In the world of mid-budget family dramas, 2011 felt like a lifetime ago. We weren't yet drowning in a sea of superhero sequels, and Cameron Crowe was still trying to find his footing after the critical thumping of Elizabethtown. Then came a movie about a grieving widower, a dilapidated animal sanctuary, and a 13-year-old girl who basically stole every scene she was in. Honestly, Elle Fanning in We Bought a Zoo is one of those performances that people tend to overlook because the movie itself is so aggressively "nice."
But if you look closer, she was doing something way more sophisticated than the script probably required.
Why Lily Miska Is the Secret Heart of the Film
Most people remember the big names. You’ve got Matt Damon playing a dad on the edge and Scarlett Johansson as the tough-as-nails zookeeper. But then there’s Lily Miska. Lily is the homeschooled, slightly awkward cousin of Johansson’s character. She lives on the zoo grounds, works at the restaurant for "under the table" cash, and is basically the only person who sees through Dylan Mee’s teenage angst.
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Fanning was only 13 when this came out. Think about that.
At an age when most child actors are still leaning on "cute" mannerisms, she was playing Lily with this strange, ethereal groundedness. She wasn't just a "love interest" for the protagonist's son. She was the emotional anchor for the younger generation in the film. While the adults were busy worrying about USDA inspections and escaped snakes, Lily was the one teaching us about human connection.
The Taylor Swift Connection (Yes, Really)
Here is a weird bit of trivia that most people miss: Elle Fanning actually based her performance as Lily on a young Taylor Swift.
I’m not joking.
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She wanted Lily to have that sort of "socially awkward but secretly confident" farm-girl vibe. It makes total sense when you re-watch it. There’s a specific way Lily carries herself—shoulders slightly hunched, a bit of a nerd, but totally comfortable in her own skin. It’s a far cry from the wise-beyond-her-years characters she was playing around the same time in movies like Super 8.
Breaking Down the Dylan and Lily Dynamic
The relationship between Elle Fanning in We Bought a Zoo and Colin Ford (who played Dylan) is essentially the B-plot that keeps the movie from becoming too saccharine.
Dylan is miserable. He’s been dragged away from his life in the city to live in a "money pit" surrounded by animal poop. Lily is his polar opposite. She’s thrilled by the simplicity of her life. The scene where she brings him a "lasagna sandwich"—which is exactly what it sounds like—is peak 2011 cinema. It’s weird. It’s endearing. It’s human.
- The Conflict: Dylan wants to leave; Lily wants him to stay.
- The Turning Point: Lily hears a rumor that the family might give up, and the heartbreak on her face is more effective than any of the movie's big dramatic speeches.
- The Resolution: That "20 seconds of insane courage" moment isn't just for Matt Damon’s character. It’s what leads Dylan back to Lily at the end.
The Subtle Excellence of Cameron Crowe's Casting
Cameron Crowe has always had a "knack" for casting. He’s the guy who gave us the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" archetype, but with Lily Miska, he avoided that trap. Lily isn't there to save Dylan or "fix" him. She’s just living her life, and Dylan happens to be the most interesting thing in it.
Working with Scarlett Johansson also seemed to have a massive impact on Fanning. During production, the two became incredibly close, bonding over a shared love for Paris and the realities of being a young woman in Hollywood. You can feel that chemistry on screen. Even though they don't have a massive amount of dialogue together, the "family" unit feels real because the actors actually liked each other.
Does the Movie Still Hold Up?
Look, We Bought a Zoo is sentimental. It’s a "warm hug" of a movie. In 2026, where everything feels cynical and high-stakes, there’s something genuinely refreshing about watching a girl get excited about a rainy opening day at a zoo.
Fanning’s performance is the bridge between the heavy themes of grief and the whimsy of the setting. If she had played Lily as a standard "pretty girl next door," the movie would have collapsed under its own weight. Instead, she gave us someone who felt like she actually belonged in a kitchen making sandwiches for a moody teenager.
Key Takeaways for Fans of the Film
If you're revisiting the movie or discovering it for the first time, keep an eye on these specific details:
- The Wardrobe: Notice how Lily’s clothes look lived-in. She isn't dressed like a movie star; she's dressed like a kid who spends her days around dirt and animals.
- The Delivery: Pay attention to how Fanning uses silence. Some of her best moments are just her reacting to Dylan’s negativity with a look of "Are you serious right now?"
- The Ending: The final scene between Dylan and Lily in the rain is a classic Crowe moment, but Fanning makes it feel earned rather than forced.
Elle Fanning in We Bought a Zoo was a precursor to the incredible career she has now. It proved she could handle "normal" characters just as well as she could handle sci-fi or period pieces. She took a supporting role in a family movie and turned it into a masterclass in subtle, youthful charm.
To really appreciate the evolution of her craft, your next step should be to watch her performance in Super 8 immediately followed by We Bought a Zoo. Seeing the contrast between the high-intensity drama of the former and the quiet, grounded nature of the latter reveals exactly why she became one of the most respected actors of her generation. Check out the 4K restoration of We Bought a Zoo if you can find it—the sun-drenched cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto deserves to be seen in high definition.