IMDb RATING
6.4/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
Cryptozookeepers try to capture a Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown.Cryptozookeepers try to capture a Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown.Cryptozookeepers try to capture a Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown.
- Awards
- 5 wins & 15 nominations total
Lake Bell
- Lauren Gray
- (voice)
Michael Cera
- Matthew
- (voice)
Alex Karpovsky
- David
- (voice)
Ivan Kamasarav
- Russian Man
- (voice)
Louisa Krause
- Amber
- (voice)
Nathan Nikulin
- Babushka
- (voice)
Angeliki Papoulia
- Phoebe
- (voice)
Maxim Pozdorovkin
- Russian 1
- (voice)
Thomas Jay Ryan
- Nicholas
- (voice)
Matvey Kulakov
- Russian 2
- (voice)
Peter Stormare
- Gustav
- (voice)
Grace Zabriskie
- Joan
- (voice)
Irene Muscara
- Giulia
- (voice)
Emily Davis
- Pliny
- (voice)
- …
Owen K. Price
- Karzeleks
- (voice)
Joce Soubiran
- Vaughn
- (voice)
Rajesh Parameswaran
- Jay
- (voice)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Though I didn't really love the linear, rather flat, style of animation throughout this film, I did quite enjoy the underlying tales of mythological beasts that constitute the "Cryptids". They are things like unicorns and yeti. Animals about which science is in abject denial but that put all forms of art into ecstacy. Naturally, these beasts are constantly being sought after so "Lauren" and "Joan" come up with the idea of finding them somewhere safe to live, where scientists can peaceably study and maybe even learn from them. The one that's missing is the elusive "Baku". This creature can eat people's dreams and so is also a target of those who, as ever with mankind, wish to exploit it's powers for military purposes. Can they find one then keep it safe from their well-resourced and malevolent pursuers? It's only as they encounter more and more of these usually quite benign beings that they consider whether or not these frequently beautiful and playful creatures should remain as they have been for centuries. Hidden from the eyes of man. Albeit set in a fantasy world, this does offer us a little food for thought about the relative merits of scientific advance for the sake of it, without any great consideration for the specimens or their "humanity" and there's plenty of imagination employed by auteur Dash Shaw to mix together stories of culture, religion and adventure into an enjoyable hybrid of animated creations that fantasise creatively.
I tried liking it, but maybe my mindset wasn't great to give the movie a chance. Its weird to watch, social kind of animation. The tone was immediately set in the first 10 minutes. I think this is one of those that, you either like it or you don't, type of thing. For me, nope, not my kind of movie, but a solid 6 nevertheless.
Cryptozoo is one that fascinated me even before watching. Cryptozookeepers try to capture a Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown. The movie is entirely animated in an interesting style in a way the story couldn't be told any other way. As creative as an idea Crytozoo may be, the final product didn't always work out the way it should. Of course, the animation is the stand-out of it all. It's very unique and has moments that are just beautiful. Specifically the end of the second act and most of the third happen to be the most interesting visually and story-wise. Most of the movie is based on how strange it is so we lose the characters and why the stakes are so high. One character named Phoebe is the only one that I really connected with. She's a cryptid so we get her point of view on the subject. There are many themes of zoos and animal cruelty which is a good aspect to think about. Also, symbolism and ideas from well know stories - like Adam and Eve - are prevalent throughout. Even though the most striking aspect of the movie is animation, I wonder if the animation were "better animated" the effect would be different in some cases, but that really isn't an issue. This is quite an entertaining watch solely based on curiosity of it all. Most people are divided on this, but it seems they like it more than they didn't like it. I will revisit this in the future to see if the feeling is still the same. Overall, it's alright but should've been better.
Cryptozoo is a zoo where cryptids are being secretly held. Lauren Grey is one of the cryptozoologists. It's 60's San Francisco. A young couple stumbles upon the zoo. The guy Mathew is killed by an unicorn. Amber is forced to kill the unicorn.
This adult animation is unlike anything in the mainstream. It very much reminds me of the outsider art of the 70's. It is a bit chaotic to the point of overwhelming the audience. This is not animation for the kids. It is the best aspect of this film. I would suggest a more cleaner and clearer story. It may be the effect of the visuals which is discombobulating my brain.
This adult animation is unlike anything in the mainstream. It very much reminds me of the outsider art of the 70's. It is a bit chaotic to the point of overwhelming the audience. This is not animation for the kids. It is the best aspect of this film. I would suggest a more cleaner and clearer story. It may be the effect of the visuals which is discombobulating my brain.
To put it simply, when one uses intentionally naïve style of drawing. Combined with a story that sounds as if it was written during the 60s by an ardent hippie and then has the voice actors performing their roles as seriously as they can without a shred of a smile - it doesn't work well together. The audience I was watching it with reacted with laughter though no joke has been told, I was cringing in my chair with embarrassment. I'm sure the film creators didn't aim for either but that's what they got.
Did you know
- TriviaThe film took 4 years to animate, between 2016-2020, in Richmond, Virginia.
- ConnectionsReferenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Across the Crazy-Verse (2021)
- How long is Cryptozoo?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Криптозоопарк
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $33,765
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $12,891
- Aug 22, 2021
- Gross worldwide
- $37,883
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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