La zebra in cucina

It seems like this film was trying to duplicate Walt Disney's success and magic with animal and wildlife based films in which there is some interaction with humans. The problem is Walt Disney had Winston Hibler and MGM did not.

The tedium begins with the opening credits and opening song. In spite of that British invasion mid 60s rocking sound, it is repetitious and tiresome. So the story is about a kid (Jay North, whose acting career is on its last prepubescent legs) who is friends with a mountain lion, Sunshine, that lives near his ranch. But his dad's illness requires that he do less strenuous work and move to the city, so the family leaves the ranch and thus the mountain lion behind. Except they don't, because the kid hides the lion away in the back of their truck. What happens to Sunshine once the family gets to the destination comprises the rest of the film.

So it's no secret that at one point, the animals in the local zoo get loose. In fact that happens at the film's midpoint and is stretched out so long it is boring, and yet it is a great example of bad filmmaking. This movie was obviously made on a budget, and though the scenes of the mountain lion are well shot, there didn't appear to be enough money to shoot the other animals properly. So you have shots of animals in extreme close-up, other animals that are obviously stock footage, and a few animals that are humans in animal suits. You can practically see the zippers. The crowds of people fleeing the zoo animals are shown in sped up action. That hasn't been funny since the silent era and the Keystone Cops.

Then there is director Ivan Tors doing some shameless plugging for his other movie - "Clarence The Cross-Eyed Lion" by having Andy Devine say "I'll be a cross-eyed lion" without any context and also having actor Marshall Thompson make a cameo appearance. For legal procedure it is odd too. It is the first time I ever saw a defendant plead from the witness chair, and have a judge basically just go "Aw shucks!" when confronted by obvious perjury. Too boring for kids and too inane for adults, I'd simply avoid this one.

Chris (Jay North) lives on a California ranch with his parents and two pets, a German Shepherd dog and a tamed mountain lion, Sunshine. However, one morning, his parents tell him that they are moving to the city, they can't turn a profit on the ranch. Talk about disappointment! Mostly, Chris is worried about Sunshine, who, unlike other big cats, doesn't know survival techniques. So, Chris sneaks him onto the trailer and takes him to their new home in Southern California. Almost immediately, Sunshine is discovered and taken to the local zoo, over Chris' zealous objections. When the young boy goes to visit, he sees the zoo is horridly small and the animals' cages are too confining. One of the nice zookeepers (Andy Devine) lets Chris work at the zoo, part time. Another zookeeper (Martin Milner) also has a caring heart and knows the zoo needs improvements but he can't convince the owners to put forth the dollars. Therefore, one day, Chris lets the animals loose, after a feeding, to make a point. Soon, zebras, chimps, a tiger, a lion, an ostrich and other animals are walking around town. Only the head zookeeper keeps the police from terminating the animals, asking for time to tranquilize the creatures and take them back. But, as the hours go by, will the zoo animals be saved and will Chris' misguided effort to improve the zoo bring results? This is a very nice family film, nearly unknown, but with a great cast of character actros and, naturally, a slightly older version of Dennis the Menace. North is enjoyable, as is the entire cast. Also wonderful are the animals, who put on a show to set everyone to knee-slapping fun. Just watch a chimp imitate a man watching Laurel and Hardy on television and you will be laughing, too. But, alas, there are a couple of problems. First, some evil boys throw lit cigars to the hippos, causing one to die. Nasty and unnecessary. Also, no one, no matter what the goal, should release wild and dangerous animals on the public. Its not a prank, so you and yours should discuss this during and after a watch. But, all in all, most folks of all ages will like this one and happily sing the catchy title song, too.

I enjoyed this film very much. Jay North does a fine job as a child who has raised a mountain lion from birth but because he has to move with this family to the city, the mountain lion has to be put in a zoo that is poorly funded and with tiny cages. As a result, Jay North's character frees all the animals there 45 minutes into the film. The middle part then is more comedic as the animals enjoy their time away from the cages. Longtime character actor Andy Levine and Martin Milner are wonderful in their roles as the zoo caretaker and zoo director, respectively. Now zoos are more animal-friendly but when this film was made, many zoos were like jails with cramped cages and the rights of animals was an afterthought in zoos. This film enlightens the public in that regard and does so in an entertaining and heartfelt way.

This is the first movie I ever saw in a theatre (with my brother and cousins). I was about five or six years old, and I remember laughing 'til I cried. I went home and told Mom all about the funniest moments. Also, that huge screen up there, glowing bright and the people so big: it was all magical! Nowadays, I see this movie on the video store shelf and I refuse to rent it: apparently this movie is not very good, and I don't want the realization of its mediocrity to obliterate my magical childhood memory. We need to keep those memories intact: we retain them as little nuggets of magic, optimism and fun in our jaded adult hearts. If this wasn't YOUR first movie, rent it for your kids today (though I'd rather they see it on the big screen, of course!).

This is not a good movie but the central idea of treating animals humanely is ok for a movie from the 60s. It wasn't then & still isn't a common subject for a movie. I do not know how well the caged animals were treated during filming. I hope it was w/ great care & they were confined for a very limited time. But it's important to know awful zoos, like the once shown in the movie, we're common & sadly still exist in the world today. I have mixed feelings about zoos. No wild animal should be confined to a zoo but then again, zoos have also saved some animals from extinction, caused by man. If you can look beyond the silliness and see the beauty of these animals, I sort of recommend it. Children would be the best audience but a parent or guardian should be there to point out what's not acceptable in human behavior, how all animals must be treated humanely & wild animals should never be pets. They are not to be poached or hunted for any reason, especially for trophies. So it's a so-so recommendation w/ reservations.