar film, Brave (2012), directed by Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Purcell, is a computer-animated film set in Medieval Scotland featuring Merida, a skilled archer and princess, who is determined to seek freedom from the cultural duties and responsibilities enforced upon her. As the story unfolds, Merida’s mother, Queen Elinor, announces a kingdom-wide competition amongst…

  • The Ghost and the Darkness. Dir. Stephen Hopkins. Constellation Entertainment. 1996.

    Film Poster for The Ghost and the Darkness URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/01/Ghostandthedarkness.jpg This film is a retelling of The Man-Eaters of Tsavo – the published journal of John Henry Patterson. He was an Irish engineer and soldier (played by Val Kilmer), who is sent to Africa to help build the British railway from Mombasa to Uganda (572…

  • The Queen. Dir. Stephen Frears. Pathé Distribution. 2006.

    In the centre of constitutional drama, The Queen, a moment occurs in which a stag unexpectantly enters into a private moment being experienced by Elizabeth II. The Stag has a highly commanding presence onscreen, and works in unison with the film’s discussion on the public and private sphere. The scene opens with the Queen’s (Helen Mirren) back…