Series synopsis
Shoebox Zoo is a British sci-fi & fantasy drama action & adventure television series that premiered on BBC One on September 21, 2004. It ended on November 27, 2005. It was created by Brian Ward, Justin Molotnikov, Claire Mundell. It stars Vivien Endicott Douglas, Simon Callow, Rik Mayall and Alan Cumming.
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 ancie ...
Premise
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.
Premise: Believe.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Vivien Endicott Douglas as Marnie McBride
- Simon Callow as Wolfgang the Wolf (voice) / Hunter the Horse (voice)
- Rik Mayall as Edwin the Eagle (voice)
- Alan Cumming as Bruno the Bear (voice)
- Siobhan Redmond as Ailsa the Adder (voice)
- Jason Connery as Ross McBride
- Peter Mullan as Michael Scot
- David McKay as William McTaggart
Supporting cast
- Bill Paterson as The Storyteller (voice)
- Gordon Tootoosis as Nathaniel Stone
- Natascha Girgis as Aurora Dexter
- Tony Donaldson as Juan Roberto Montoya de Toledo
- Krystina Coates as Laura Nevin
- Yudii Mercredi as Kyle Stone
- Paul Cœur as Bobby Campbell
- Valerie Pearson as Dorothy Campbell
- Kelsey Collins Keener as Becky Dexter
Guest cast
- Paul Ellard as Cinema patron (uncredited)
- Maxi Moffat as John Roberts
- Fergus Nimmo as Dougie
- Sean Joseph Young as Stewart
- Kristy Elkin as Dr. Joanna Robertson
- Sanjeev Kohli as Mr. Kasmani
- Frances Low as Ms. MacKay
- Dorothy Duffy as Ms. Arnot
- Nathaniel Arcand as Cousin Henry
- Sammy Simon as Stone Bear
- Forrest Eaglespeaker as Steve
- Peter Strand Rumpel as Airport Security Edinburgh
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 26 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 13 | September 21, 2004 | December 14, 2004 |
| Season 2 | 13 | October 16, 2005 | November 27, 2005 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Magic Is Awakened On her 11th birthday, still grieving over her recently deceased mother and uncomfortable with being moved from Colorado to Scotland, Marnie discovers that she is able to make a group of four old toy animals come alive. |
September 21, 2004 |
| 2 |
Friend or Foe? It's Marnie's first day of school at her new home in Scotland. She has an encounter with a bully but makes a new friend in Laura. Back home, she receives a package from America containing a necklace that belonged to her mother. She also discovers that her shoebox animal friends were once human, and that only a lost book can return them to their original form. |
September 28, 2004 |
| 3 |
Echoes of the Past When a mysterious problem causes school to be cancelled for the day, Marnie and Laura visit the nearby St. Giles’ Cathedral in order to find clues about the shoebox animals, as John Roberts said he saw a depiction of them on a stained glass window there. |
October 5, 2004 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Across The Great Ocean Marnie, with the Shoebox Zoo in tow, flies to Denver for the summer in order to search for The Book of Forbidden Knowledge. After being picked up by her grandparents, she meets up with her best friend Kyle Stone and plans to show the shoebox animals to him. However, a mysterious figure has stolen the bag in which they were contained, on top of seemingly following her around wherever she goes. |
October 16, 2005 |
| 2 |
The Balance Of Power Kyle finds Marnie’s bag on his way to visit her for breakfast. With the proper bag now on hand, Marnie introduces Kyle to the shoebox animals and tells him about the Quest. Later, they’re taken a TV studio where they meet Aurora Dexter, a medium who aspires to become a TV star. |
October 23, 2005 |
| 3 |
Snakes Alive After settling in a hideaway that’s owned by the Campbells, Marnie and Kyle go to investigate the first clue, a snake rune, at the nearby Snake Creek Trail. After an argument causes the two to split up, Marnie has an encounter with the ghost of Toledo, the shapeshifter. |
October 23, 2005 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC One |
|---|---|
| First aired | September 21, 2004 |
| Last aired | November 27, 2005 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Sunday at 18:30:00 |