Zookeeper 2011 Family Movie


 

This was the official website for the 2011 family film, Zookeeper, starring Kevin James.
Content is from the site's 2011 archived pages as well as from outside sources.

 



Zookeeper - Official Trailer 2011 (HD)
Kevin James stars in Zookeeper this summer! The animals at one particular zoo decide to break their code of silence in order to help their lovable zookeeper gain the attention of one particular woman.

 



 

Must Be Said: A lot of people claim to know Kevin James and there are a lot of guys named Kevin James, a real lot. Do a search in Google! When he learned this he started using the name Utl Monomi for a brief time online to break away from the commonness of name. Started out great because the name was so unique that anyone who searched it immediately found him, no doubles on that name. But one day the search showed a shocking result - Utl had been arrested on multiple fraud counts. Clicking the result he found a story in the Cinderville Inquirer about someone named Utl with a different last name who had created a ponzi fraud targeting transit workers. Although any careful reading would show this was not Utl Monomi it still bothered him that his name was being used in this way by Google. He tried to contact Google, hired an assistant to contact the paper and the writer. When none of this worked, he found a team that specialized in removing unwanted search results from Google using search engine optimization in a cool new way. By optimizing other sites to rise in the search, the problem result is pushed down. In this way they could effectively remove Google results. Kevin agonized over whether or not to hire them to clean up Utl's search results. He wouldn't tell me either way even though I asked him directly about it. And I just looked, Utl is nowhere to be found but Kevin James is everywhere. Robert Cambridge Johnson

 

REVIEWS

Thursday, 29 September 2011 / seemovienow.blogspot.com/

 

Zookeeper
Synopsis:
This movie is about a zookeeper, Griffin Keyes (Kevin James) who takes care of a the animals in the zoo with care and patience. When his girlfriend, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb) rejected his marriage proposal due to his less ambition and work as a zookeeper, he decided to quit his work. However, when all the animals in the zoo got to know about this, they decided to hatch a plan to bring Griffin together with Stephanie who happens to visit the zoo and found that both still has some feeling for each other although Stephanie is now with his ex-boyfriend, Gale (Joe Rogan). During one unfortunate incident, Griffin Keyes stumble upon a meeting with animals where the animals spoke english and panic. However, after knowing their intention, he went on a hilarious journey under the advice of the animals to win Stephanie back.  


 

Review:
During a lazy afternoon, i decided to watch this movie after purchasing it for few weeks. The reason is because I do not have much expectation of this movie simply because it should be a predictable plot where the zookeeper lost his love, win his love but lost his identity and animal friends, win back his identity and his real love, the end. And i was not wrong on that aspect. However, i am more into what kind of hilarious scenes that the filmmaker is able to churn out from this old favorite storyline. And the verdict is not so much. I felt that Kevin James tries hard to make himself comical by doing some comical fall every now and then but its not really funny unlike the versatile Eddie Murphy in Dr.Doolittle. I felt that the supporting cast did a much better role such as Joe Rogan character, Gale. He is very hilarious and with his presence, the movie is more alive and funnier. I cannot believe that the once host of "Fear Factor" has great potential to be a comedian actor. Now for the animals, all are quite bored with the exception of a gorilla named Bernie who steal the scene from all the animals and human actors. The best scenes were Bernie and Griffin chilling out together in TGIF. That is the best scene of the whole movie. Other than that, there is nothing worth mentioning.


 

Verdict:

I give this movie just a 2 out of 5 and the points were given to both the gorilla named Bernie and Joe Rogan. 

 


Zookeeper
James Patterson  2011 / www.jamespatterson.com/
Our thirteen-year-old, Jack, was okay with it, which leaves me somewhat chagrined. I found it god-awful in just about every way—dialog, story, sound effects, music, lighting, direction of Kevin James and Rosario Dawson—it made Rosario look pretty bad. Not my cup of monkey feces.

 


Zookeeper (2011)
Rated PG 101 min - Comedy Romance
In Zookeeper, the animals at the Franklin Park Zoo love their kindhearted caretaker, Griffin Keyes (Kevin James). Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides the only way to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. The animals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and reveal their biggest secret: they can talk! To keep Griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rules of courtship - animal style. -- (C) Sony Pictures Publicity

Directors: Frank Coraci
Cast: Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Ken Jeong, and Donnie Wahlberg
Release Date: July 8, 2011

 


IMDb Review

This was a fun, entertaining movie

By ramoxetoch / 10 July 2011
8/10 stars

After reading some of the reviews for this movie, it is absolutely clear that most of the previous reviewers didn't get the point of the movie. It is a FAMILY movie.

You don't go to movies to see what you can pick apart, and then write a review that is already predisposed negatively against it. That's just stupid. Anyone who goes into a movie with the attitude they are going to hate the movie no matter, and writes an extremely negative review is an idiot. The reason to go to movies is to be entertained.

Zookeeper was a movie that entertained. The performances by all the cast members were very well done. There were a lot of laughs, and there was a lot of fun. My son, who by the way is 7, was in the perfect demographic for this movie. It had interesting characters, and situations.

For an adult, a movie with talking animals might not be your cup of tea, but for a small child, it is awesome. Yes, a child thinks it's funny when someone smashes into something or someone. Yes, for an adult, the movie might seem predictable, but truthfully, what movie isn't somewhat predictable? A young child (for whom the movie was made for) isn't going to be scrutinizing every tiny, single thing in a movie, just to say, " A-HA! SEE, I KNEW IT!". A child goes to the movies to be lost in imagination. My son laughed when there was a funny part. Whether it was funny because of the animals, or the humans, I heard a lot of laughter. And yes, I laughed a lot too, and so did my wife.

I believe that anyone who goes into this movie with the understanding that this is a movie targeted towards families with young children, that they will be entertained. This movie hits the mark for the appropriate audience members it was made for.

 


 

 



Zookeeper' Leslie Bibb Interview
Actress Leslie Bibb talks about her comedic role in 'Zookeeper' with Kevin James.

 



 

RottenTomatoes Tomatometer: Critics 14% | Audience 41%

CRITICS REVIEWS

July 22, 2011
Leonard Maltin / indieWire Top Critic
Kevin James has developed an irresistible screen persona as a nice-guy/underdog, which has served him well in some pretty mediocre films like Paul Blart: Mall Cop. In that context, Zookeeper is a quantum leap forward...

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July 8, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
Lisa Kennedy  Denver Post  Top Critic
Did we mention that things just go better with Kevin James? Well-trodden comedy hooks become strangely more amusing. Goofball physical shtick elicits broader smiles. The bumblingly stupid is made endearing.

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Zookeeper: movie review
( PG ) [1 stars] ( Monitor Movie Guide )
July 8, 2011
By Peter Rainer Film critic    
/images/Film-Review-Zookeeper.jpg

In 'Zookeeper,' the animals break their code of silence to help their caretaker with his love life, but the script is so unfunny and uninspired, you wish they hadn't.

The great film director John Huston was once asked what he would wish for if he had only one wish. He replied that he’d like to get together with all the animals he had ever known and loved in his life and have a conversation with them.

If Huston were alive today and saw “Zookeeper,” he might have second thoughts. He might also, to his credit, walk out on this numbingly inane comedy. I, dear reader, had to stick it out.
Kevin James plays Griffin, a Boston zookeeper jilted by his golden girl fiancée, who discovers that the animals in his care are capable of talking to him. What they say, however, is so unfunny and uninspired that you kind of wish they would just shut up. This goes double for the humans. How is it possible that a movie with five credited screenwriters can have such a nothing script? As long as we’re on the subject of animals, I think there should be a subdivision of the ASPCA -- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Audiences. Grade: D (Rated PG for some rude and suggestive humor, and language.)

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June 23, 2013 | Rating: D
Will Leitch Deadspin
Movies like "Zookeeper" make you hate movies, restaurants, animals, and Earth.
.Of all the relentlessly stupid scenes in "Zookeeper," I think the one that finally pushed me over the edge was when Kevin James took his talking gorilla best friend to T.G.I. Friday's. I could set up the scene for you, James' "motivation" or what have you, but, honestly, what would be the point? Kevin James takes his talking gorilla best friend -- his talking gorilla best friend who is wearing a T-shirt and a watch -- to have appetizers, play pool, flirt with girls and do "wacky" coordinated dances in front of a roaring crowd. A while back, promoting his film "The Greatest Film Ever Sold," Morgan Spurlock listed his five most egregious, hilarious examples of product placement in film for Vulture. His favorite was this bizarre scene from "Mac and Me:"

All right, so that's pretty bad. But is it any worse than Kevin James and his talking gorilla best friend gorging on "Loaded" Potato Skins, strumming a guitar, high-fiving waitresses, raving over the culinary delights of a T.G.I. Friday's? Is it any more surreal than that? Does it change the equation if I tell you that the voice of the gorilla belongs to Nick Nolte. I bet it does.

2. "Zookeeper" is produced by Adam Sandler (who also provides the voice of "Donald the Monkey") and directed by Sandler's old pal Frank Coraci, which means even for a movie whose premise begins and ends with Talking Animals, this one is particularly lazy. ("Just Go With It," Sandler's last movie, honestly looked like it was a succession of first takes slapped together, everyone rushing out of the room the minute someone yelled cut to go play golf.) The whole film just lumbers from one scene to another, without any logic or energy, and it knows you'll go along with it, because, come on, man, Talking Animals, you didn't want us to put any work into this, did you? I'm not saying you need to make the "There Will Be Blood" of Talking Animals Movies or anything -- though I'll confess, that would be something to see! -- but the amount of dismissive, cynical slop that's just sort of shoveled, here take this, you'll love it, like a diner waitress snarling as she slaps a rotted, overcooked hamburger on your plate and then overcharges you just because she can ... it's a little too much to take.

3. James plays Griffin, a loyal zookeeper at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston -- it must be said, that looks like a lovely zoo -- who still laments the fiancee who left him five years earlier because he was "just" a zookeeper. It is the experience of this reporter that women tend to like men who are gentle to animals more than they dislike them, but in the odd moral universe of "Zookeeper," the ex-fiancee wants Griffin to get a "real" job, which, for some reason, the film defines as "working as a car salesman." (Because that's what all the real movers-and-shakers are doing, and have always done: Aren't the kids on "Gossip Girl" all the offspring of car salesmen?) Afraid their beloved zookeeper buddy will leave the zoo all together, the animals get together to try to help Griffin win back his girl, or at least help him Understand Himself. And they do this by talking to him. Why do they talk? Because all animals talk when we're not around. Stop asking questions! Though it is not made clear whether all animals speak in celebrity voices -- including Cher, Sylvester Stallone, Maya Rudolph and Jon Favreau, all of whom sound tired -- or it's just the ones in this movie. I hope they all do, though, alas, that would make their decision to deprive humans -- other than kindly zookeepers -- of their voices almost tragic. I want to see a mongoose who talks like Stephen Hawking.

4. James has gotten himself tied up with the Sandler crew (Sandler has produced every movie he's been in other than "Hitch" and "The Dilemma"), and that's sort of a shame, because, as silly as this might sound, James is always at least trying. James is still too new to this to be lazy (he was the best part of "The Dilemma" mainly because he appeared legitimately excited to be working with Ron Howard, whereas the rest of the cast was just showing up to cash a check), and, truth be told, he has actual charm, were he ever to find a movie in which that mattered. But it's probably time to stop pretending he can be anything resembling a leading man, at that weight. Not to be mean here, but James is a massive, nearly obese man, and it's a legitimate question whether it's less likely that zoo animals would suddenly start talking or that a man who looked like Kevin James would have to choose between Leslie Bibb and Rosario Dawson. (Dawson's another actor who didn't get the memo that this was a movie about Talking Animals; she's personally responsible for the film's two charming moments.) James' appeal has always been that of a working-class amiable, modest schlub; turning him into the romantic pivot, the man who must choose between two beautiful women who desperately want him, is straining credulity to a degree that a lion who talks like Sylvester Stallone can't approach.

5. For a summer movie, the "special effects" that allow the animals in "Zookeeper" to talk are shockingly shoddy, just one step above "Clutch Cargo." When an animal "talks," he tends to stand motionless and just move his lips, which makes sense, because it must require intense concentration for an animal to talk. (You can't expect an animal to chew gum and walk at the same time, people.) "Zookeeper" is surely going to make a lot of money, which is a shame, not because it's so stupid (though it is), but because it's so obviously cynical and lacking basic imagination at its core. Here's your talking animal movie, you dopes. I mean, if you're going make Nick Nolte growl the voice of your gorilla, acknowledge that it's Nick Nolte! Have fun with it! And for God's sake, please don't make him order from an appetizers menu. That is the best way to sum up "Zookeeper:" It believes the first contact a sentient primate would make with a human being would be tell him that he wants to be part of a corporate-restaurant-dreck-sponsored montage sequence with the producer's wife playing the waitress. Movies like "Zookeeper" make you hate movies, restaurants, animals and earth.

Grade: D

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Audience Reviews for Zookeeper

** ½  KJ Proulx Super Reviewer
"Zookeeper" is another film about talking animals that you will probably come to hate before you even watch it through, but I must say, that because my expectations were down so low for this film, I came out pleasantly surprised. Okay, the script is atrocious, the acting is wooden, the plot is juvenile, but the emotion is true, and the chemistry between a talking gorilla and a man has never felt so realistic. I am not trying to say that it is a good movie, but it is far from bad. It is a very poor film about a zookeeper who is trying to find his way. Sure, it's filled with slapstick, bad jokes, and poor acting, but in the end, the film follows all the basic elements in storytelling, and this film is great for kids to watch. I had a little fun with this mess of a movie, so I will not hate on it. It' s far too average for my personal taste though!

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** ½  Kevin M. Williams   Super Reviewer
I wanted to hate this cliche-ridden pablum, meant entirely for families (meaning the six - seven year olds children in those families and, of course, by extension their long suffering and mostly forgotten parents) ... but I couldn't. James is ever James and the very recognizable celeb voice work carry this past offensive into the just right zone. Just right for six - seven year olds.

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*** ½  Alison F.
My mother loves Roasario Dawson so when she heard about Zookeeper from one of her friends at Hart Heritage Estates, the assisted living facility in Forest Hill, in Harford County, MD where she is now living, she gave me a call and asked if I could find a CD of it. I promised I would try. The next week as I drove to the Hart Heritage Assisted Living facility, I once again smiled at my mother's good fortune to have been able to find a spot at this place. Nestled on 6.5 acres of park-like grounds, my mother, along with the residents have a front row view of nature at its finest, enjoying nature in every season. Woodland animals are everywhere. My mother enjoys watching the wildlife interact from her bedroom window! When we were looking for an assisted living facility, Hart Heritage Estates had been recommended by several friends. Although my mother is not in need of either Alzheimer's care or Parkinson's care, Hart Heritage Estates does have such facilities. The staff is very kind and cheerful, which makes me feel they enjoy what they do. In addition the staff works well with the residents and makes them feel that they are part of a big family, which is very nice to see and hear. When I arrived with a CD of Zookeeper, I found my mother with five friends who were all excited to watch the movie. The staff had supplied tea and snacks at my mother's request. Six chairs were arranged around the TV screen. I popped the CD in and we all settled down to view.

The critics were not kind to this film when it came out, but my mother and her friends enjoyed it. The ladies laughed and thought it clever to have the animals advising humans on their behavioral strategies. The slapstick was entertaining as when the animals' team advised the socially inept Griffin (Kevin James), to mark his territory (the wolves) and puff out his throat (Frog). Griffin took them so seriously that he marks his territory at his brother's rehearsal dinner by peeing in a potted plant. OK I know that might seem lame, but it worked. All in all, my mother and her ladies had a lovely afternoon and for me that is what is most important.

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** ½  Cynthia S.  Super Reviewer
Love Kevin James. Did not like this much...Goofy dumb, not goofy funny.

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***  Melvin White     Super Reviewer
Bernie the Gorilla: Hey, don't leave me in the van; I'm out of the zoo without my iZod.  "Don't talk to the animals... unless they talk to you first."  Zookeeper is a rather messy, cliche, predictable family comedy that uses a premise that all animals can talk and that they will even befriend a certain type of person. So, so far this sounds awful. That's how I figured I'd view the film. I thought I wouldn't like it, and I believed it would be horrible. Now while it isn't a good movie by any standards, I was completely surprised by it. Somehow all this stupidness ends up being a rather fun time, even with Adam Sandler's horrible voice for the monkey.  At the beginning of this movie we see a zookeeper propose to his girlfriend. It doesn't go well and then the story jumps several years ahead where we see that he's still a zookeeper even though the only reason his girlfriend wouldn't marry him was because he was a zookeeper. He loves his work though. When he runs into his girlfriend at a party for his brother who is getting married, he tries to win her back. A bunch of the zoo animals decide to try to help him out with his relationship problems and begin talking to him. In the end the story has the same sort of family theme that you don't need to change who you are to be happy. I sort of have an affection for these dumb comedies that Kevin James has been starring in. I didn't even hate Mall Cop. I've been a fan of James since I grew up watching his television show, The King of Queens. Ever since then, I always check out whatever he's in no matter how awful it looks. I was happy I checked out Mall Cop and now I'm happy I checked out Zookeeper. In the end, you sort of now what you're going to get from a movie like this. It isn't an amazing film by any standards, but there's something that is really likable about it all. I never thought I would say anything with talking animals would be likable, but this is just one of those times where a movie really surprises you.

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** Jonny 9
December 12, 2011
While not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, Kevin James' "Zookeeper" isn't "Mars Needs Moms"-level dreck. Certainly, there are problems, in particular the fact that you have seen this basic plot in a host of movies and television shows and even the 1950's song "Do You Love Me? (Now That I Can Dance)." For an $80million (USD) film the production has a surprising number of technical flaws. Nick Nolte's voice work as Bernie the Gorilla could have used subtitles to overcome his slurring and the words lost to his tone dropping to an inaudible rasp. The CGI gorilla itself suffers from scaling problems alternatively presented as big enough to carry light heavyweight James on its back up the side of a bridge but small enough to fit comfortably in a booth at a certain casual dining establishment. While product placement to offset production costs is a reasonable practice when it stays out of the spotlight, actually inserting commercial breaks into the proceedings (see also recent James Bond BMW ads and the Ford Mustang commercial in the Will Smith version of "The Omega Man") should prompt theater goers to ask for their cut via lowered ticket prices. Having producer Adam Sandler bring in big names (Cher, Sylvester Stallone, etc.) to do voice work creates very noticeable problems of timing and unnatural pauses clearly the result of the tracks being recorded at different times. Sandler's unhelpful influence demonstrates also demonstrates itself with prerequisite scenes of public urination. To Sandler: public + relieving yourself = funny (see also "Big Daddy", "Jack and Jill" and others). Some elements of the film aren't that bad. While he struggles to be consistently interesting enough to be a leading man, James is likable. Joe Rogan plays a comical bad guy with scene-chewing rubber-faced malice. Ken Jeong's plays the zoo's disturbed reptile handler (one imagines this is only an exaggerated representation of what someone in this line of work is probably like) and while very underutilized he gets to deliver the film's best line: "Newly weds, huh? If you're looking for a honeymoon destination, Oklahoma has a stupid underground fight club scene." In short, by no means a film worth seeing but not the screaming no fly zone others might lead you to believe.

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***½ Jeff S
December 12, 2011
It was a surprise for me. I thought it would be just to stupid. It was funny and really good for kids.

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* RJ W
December 11, 2011
Bored fell asleep first 20mins

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***½ A. M. Esmonde .
December 11, 2011
Good fun, great voices.

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***** jimmy s
December 10, 2011
Funny good family movie

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***** Yvonne Q
December 10, 2011
It's so funny!! My kids and I loved it.

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* Sam C
December 10, 2011
Zookeeper is a another family film that absolutely sucked. Zookeeper is about Griffin who is a Zookeeper who watches over all these animals in the zoo and he's done this for many years. A few years ago he got dumped because he was a zookeeper and now that he's seen her again he wants to try and win her back and plans to quit being a zookeeper. Soon enough the animals start to talk to him and try to help him win back the girl. When I first heard of this movie I thought this is going to be nothing but crap and sure enough I was right. The story for this movie is absolutely stupid and is just like any other family movie being made right now with to many predictable moments. The comedy in this movie is for little kids and will probably not entertain teens or older. This movie had one scene in this movie were I chuckled and that was because of Ken Jeong. This movie also has a decent cast that give terrible performances. I don't like Kevin James that much as an actor an watching this movie didn't help at all because he gives one of the worst performances of the year. This movie also has good actors like Ken Jeong, Sylvester Stallone, and Adam Sandler who give their worst performances yet. Overall Zookeeper is one of the worst movies of the year that should only be watched by kids.

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*½ jeremy g
December 10, 2011
about as good as mall cop.....

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**½ Marisa D
December 10, 2011
Was just kinda cute that's all
Rachael B
December 10, 2011
This film had its funny bits in it. Kevin James played his character Griffin very well. I liked when both Kate and Griffin were flying in the air like eagles. I liked all the animals especially the Gorilla, he was a party animal and loved his ORANGES. :0) This film is designed to make all people laugh.

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* Bradley W
December 2, 2011
Zookeeper was the years worst film until I saw Spy Kids 4. In every sngle way I can think of this movie sucked. When Zookeeper Griffin Keyes (Kevin James) is dumped by his girlfriend on the beach, five years later he sees her again and he thinks she wants to start a new relationship, one problem, dating her would force him away from the zoo, and the talking zoo animals love having Griffin because he is kind and treats them as equals, so they reveal they can talk and they train him to be a ladies man, and in the meantime Griffin grows a strong friendship with Bernie the Gorilla. The plot is stupid on every level, why anyone would want to see a movie about Kevin James with talking animals is beyond me, and it even curses a little, why in gods name would a mother want to take her children to a family movie that swears, its ind of liuke the crappy Mr. Poppers Penguins. This film is also a horrible adaption of films like Night at the Museum and Dr. Dolittle, the writers in this movie might as well have been 5 year olds who made this during time out at pre school. Kevin James is a funny guy, why is he agreeing to crap like this all the time, his last decent film was Paul Blart, since then its been all crap, heck even before that he was doing a lot of dumb films, The King of Queens was hilarious, why can't he be funny like that. The voice artists weren't very bad, but if I had to hear any more of their crappy and cheesy jokes or Sylvester Stallone sound like Rocky Balboa as a lion, I was going to stand up and burn the movie screen, and to be honest I think everyone in the theatre would thank me. Zookeeper is a boring, badly plotted, horribly directed, badly acted, and terrible comedy movie and is a front runner for one of the worst films of 2011.

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***½ William R
December 2, 2011
It was funny, I think people give Kevin James a hard time. It was a good movie for the family also.

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***** Vicky W
December 2, 2011
absolutely brilliant!! really funny!!!

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***** Rebecca E
December 1, 2011
Very cute, however some of the animal voices would have been better executed with other voices.

 


 


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