“We Bought a Zoo” DVD Review

On April 3rd, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment released a family friendly title that will warm the hearts of those who watch it – We Bought a Zoo.  We Bought a Zoo features a family friendly audio track your whole family will go wild for.  Starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, this fun film is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Download, retailing for $39.99 for the combo pack in stores and online.

FILM SYNOPSIS

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) and starring Matt Damon (Contagion, True Grit), Scarlett Johansson (Iron Man 2, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) and Thomas Haden Church (Easy A, Sideways), We Bought a Zoo is “a sweet-natured tale…that you’ll want to see with your kids” (Liz Braun, Jam! Movies).

Benjamin Mee (Damon) is a Los Angeles newspaper columnist and adventure writer who, as a single father, faces the challenges of raising his two young children. Hoping that a fresh start and a new life will restore their family spirit, Mee quits his job and buys an old rural house outside the city with a unique bonus feature: a zoo named the Rosemoor Animal Park, where dozens of animals reside under the care of head zookeeper Kelly Foster (Johansson) and her dedicated team. With no experience, limited time and a shoestring budget, Mee sets out with the support of his family and the local community to reopen the zoo. Now, Benjamin is no longer reporting an adventure story; he’s living it in his own backyard.

Featuring an incredible musical score composed by Jónsi of the band Sigur Rós, the We Bought a Zoo Blu-ray is loaded with over 2½ hours of special features including 20 deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, four behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary with Director Cameron Crowe, star J.B. Smoove (The Sitter, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Editor Mark Livolsi, and more. The film also features an English Family Friendly Audio Track that earned the Dove Seal of Approval. The Blu-ray and DVD will be available for an average retail price of $24.99 and $19.99 respectively. Prebook is March 7.

WE BOUGHT A ZOO Blu-ray Combo Pack Special Features
Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy including theatrical film

Deleted & Extended Scenes

– Elevator Empathy
– A Gift From Ronnie
– Life is Elemental
– Thank You, Rhonda
– Rosie Names Her Peacocks
– Quick Learner
– Just Can’t Get a Handle On It
– So Much Bloodshed
– Buster is Loose
– Utterly Free / Nobody Died
– I Make My Own Hours
– The Stuff is Alive
– We’re Living The Story
– Disaffected Youth
– It’s Their Zoo, Too
– Goodnight Big Mac
– Such a Cliché
– Sorry About the Rain
– Benjamin’s Big Speech
– Opening Day

Gag Reel

“The Real Mee”
“We Shot a Zoo”
“Their Happy is Too Loud”
Audio Commentary with Director Cameron Crowe, Star J.B. Smoove and Editor Mark Livolsi

WE BOUGHT A ZOO Blu-ray (Catalog #2275178)

Street Date: April 3, 2012
Screen Format: 16:9 (1.85:1)
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 DTS
Subtitles: English / French / Spanish
U.S. Rating: PG
Total Run Time: 124 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes

WE BOUGHT A ZOO DVD (Catalog #2275169)

Street Date: April 3, 2012
Screen Format: 16:9 (1.85:1)
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital,
French 2.0 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English, Spanish
U.S. Rating: PG
Total Run Time: 124 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes

MY THOUGHTS

I really really enjoyed We Bought a Zoo!  There were funny moments, serious moments, and moments that brought tears to my eyes.  I could relate somewhat to the character played by Matt Damon.  He was a single dad trying to start a new life with his family on his own.  The only difference was that he bought a zoo (insert giggle).  This is definitely a movie I would watch again with my family and one that I would add to my family’s movie collection.  If you haven’t seen it yet, I definitely recommend you check it out.  A big thanks goes out to Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for this DVD review opportunity on The Mommy-Files.

I received a screener copy of “We Bought a Zoo” on DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment to facilitate this review.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.