Shoebox Zoo

TV SERIES 2004 2 SEASONS

Overview

Shoebox Zoo is an urban 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. The show centers on the story of a young girl named Marnie McBride, who is given a shoebox containing four toy animals by a mysterious old man at a junk shop, as a gift for her 11th birthday. These magical toys have the power to come alive on Marnie’s command, and they’re on a quest to find an ancient book that once belonged to a great and powerful wizard.

This production, originally released in 2004, has captivated audiences with its unique storytelling. As a Scripted series, it brings a fresh perspective to the Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure genre, maintaining a strong viewer rating of 7.8 across its 2 seasons.

Storyline Highlights:
• Explores themes within Sci-Fi & Fantasy and Drama.
• Produced in Canada, United Kingdom.
• Original Language: English.

Starring Cast

Vivien Endicott Douglas

Marnie McBride

Simon Callow

Wolfgang the Wolf (voice) / Hunter the Horse (voice)

Rik Mayall

Edwin the Eagle (voice)

Alan Cumming

Bruno the Bear (voice)

Siobhan Redmond

Ailsa the Adder (voice)

Jason Connery

Ross McBride

Peter Mullan

Michael Scot

David McKay

William McTaggart

Seasons

Season 1

13 Episodes • Aired 2004-09-21

On her 11th birthday, Marnie McBride goes to a junk shop with her father to pick out a present. There, the mysterious shopkeeper eagerly gifts her a shoebox containing four animal figurines, all of whom have the ability to magically spring to life. Marnie now has to deal with the struggles of balancing her life between adventuring with the collectively named “Shoebox Zoo” animals on a quest to find an ancient book of magic, and her day-to-day life as a schoolgirl, on top of having to deal with the grief stemming from the loss of her recently deceased mother.

Season 2

13 Episodes • Aired 2005-10-16

Marnie, with the Shoebox Zoo animals in tow, travels from Edinburgh to her hometown of Denver. Now accompanied by her best friend Kyle, the quest for the Book of Forbidden Knowledge continues as the two friends must piece together several clues in order to find the true location of the book, all the while having to once again stop the evil plans of Toledo, who is seemingly back from the dead as a ghostly apparition. Will Marnie and Kyle be able to find the book and turn the Shoebox Zoo back to their human forms? Or will the nefarious shapeshifter prevail?