Zoos in the Movies

Simon Hampel

Simon Hampel

Administrator
Staff member
20+ year member
Let's compile a list of movies we've seen that have scenes shot in zoos.

The Arnie move "Eraser" has several scenes shot at the New York City Zoo - both outside shots, plus various shots of Arnie and bad guys creating mayhem inside (including shooting the glass window keeping the alligators in - naturally some bad guys get eaten).

Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn's movie "Bird on a Wire" had the climactic scene in an elaborate zoo exhibit (which I suspect was not a real zoo).

Any others ?
 
Part of Fierce Creatures starring John Cleese was filmed in Marwell Zoo. Apparently this film was the start of his interest in wildlife. In 2005 a species of lemur was named in his honour, Cleese's Wooly Lemur (Avahi cleesei).

There is a scene in American Werewolf in London filmed in London Zoo.

The 1980s BBC series One By One, which chronicled the life of zoo vet Dr David Taylor was filmed in Dudley Zoo (series 1), and Chester (series 2). A short piece of Edinburgh's Scimiter-horned Oryx was also used.
 
bongorob said:
Part of Fierce Creatures starring John Cleese was filmed in Marwell Zoo. Apparently this film was the start of his interest in wildlife. In 2005 a species of lemur was named in his honour, Cleese's Wooly Lemur (Avahi cleesei).

The 1980s BBC series One By One, which chronicled the life of zoo vet Dr David Taylor was filmed in Dudley Zoo (series 1), and Chester (series 2). A short piece of Edinburgh's Scimiter-horned Oryx was also used.
Click to expand...

Some of 'Fierce Creatures' was also filmed at Jersey Zoo. John Cleese actually saw a daytime birth of a gorilla(to female Npongo) while he was there.

'One by One' was mainly the story of David Taylor's experiences at the Belle Vue Zoo, Manchester (which was closed by then). At least one episode was partly filmed at Jersey- for any of you OZ readers, it featured the female Gorilla 'G-Anne' who is now a resident of Melbourne Zoo.

'Morgan,A Suitable Case for Treatment' was a 1960's thriller- some scenes were shot at London Zoo including a chase through the old Monkey house and the opening shot of the film where the slide is raised to let Guy the Gorilla into his indoor cage.
 
Anchorman (with Will Ferrell) - Had a long scene at the end that was supposed to be at the San Diego Zoo. I believe it was shot at L.A. Zoo though. Not San Diego.

Roar (with Tippi Hedren & Melanie Griffith) - Not positive on this one, but I think it was shot on location at her big cat rescue site named Shambala.
 
An American Werewolf in London had a scene in London's old wolf enclosure.

Some rom-com (I think it was About a Boy) had a few scenes at London Zoo (including shots of the old Sobell pavillions and old penguin pool)
 
djaeon said:
Anchorman (with Will Ferrell) - Had a long scene at the end that was supposed to be at the San Diego Zoo. I believe it was shot at L.A. Zoo though. Not San Diego.

Roar (with Tippi Hedren & Melanie Griffith) - Not positive on this one, but I think it was shot on location at her big cat rescue site named Shambala.
Click to expand...

Anchorman was shot in Los Angeles, but not at the current Los Angeles Zoo. The shots of the bear grotto were of the old griffith park zoo that predated the current zoo.
 
okapikpr said:
Anchorman was shot in Los Angeles, but not at the current Los Angeles Zoo. The shots of the bear grotto were of the old griffith park zoo that predated the current zoo.
Click to expand...

Ah, thanks for clarifying. I didn't know that:)
 
certain scenes in Peter Jackson's "Braindead" (1992) were filmed at Wellington Zoo
 
Sim said:
Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn's movie "Bird on a Wire" had the climactic scene in an elaborate zoo exhibit (which I suspect was not a real zoo).
Click to expand...

Who can trace this exhibit to real life?

In a movie it looked like giant indoor hall, with landscaped rocks, suspended bridge, piranha pool and some mock figures of African natives rebuilding another suspended bridge over painted sky. There were free flying birds and many animals, including apes and big cats.

In the movie, when you look carefully, you can see parts of a sign "Woodland Park Zoo", but website of real Woodland Park Zoo has nothing like it. Where it was filmed?
 
It was Woodland Park, it was a new indoor exhibit (new at the time of filming) similar to Tropicworld in Brookfield.
 
if we include tv series, there was an episode of Taggart in which an employee of Edinburgh (or Glasgow?) Zoo was using poison-arrow frog toxins to kill people.

I'm pretty sure Bergerac had a couple of episodes featuring the Jersey Zoo

One episode of MacGyver was partly set at a zoo (maybe the National Zoo?). It was the final episode of one of the seasons.
 
I believe the movie Tomy Yum Goong showed the inside of Taronga zoo for a short period of time,
 
Also other TV series included:

A Starsky & Hutch episode where one of then was held captive in "The Old Zoo"-not sure which one that would be-anyone in the US know?

A Touch Of Frost featured an illegal animal trade episode set in what was supposed to be someones private collection that included Pygmy Hippos and Tigers but I could not identify the zoo.
 
Gary said:
A Touch Of Frost featured an illegal animal trade episode set in what was supposed to be someones private collection that included Pygmy Hippos and Tigers but I could not identify the zoo.
Click to expand...

Thats because it`s a private zoo thats not normally open to the public,it goes by the name of Heythrop.
 
Chlidonias said:
if we include tv series, there was an episode of Taggart in which an employee of Edinburgh (or Glasgow?) Zoo was using poison-arrow frog toxins to kill people.

I'm pretty sure Bergerac had a couple of episodes featuring the Jersey Zoo

One episode of MacGyver was partly set at a zoo (maybe the National Zoo?). It was the final episode of one of the seasons.
Click to expand...

Glasgow Zoo appeared in two Taggart shows, also in Chew'n The Fat Comedy show, numerous children's shows and was used for the Asistic Black Bear documentry with david Attenborgh. The Poison Arrow Frog shots were filmed at Glasgow Uni - zoolab animals. ;)
 
The very old film "one of our dinosaurs is missing" had some scenes filmed in London Zoo, showing an old bear cage, and a camel giving rides to children.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top