WE BOUGHT A ZOO
Love and hard work overcome tragedy.
Should You Watch It?
If you expect a light family comedy, you may be surprised. We Bought a Zoo is a heartwarming drama about a family struggling with the death of a beloved wife and mother, then finding unity through a difficult new adventure.
The movie offers suspense, drama, comic moments, and a redemptive message about loving your family and other people. It also includes foul language, dysfunctional family moments, gruesome drawings, and troubling behavior from one son. The family does not seek God’s help, even as hard work and financial risk are rewarded.
Teenagers and adults can find much to appreciate here. For pre-teen children, parents should use discernment. The practical answer: WORTH THE TRIP — AGES 13 AND UP.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAfter his wife’s death, Benjamin, a reporter with two children, searches for a fresh start away from the places that remind him of her. With his daughter’s encouragement, the family buys a home that comes with a zoo and a small staff.
Now they must care for the existing animals while learning to work together through their grief. Their new beginning faces a serious obstacle when a zoo inspector questions the facility’s safety.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a well-made, emotionally effective drama. The storyline is clear, with suspense and drama balanced by comic moments. It is more heartwarming drama than comedy, and it can make you cry as well as smile.
The movie’s strongest element is the family’s journey toward unity after tragedy. It also presents a good lesson about taking risks, working hard, and serving others.
The Worldview
The film presents a very strong moral, capitalist worldview. It exalts family unity in the midst of tragedy, financial risk, hard work, and the rewards that can come from perseverance. It also values loving one’s family and loving other people.
The family’s healing is presented without an effort to seek God’s help. The movie’s redemptive message is therefore centered on family commitment, courage, and work rather than dependence on God. Its treatment of grief, school problems, rebellion, and family arguments remains grounded in a troubled family learning to move forward together.
The film’s central longing is for a family to overcome loss and find a new beginning. Scripture says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Very strong moral, capitalist worldview about a family uniting in the midst of a tragedy, with financial risk and hard work being rewarded; 11 or 12 obscenities and seven mostly light profanities; some violent drawings with blood, snakes get loose, bear gets loose and has to be tranquilized; one sexual innuendo regarding “hiking” and a main character implies she will not have sex with a zoo inspector to get the zoo; no nudity but a photo of a naked pregnant lady with her arms across her chest; some alcohol use and a character in a small part indicates he’s drunk; no smoking or drugs; and, child expelled from school for assorted bad behavior including doing gruesome drawings which are shown several times in the movie (the child does stop doing the drawings), some rebellion, strong family arguments, a disobedient child turns snakes loose on the zoo grounds, a beloved aging tiger is euthanized, and father and children see the dead mother in a restaurant while the dad tells a story about when they met.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Benjamin’s family faces grief in different ways. How can a family make room for one another’s sadness while continuing to love one another?
Romans 12:15 · Galatians 6:2The family takes a major financial risk and works hard to make the zoo succeed. When can courage and hard work become faithful stewardship?
Colossians 3:23–24 · Proverbs 21:5The movie’s family unites during tragedy but does not seek God’s help. Where do you turn when grief and obstacles feel too large to handle alone?
Psalm 46:1 · James 1:5One son struggles with school, rebellion, and gruesome drawings. How should families respond to troubling behavior with both truth and compassion?
Ephesians 6:4 · Galatians 6:1The Final Word
We Bought a Zoo is a well-made, heartwarming drama about love, grief, family unity, and hard work. Its foul language and dysfunctional moments call for parental discernment with younger children. For teenagers and adults, the answer is WORTH THE TRIP — AGES 13 AND UP.
