Shoebox Zoo
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Shoebox Zoo is a children's fantasy TV series made in a collaboration between BBC Scotland and various Canadian television companies. It is mostly live-action, but with CGI used for the animal figurines. It was first broadcast in 2004.
| Contents |
Synopsis
In the series Marnie McBride, an 11-year-old American girl who has moved to Edinburgh with her Scottish father Ross after her mother's death, receives a present from the legendary wizard Michael Scot (who in the series is still alive). The present is the Shoebox Zoo of the title, a box containing four animal figures which unexpectedly come to life. She then finds herself undertaking (not entirely willingly) a quest to find his Book of Forbidden Knowledge.
It is revealed that the animals were Scot's students, who stole the book and were punished by being transformed, but without the book Scot cannot change them back. Also after the book is the evil wizard Juan Roberto Montoya de Toledo, who is later revealed to be a creation of Scot's (presumably during his time in that city). It is also revealed that Scot thought Marnie's mother might be the Chosen One, but she was unable to awaken the Zoo.
At the end of the series, the Book is discovered, but found to be a fake. The real book is, apparently, in America, presumably taken there by Marnie's mother. A second series is planned, with Marnie's quest continuing.
The Shoebox Zoo itself
The animals the students became are the ones which stereotype their personalities. They are:
- Edwin
- A arrogant and pompus metal eagle who sees himself as the leader of the Shoebox Zoo. He and his friends stole the Book of Forbidden Knowledge and he was transformed into his present form by Michael Scot. Marnie was given a necklace which actually had one of Edwin's tail feathers as a amulet. Edwin has a detachable helmet and he is afraid of flying.
- Ailsa
- A cynical adder. Ailsa is the oldest of the Shoebox Zoo and the most wisest. She has glowing green eyes, a long golden snake body and a history of not trusting anyone. Ailsa then tossed aside her present personality and began to trust Marnie.
- Bruno
- A simple-minded and friendly stone bear. He is the youngest member of the Shoebox Zoo and also a little dumb. He has had to act aggressive at times and has bitten Toledo to save Marnie. Bruno easily got used to Marnie, while it took the others more time and is very loyal to his mistress.
- Wolfgang
- A fierce and deceptive blue wolf. He is made of wood and has a fear of fire. He also believes that everything tastes like sawdust when made of wood. Wolfgang has the most interesting personality out of the Shoebox Zoo, as he was the one that started the whole loss of the Book of Forbidden Knowledge. He is the son of Michael Scot, who told his son that messing with the powers of the book were dangerous. Wolfgang then hated his father and betrayed him by turning Edwin, Ailsa and Bruno against him and then stealing the Book of Forbidden Knowledge. Michael then got angry and transformed his only son and the others into toy animals. When Wolfgang was awoke, he helped Torledo to try and get the book, so he could become get his body back. Near the end of the series, Marnie learned of Wolfgang's history and he rejoined the Shoebox Zoo when Marnie found the book in the library. Toledo invaded Marnie's house with his Los Contrarios, hunting for the Book of Forbidden Knowledge. Toledo then grabbed Wolfgang and threatened Marnie that he'd kill Wolfgang unless she handed over the book. Marnie then forced Toledo to leave, but in the process, the evil magicican cast Wolfgang into the fireplace. Scot's only son bid farewell to Marnie and his friends and he burned away into the flames.
Characters
| Marnie McBride | Vivien Endicott-Douglas | The heroine of the programme. She is from Colorado and her mother is dead. She has magical powers and has been able to teleport, blow the Shoebox Zoo away with her breath and knock Stewart out with a electric light. |
|---|---|---|
| Ross McBride | Jason Connery | Marnie's father. He is very caring to Marnie ever since her mother died. He is Scottish and originates from Edinburgh. He work's in Edinburgh's library. |
| Michael Scot | Peter Mullan | The old wizard who owns the Book of Forbidden Knowledge. He is Wolfgang's father and lives in Tantallon Castle. He also created Toledo. |
| Edwin | Rik Mayall | A arrogant and pompus eagle and leader of the Shoebox Zoo. He wants to have the glory and honour of touching the Book of Forbidden Knowledge first in eleven-hundred years. |
| Ailsa | Siobhan Redmond | A mysterious adder with a trouble of trusting others. She is the oldest and wisest of the Shoebox Zoo and keeps the other animals in line. |
| Bruno | Alan Cummings | A simple-minded and gentle bear. He is the youngest Shoebox Zoo member and has difficulty understanding things. |
| Wolfgang | Simon Callow | A deceptive wolf who is the son of Michael Scot. He joined Toldeo to get the book, so he could become human again. He is made of wood, so he has a fear of fire. |
| Storyteller | Bill Paterson | The narrator of the television show. |
| John Roberts | Maxi Moffat | Toledo's first disguise. He tried to befriend Marnie so he could know some facts about the location of the book, but his form was revealed by Michael. |
| McTaggart | David McKay | Michael's servant. He took the book from his master after the Shoebox Zoo became animals, to escape from Toledo. He gave the book to Marnie's mother who threw it in the ocean. McTaggart was tortured for 11 years and then was doomed to wander the earth until the book was found. |
| Laura | Krystina Coates | Marnie's best friend, but she seems to think something is wrong with Marnie. |
| Stewart | Sean Young | A school bully who bullied Marnie, until he got hit in the head by an electric light. |
| Dougie | Fergus Nimmo | Another school bully who used to bully Marnie. He changed his ways when he went on a camping trip with Marnie, Laura and Ross McBride. |
| Ms Mackay | Frances Low | Marnie's school teacher. She overtalks the school's headteacher and is a bit stroppy. |
| Toledo | Tony Donaldson | Professor Juan Roberto Montoyo de Toldedo was created by Michael Scot, but he turned to evil. He created Los Contrarios and killed Wolfgang. He was then believed to be destroyed when Marnie gave him the fake copy of the Book of Forbidden Knowledge. |
Locations
The series mades good use of its Lothian setting, with significant locations including the University of Edinburgh library, Tantallon Castle (Scot's home) and St Giles Cathedral, while Toledo makes his base in the clock tower of the Balmoral Hotel.
External links
- Official website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shoeboxzoo/) hosted by BBCi
- Shoebox Zoo (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0406468/) at the Internet Movie Database
