‘We Bought A Zoo’ Theatrical Poster Proves Studio Poster Art Isn’t Dead

Earlier today, I posted a story withhundreds of studio releasedmovie posters that all looked the same. The lead sentence was “News flash: today’s movie posters generally suck.” Almost as if it was a response to that,Cameron Crowe’s official websiteThe Uncooldebuted the theatrical poster for his upcoming film,We Bought a Zoo. Designed byArsonalif features no stars and no dumb tagline, just a striking image that begs the question: what is this movie about? It does what a movie poster is supposed to do. It catches your eye and makes you think.

Check out the full image after the jump.

Thanks toThe Uncoolfor this image and /Film reader iambretton for identifying the artist. Click on it for the high resolution version.

I’m not sure what’s more surprising about this poster, the fact that none of the actor’s faces are on it or that only Matt Damon’s name is on it. It’s not like he’s the film’s only star.Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Hayden ChurchandElle Fanningare pretty big stars too.  Even Cameron Crowe’s name is small in comparison. It’s very ballsy for a studio to go with this as a final theatrical one-sheet.

Article image

So what exactly does this poster say about the movie? The characters buy a zoo, obviously. That’s in the title. Matt Damon is in it. And, by dissecting the main image, a bunch of different animals help bring a family together with a sense of fun. I get that from the paw prints, obviously, the family connotation of a tree and the red kite floating above it. Really, is there anything else you need to know?

Of course, this imagery isn’t exactly new. It harkens back tothe theatrical posterfor the incredible documentaryDear Zacharyor, if you want to get even deeper, Scott Campbell’s2008 poster forGallery 1988’s Crazy 4 Cult 4 art show. Still, this is a beautiful image that, hopefully, serves the film well. Thank you Fox, for taking a chance.