Moviefile A thoroughly entertaining children's program with enough interest to keep adults watching too. It was well reviewed in the upmarket press which also laments that the "US invasion ends golden age of children's TV". Well this program goes some way to redress that, and other more recent programs such as Merlin and Doctor Who do too! Thank goodness for the BBC which, while not perfect, does at least manage to put out some top drawer entertainment for those of us, both children and adults who do not speak in monosyllables, can cope with having our thoughts provoked and are capable of following a plot.I won't rehash the storyline as others have done that. The young lead actress gives a very good performance as a child who has been bereaved by the loss of her much loved mother, and further traumatised by being uprooted by her father from her home friends and family and taken to live in Scotland, is it any wonder she is moody, petulant and emotional? The rest of the characters are fun, a hissable villain, an otherworldly wizard from years ago, his humorous sidekick, and the wonderful characters of the zoo itself. Ally that with the beautiful Scottish landscape and some fine cinematography and you are in for a treat.All I would say that as it is squarely aimed at children this program acquits itself well. All the children I have spoken to about it loved the program, as did I and many of my adult friends. Overseas friends who I have sent the program too also tell me the same, so it would seem to have a pretty universal appeal (great Christmas present!).

jessink Shoebox Zoo is a refreshing show for the BBC, and duly, it makes pleasant family viewing. Children will love the animals in the Shoebox Zoo which the voices are brilliantly cast: (Rik Mayall, Siobhan Redmond, Simon Callow and Alan Cumming) – Rik Mayall being a personal favourite as the pompous, overbearing eagle. These characters breath life (excuse the pun if you've watched the episodes) into a somewhat … slow … series.The reason why it's so slow, is that the idea of the story is better suited as a darker drama, like in the same mould of Robin Hood (2006) I couldn't relate to the seriousness of the Book (despite Michael Scot's brief description in one episode) – but that's it. Only at the end do we find out its true contents: the secrets of life and death. This is obvious. And at the time, I was Douglas' age when I watched it.Speaking of which, I don't think Vivien was that bad at acting her role. The majority disagree, claiming she has tantrums, acts like a spoilt brat and is saved all the time by the Wizard. The sad scenes seemed sincere but I passionately disliked her overblown stubbornness toward the Quest and to Michael Scot. Peter Mullan did well in his role - perhaps too well for a family series (like I said earlier, it would be much better suited as a darker drama) but something was missing between his and Vivien's scenes.Vivien, I believe should have been a bit broader with her emotions – where was the silent confusion? The disbelief? All upset and seriousness came out in angry blasts! Tone it down a notch Douglas! You appear more sympathetic that way. Less is more.Little-known actor, Tony Donaldson plays the villain (Toledo) rather well. Though, his performance would have been ten-times better if he'd been more ruthless. I don't relate to any villain who calls his pets (Los Contrarios for instance) "Dainties" "Darlings" or his "Pups"- that made me laugh; it was so out of character. But I point my finger of blame to the script writers. Nevertheless, I loved his drawling voice and his performance overall.And lastly and by no means least, David McKay was great as McTaggert. I loved the buffoon and he said some great lines: "Now eat your greens" to a subdued, wallowing Michael Scot and referring to Toledo with titles such as "your Blissful Harmony." :) In general the whole thing was good but just too slow – I know the production had a budget so the effects weren't going to be Hollywood, but the story lacked heart. The school scenes were superfluous and apart from the awful actors that played the school bullies, I give credit to the actor playing John Roberts. The boy has talent! I give Shoebox Zoo 7/10 ~ Jess

anxietyresister This much hyped Canada/Uk co-production aired in 2004 on BBC ONE as a children's fantasy TV series with cutting edge special effects. It concerns the destiny of a Canuck girl, recently relocated to Scotland after the death of her mother, after she finds a box full of walking, talking miniature animals: an eagle, a bear, a snake and a rather sneaky wolf. She discovers from an old wizard that she is 'The Chosen One' and, with the aid of her new friends, must battle against an evil Shapeshifter to find an ancient book that could hold mankind's fate in the balance..There, I've just made the plot go about ten times faster than it actually does during the course of the programme. In reality it takes about half the episodes of the first series (The second is unseen by me) to get anywhere near the quest, in which far too many pointless scenes and aimless talking have been added to space out the run. Maybe this would have been better condensed into a six-part arc. Worse, in my opinion the girl (Vivian Endicott Douglas) who plays the main character (Marnie) is a pretty rotten actress, she lacks charisma and doesn't exactly impress with her wooden delivery. The young Scottish lady who plays the supporting role 'Laura' (Krystina Coates) would have been a much better choice.. but I guess as this series was mainly bankrolled with Canadian dollars, they wanted someone from their home nation as the focal point.Tony Donaldson and Peter Mullan ham it up as the representatives of evil and good respectably, and David McKay is amusing as the Shapeshifter's lackey, coming up with many of the drama's best lines. The computer animated beasts are great, all perfectly voiced by the likes of Rik Mayall and Alan Cumming in such a way you forget it's them and you just become absorbed in the personalities. It's just a shame that they're not on-screen for longer, because when they're absent.. things tends to get a bit dull.One thing I must mention is I had just finished watching 'The 10th Kingdom' on DVD before coming to 'Shoebox Zoo', and it is every way a superior production to this. Both have very similar aspects, like the magical fantasy setting and having young females in the lead roles, but where T10K scored was having a sympathetic heroine who could do things for herself, where as Marnie in TSZ comes across as a whiny brat who is helped out at every turn by the good wizard Michael Scot. Some 'Chosen One'!! Subsequently I didn't much care whether she found the book or not, and only lasted the course because of the animals and the odd funny moment provided by Mr Mckay. There's some very good and original ideas here, but too much padding to go with it. A little note addressed to the makers: Remember, it's always QUALITY, not QUANTITY that matters.

DaibhidC I can't disagree with any of the comments I've seen describing the series as disappointing (Well, maybe one, saying the animals weren't convincing. They seemed like pretty convincing wooden figures to me.) The series is entertaining, but gives every impression that it could have been amazing.The voice cast is a joy. The script flags occasionally, but sparkles at least as often. The real Edinburgh and Midlothian locations are fantastic, as is the use of genuine legend. This could have been the next generation's Box of Delights, or Dark Season.So why, apart from the irritation of Marnie herself, does it seem so average? Maybe it's the length of the episodes; they just seem to be going somewhere when they stop. A 45 minute format might help... or might just lead to more irrelevant bits.I'll certainly be watching the second series, but I don't expect to be amazed. Especially since, judging from the ending, we're losing those lovely Edinburgh locations...