Too much of everything

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

A thoroughly entertaining children's program with enough interest to keep adults watching too. It was well reviewed in the upmarket press which also laments that the "US invasion ends golden age of children's TV". Well this program goes some way to redress that, and other more recent programs such as Merlin and Doctor Who do too! Thank goodness for the BBC which, while not perfect, does at least manage to put out some top drawer entertainment for those of us, both children and adults who do not speak in monosyllables, can cope with having our thoughts provoked and are capable of following a plot.I won't rehash the storyline as others have done that. The young lead actress gives a very good performance as a child who has been bereaved by the loss of her much loved mother, and further traumatised by being uprooted by her father from her home friends and family and taken to live in Scotland, is it any wonder she is moody, petulant and emotional? The rest of the characters are fun, a hissable villain, an otherworldly wizard from years ago, his humorous sidekick, and the wonderful characters of the zoo itself. Ally that with the beautiful Scottish landscape and some fine cinematography and you are in for a treat.All I would say that as it is squarely aimed at children this program acquits itself well. All the children I have spoken to about it loved the program, as did I and many of my adult friends. Overseas friends who I have sent the program too also tell me the same, so it would seem to have a pretty universal appeal (great Christmas present!).

Shoebox Zoo is an enjoyable, yet flawed fantasy series. The enchanted creatures are the stealers, thanks to the talented vocal cast & the animators. The villain, Toledo, provides menace & humour in equal measure. However Marnie is a hateful protagonist, throwing tantrums at the slightest provocation & often mistreating the "Zoo." She is impossible to sympathise with. I also dislike Michael Scott, who also abuses the animals. I thought John Roberts, arrogant & mysterious, was the best of the children involved. The episodes are at their best when the creatures are on screen. The school scenes (excepting those with John Roberts) only bog down the story. The narration is irritating and unnecessary. There are some parts that are predictable for older viewers, but also some genuine surprises. I was disappointed by the ending though. However I will definitely be watching Season Two, if only for the delight of seeing & hearing the fantastic, animated ensemble.

"Shoebox Zoo" (Season 1) Colorado-born eleven year old Marnie McBride (Vivien Endicott Douglas) is mourning the loss of her beloved mother as she settles into her new home in Scotland with her widowed father (Jason Connery, son of Sean), who takes her to a run-down junk shop on her eleventh birthday. There, she is given a box of toy animals by a mysterious old man (a sleepy Peter Mullan), which spring to life (they are voiced by Rik Mayall, Siobhan Redmond, Alan Cumming and Simon Callow) the next morning. She soon learns from these creatures that they are on an important quest to find an ancient book that holds a dark magical power within its pages, and need to find it before the evil shape shifter, Toledo (Tony Donaldson, in an dire, pantomime-like performance) does first. Marnie reluctantly offers to help, but finds she has her own fair share of problems to deal with, as she tries to make some friends (Krystina Coates) at her new school, as well as put up with the classroom bullies (Maxi Moffatt, Sean Young and Fergus Nimmo, all of whom should be banned from acting hereafter).While 'Lord of the Rings', 'Harry Potter' and other fantasy franchises seem to be coming at cinemas left right and centre, it's quite difficult to recall a broad, generously budgeted BBC television fantasy drama since the sublime 'Chronicles of Narnia' and 'The Phoenix and the Carpet' miniseries (both of which were based on novels). "Shoebox Zoo" comes to life from the collaborative minds of writer Brian Ward, CBBC Scotland producer Claire Mundell, and director Justin Molotnikov, and it's undoubtedly an ambitious project. But let's not kid ourselves: "Zoo" is clearly the Beeb's answer to the recent crop of theatrical fantasy blockbusters, and who can blame them? The imaginations of children nationwide have been captured by Harry and Frodo's magical adventures, and I applaud the BBC for giving families a chance to enjoy observing similar quests in the comforts of their own home.The problems become apparent in the on-screen execution of the show. "Shoebox Zoo" strives to be epic and involving, but the lack of finesse in Justin Molotnikov's direction causes a once-promising fantasy tale to crumble under its own lofty aspirations. Molotnikov brings to "Shoebox" a dull, unimaginative aesthetic, hampered even more so by downright lazy plot movements and references that borrow heavily from other, superior films and television shows, from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to the aforementioned 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Much has been made of the higher than normal production cost for the show (£4 million per season), but in this case, bigger does not necessarily mean better, with special effects that are decidedly half-baked, extracting the viewer straight out of the world of "Shoebox" faster than you can say "Toledo the Shapeshifter". In particular, the computer animation used to bring the animals inhabiting the "Zoo" of the title to life makes has been poorly rendered, which is the last thing the show needs on its plate, as Molotnikov cuts to the wooden (in more ways than one) creatures too many times. Alas, the vocal cast of solid British acting talent surprisingly doesn't help in breathing life into the motley group of characters, with none of the performers emoting beyond their subhuman caricatures (Siobhan Redmond, you should be ashamed), but it's doubtful that Edwin, Ailsa and pals would convince even if the actors were trying their very best. The production values of "Zoo" are dreadfully meagre, and everything Molotnikov does with them seems forced and unnatural.Also, it just doesn't feel as if Marnie's actions seem to matter in the grander scheme of things, and she's trying to prevent the end of the world for Christ's sakes! Another thorn in the side of "Shoebox Zoo" is Molotnikov's continued reliance on actress Vivien Endicott Douglas's shrill performance as Marnie McBride. I'm sure many will use her age and inexperience to justify, but let's be honest: Douglas is all wrong for the part of Marnie, which requires far more acting finesse and ability to project natural teen angst in front of a camera than the thirteen year old is capable of. Marnie is a wallflower of sorts, but Douglas is all too happy with playing up the character's bitchy outbursts, and actually botches scenes where Marnie is allowed to grieve over the loss of her mother. Douglas makes Marnie cold and unlikeable, when an affable central character was a key factor in making "Shoebox" work.Of course, not being based on a novel or any previously produced or published work of any kind, Brian Ward seems to have been given the permission to run to the hills with his creation for as long as he wants; apparently a second season of "Shoebox Zoo" is currently in production. Additionally, two more lay in wait some way down the pipeline, along with a feature film. But what's the point of unleashing a story onto the big screen when it can't even be executed properly on the tube? Hopefully, none of these grandiose plans will ever make it past development. Yes, "Shoebox Zoo" does have potential, but unless the show carries through with its promise to deliver a classic fantasy story, this is one "Zoo" I won't be revisiting any time soon.~5/10 ~

Season 1 of 'Shoebox Zoo' (I assume there's more to come after the disappointing end episode) started with an interesting premise - Canadian kid Marnie (played by the inanimate Vivien Endicott Douglas, a young actress of limited range and irritating accent) inherits a zoo of toy animals who actually prove to be alive and representative of human souls trapped in time.This all has something to do with her mother, who has now passed, and a mystic named Michael Scot (Peter Mullan, playing the role with too much sincerity). There's a devil representative - the reptile-like Toledo (Tony Donaldson, overacting badly), and there's a starry cast voicing the animals (Rik Mayall, Siobhan Redmond - superior voice talent as the snake, Simon Callow, and Alan Cumming).Why it doesn't all come together is a mystery. The special effects are basic and the lead role is all wrong, but there's a much better show trying to get out of this one. It tries to be all encompassing, deadly serious, and indicative of Celtic myth, but all the talk of a mysterious book, 'The Chosen One', and the disparate accents (lots of Scots alongside the Canadian drawl) makes it more of a miss than a hit.I really wanted this show to work. It does have appeal beyond its target audience on children's TV, but it doesn't quite hit the spot.