If you must keep animals in zoos, make sure that they have an environment that they are accustomed to, that they can comfortably live in and will not feel entrapped. Animal activists of today may not see what this 1960s family comedy was trying to push for, but even though there is still much controversy over zoos being in existence at all, it is the only way many people, including children who need education on the love of wildlife from a distance to see how they live. Certainly, wild animals were never meant to be pets, but for Jay north, the love of a friendly mountain lion opens his eyes and his heart to the need for animals to be free, certainly not to be penned up like they are in these teeny tiny cages, with only the kind-hearted zookeeper Andy Devine to look after them. When he is basically forced to turn over Sunshine, the sweet corn loving mountain lion, North is given the privilege of working alongside Devine on his afternoons free, and ultimately decides after witnessing their entrapment that they need to be free. The opportunity to take Devine's keys and free all of the animals leads to a frenzy in the small town he lives in, but with any luck it will open the eyes to the citizens of the town to see that something needs to be done about the archaic way the zoo animals are being kept in.
There is only actually one scene of a zebra in a kitchen, but it does make for a cute opening song that has the lyrics bouncing along in case the audience wanted to sing with it. The zebra actually isn't even the non-human star; that privilege belongs to Sunshine, the mountain lion, and it is clear that the trained wildcat truly enjoyed being petted and played with, and learning to live side-by-side among humans. Other wild cats including lions and tigers get into the action, with three teenage hoodlums harassing a tiger and later throwing cigars into the mouth of a hungry hippopotamus. The cruelty of these teenagers points out that animals in zoos do need to be watched constantly so that flawed human beings like these kids do not harass them in ways that can aggravate them and shorten their lifespan. Cute monkeys, a radio eating ostrich, a few elephants, some cuddly bears and other assorted mammals make appearances. Of the non mammal animals, there is one snake seen. The adorable bear riding a bicycle has to deal with a flat tire, and he looks like he's about to stomp on it like anybody else might if they were put in that predicament. It shows how much like human beings many different mammals are in temperament and emotions, but as long as we view them from a distance, we can share this world together in harmony.
Among the adult actors appearing are Jim Davis, Martin Milner and Dorothy Green, but it is Jay North, the Andy Hardy of his time, who is the whole show outside all the gorgeous other species shown. Children in general are going to be curious about wild animals that they could only see in books or in movies, so to have zoos where the animals are proven to be well taken care of is an important part of our society. However, this film also gives them the moral lesson that animals deserve the chance to be in their habitat, and if by chance they do associate with humans outside of looking at them as being preyed upon or as prey, they are to be treated with respect and reverence. For that reason, I consider this important film that may not be flawless, but is enjoyable for its comic moments as well as being thought-provoking for its promotion of animal rights, even in a 1960s style.
There is only actually one scene of a zebra in a kitchen, but it does make for a cute opening song that has the lyrics bouncing along in case the audience wanted to sing with it. The zebra actually isn't even the non-human star; that privilege belongs to Sunshine, the mountain lion, and it is clear that the trained wildcat truly enjoyed being petted and played with, and learning to live side-by-side among humans. Other wild cats including lions and tigers get into the action, with three teenage hoodlums harassing a tiger and later throwing cigars into the mouth of a hungry hippopotamus. The cruelty of these teenagers points out that animals in zoos do need to be watched constantly so that flawed human beings like these kids do not harass them in ways that can aggravate them and shorten their lifespan. Cute monkeys, a radio eating ostrich, a few elephants, some cuddly bears and other assorted mammals make appearances. Of the non mammal animals, there is one snake seen. The adorable bear riding a bicycle has to deal with a flat tire, and he looks like he's about to stomp on it like anybody else might if they were put in that predicament. It shows how much like human beings many different mammals are in temperament and emotions, but as long as we view them from a distance, we can share this world together in harmony.
Among the adult actors appearing are Jim Davis, Martin Milner and Dorothy Green, but it is Jay North, the Andy Hardy of his time, who is the whole show outside all the gorgeous other species shown. Children in general are going to be curious about wild animals that they could only see in books or in movies, so to have zoos where the animals are proven to be well taken care of is an important part of our society. However, this film also gives them the moral lesson that animals deserve the chance to be in their habitat, and if by chance they do associate with humans outside of looking at them as being preyed upon or as prey, they are to be treated with respect and reverence. For that reason, I consider this important film that may not be flawless, but is enjoyable for its comic moments as well as being thought-provoking for its promotion of animal rights, even in a 1960s style.