6 Best Zookeeper and Wildlife Caretaker Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 1, 2026

Caring for wild animals is devoted and sometimes dangerous. The Zookeeper’s Wife has a couple sheltering refugees in their Warsaw zoo, We Bought a Zoo has a widower restoring a rundown zoo, and Zookeeper has a lonely keeper getting dating advice from talking animals. Madagascar, Gorillas in the Mist and Born Free round out the six.

Madagascar (2005)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Four pampered zoo animals accidentally escape and wash up stranded on the wild island of Madagascar.

Directed by Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath · 1h 26m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A married couple risks everything to shelter hundreds of refugees in the ruins of their Warsaw zoo.

Directed by Niki Caro · 2h 06m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Zookeeper (2011)

TMDB ★ 5.3

A lonely zookeeper gets dating advice from the talking animals in his care.

Directed by Frank Coraci · 1h 42m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Starz, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

We Bought a Zoo (2011)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A grieving father moves his family to the countryside to restore and reopen a struggling zoo.

Directed by Cameron Crowe · 2h 04m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, FXNow · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Gorillas in the Mist (1988)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A dedicated primatologist devotes her life to studying and protecting endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

Directed by Michael Apted · 2h 09m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Born Free (1966)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A Kenyan game warden and his wife raise an orphaned lioness before preparing her for release into the wild.

Directed by James Hill · 1h 35m

Where to watch

Stream: FlixFling, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Zookeeper and Wildlife Caretaker Movies

Madagascar (2005)

The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)

Zookeeper (2011)

We Bought a Zoo (2011)

Gorillas in the Mist (1988)

Born Free (1966)

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