Movie: We Bought A Zoo

          

In “We Bought A Zoo” starring Matt Damon and directed by Cameron Crowe – Elle Fanning, Maggie Elizabeth Jones and Colin Ford take turns in keeping that familial warmth of the movie where Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) buys a house with a zoo in order to give his family a fresh start in life. What begins as a rather impulsive fantasy turns into a daunting life-changing journey that is exciting, emotionally taxing, exceedingly labor intensive, often hilarious but ultimately more rewarding than even he could have ever imagined.    

             Elle Fanning, plays  the young bubbly beauty Lily Miska, who lives and helps out at the zoo and its restaurant.  When the Mees move in, she becomes fascinated with Benjamin’s teenage son Dylan.   “Lily lives in her own world,” says Fanning, who celebrated her 13th birthday during production of the movie. “ Dylan is like an exotic creature to her.  She starts wearing makeup and tries to flirt with him, but she doesn’t really know how because she’s never had a crush on a boy.  Lily tries hard to impress Dylan.”

To portray the Mee children, the filmmakers conducted a nationwide search and online open casting call before eventually deciding on Colin Ford, and relative newcomer Maggie Elizabeth Jones, both natives of Atlanta, Georgia.  

            Colin Ford’s Dylan is having a difficult time in his new environment.  “He doesn’t see eye-to-eye with his father,” says Ford.  “Dylan defies him – he’s a real smart aleck – and does anything to get underneath his skin.”  

            Currently making waves for her role as Rosie is Maggie Elizabeth Jones as the daughter of Matt Damon, who is full of joy, imagination and optimism.  She’s an old soul who’s almost like a caretaker to her beleaguered father.  Jones recently made her acting debut in “Footloose.” 

 

  On casting these three wonders, “Sometimes it takes months to find the right kids but we found fresh young actors who did not have a lot of cute habits from doing a lot of movies or commercials or television shows in which the characters have to be cute. We try to capture real life as best we can in movies so it is important to find actors who are natural. Colin Ford, who plays Dylan Mee, had a few credits but he had not done a lot of work and was great. Maggie Jones had barely done anything but she has a very strong relationship with her mother, who rehearses with her on her lines. That girl is one of the most prepared actresses I’ve ever worked with. And of course Elle Fanning was wonderful as Lily. The kids all helped us to tell a real story about parenting,” director Crowe shares.