Friday, March 30, 2012

Book to Movie: We Bought a Zoo! (With Give@way)


On April 3, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will release We Bought a Zoo to Blu-ray and DVD. We Bought a Zoo stars Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson and is based on the true story and novel by Ben Mee, real-life zoo owner in England - he resides in the English countryside with family as he takes care of the Dartmoor Zoo - http://www.dartmoorzoo.org/.


I think that seeing the differences between original books and the movies that are based off of the books is absolutely fascinating. In some cases, the movie stays very close to the book and in other cases,  the movie is quite different from the book. In the case of We Bought a Zoo, the case is really the latter. I had a chance this past weekend to watch the movie and read the book. While the movie changes many of the details of the book, the spirit of both the book and the movie are very much the same: family is important and can help you get through anything!




I thought it was really fantastic how the story changed between the book and the movie yet the spirit stayed the same. I loved both the book and the movie!


Some of the basic differences that I noticed:
  • Book: Benjamin Mee is English.
  • Movie: Benjamin Mee is American.
  • Book: Benjamin Mee buys the zoo with a lot of different family members.
  • Movie: Benjamin Mee buys the zoo with just his two children in tow.
These are pretty basic differences and yet, as I said before, the spirit of the book is still there! There are still great characters. There are still awesome animals with awesome stories. It remains a warm story about family and creatures.  I wonder what (if any) input Benjamin Mee had with the movie and if he was surprised by any of the changes.


My Questions for You:
  1. Have you seen the movie or read the book? What do you think?
  2. Were you happy with the changes that were made between the two? 
Giveaway:


Thanks to Think Jam, I am able to give away a We Bought a Zoo prize pack which includes a dvd and a book.






a Rafflecopter giveaway

23 comments:

  1. This is the first I have heard of this book or movie :) I am now curious to read and view both noting the differences you site. There are times when it disturbs me when major changes are made or thing I read and feel are important are changed in the movie versus the book, but this one sounds like the transition was a positive outcome. Thank you for sharing and for the awesome giveaway opportunity. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I fully agree with you. I'm sometimes really taken aback about the things that get changed from a book to a movie.

      On this particular movie, I think that there were tons of changes but both the book and the movie are really enjoyable.

      Delete
  2. This book looks really interesting and I won't watch a movie until I read the book first. I had no idea it was based on a book. I'd love to win it and read it. Please enter me. Thank you.


    annfesATyahooDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always read the book first. For me, I like all of the little details that can be included in a book but may not be able to carry through to a visual format.

      Why do you like to read the book first?

      Delete
  3. I haven't read the book or seen the movie. Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Both are great.

      What's the last book to movie transition that you've seen?

      Delete
  4. Although I haven't read the book or seen the movie I imagine that the changes were made to make the film more appealing to the American, family audience.
    Hopefully the public responded to the changes and went to see the movie in droves.
    It will be interesting to compare the two. I'm sure I'll have a favorite when I'm done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think so. I felt that the movie was a lot more geared towards families and the book would be enjoyed more by adult readers. I believe this movie did do pretty well. It came out in the movie theaters right around Christmas and usually books that come out then are very popular.

      Delete
  5. Thank you for the chance to win!

    aniwilsonintx at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by!

      What is the last great book to movie transition that you've seen?

      Delete
  6. I've seen the movie, but I haven't read the book. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What did you think of the movie? What was your favorite part?

      Delete
  7. This looks like a cool book and movie. Thanks for the giveaway

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Both are great!

      What's the last good movie based on a book that you've seen?

      Delete
  8. I'm dying to see this movie. Thanks for the giveaway!!

    2dogs5catscrew@att.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What's the last good movie based on a book that you've seen?

      Delete
  9. I've neither seen the movie nor read the book. :(

    ReplyDelete
  10. I havent seen the movie or read the book but im dying too! It looks so good! Thanks for the chance! :)
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I was just telling my sister how cute this movie looks -- would love to check it out! And compare the book and movie, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. No, I have not read the book nor have I seen the movie (it looks good on previews). Thank you for a great giveaway!

    Phoenix
    PhoenixCarvelli(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I haven't read the book or seen the movie yet. Our family were waiting for the DVD to come out. Now that it has I guess we'll see it soon. Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  14. We Bought a Zoo is a compelling film based loosely of Benjamin Mee's hit book with the same title. The film tells the story of how the family tries to re-open a decrepit zoo as they try to move on in their lives after the loss of Benjamin's wife. While Benjamin struggles to re-open the zoo he also struggles to hold his family together. We Bought a Zoo is a great story of hope, hard work, and moving on that shows what can come from "20 Seconds of Insane Courage".

    ReplyDelete

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