A massive corporate conglomerate, Octopus Inc., run by a shrewd and cruel tycoon named Rod McCain, purchases a UK-based leisure company, and also the failing London Marwood Zoo. To bring more business to the zoo, Octopus hires a new manager, Rollo Lee, who promptly comes up with a way to increase profits-do away with all the animals except for the ferocious ones. This new Fierce Creatures Policy shocks the Marwood zookeepers, led by the unendingly talkative Adrian "Bugsy" Malone. Eventually, Rod McCain's son Vince, along with the up-and-coming business executive Willa Weston, take control of the zoo and revoke the Fierce Creatures Policy. Vince instead comes up with many under-handed and vicious schemes to attract customers-unauthorized celebrity endorsements, shoddy, overpriced zoo merchandise, and using robotic animals instead of real ones. However, Vince is also stealing from the zoo's funds, and when his father finds out, he rears to turn the zoo into a Japanese-owned golf course. Meanwhile, Willa has grown to love the zoo and its animals, and, along with her newly-reformed love interest Rollo, plot with the zookeepers to save the zoo from the McCains.

Most of the action of the film takes place in the Marwood Zoo. Marwood is John Cleese's middle name.

Rollo Lee:
Oh, great... terrific!

[Advancing on Bugsy, who starts backing away]


Rollo Lee:
He decides to keep the zoo open, so you kill him! Brilliant! Well done! Thank you so much, especially for shooting him right between the eyes,

[Points to his forehead]


Rollo Lee:
so that it doesn't look like an accident. Because the people at Octopus will know that he was coming here to close us down, so there's our motive for murdering him. Stunning! Well, Mr. Brain of Britain, what are we going to tell the police, who are, of course, already on their way here? Another example of the thoroughness of your plan! Go on, I'm all ears.

[Bugsy stutters]


Rollo Lee:
What do you suggest we do with the dead body of the incredibly famous man, who you have just... ASSASSINATED?

[Bugsy stutters some more]


Rollo Lee:
Sorry, I didn't... quite catch it... What? What was that?... Pop him in the blender?

[Reggie hisses at Rollo, trying to point his attention away from Bugsy]


Rollo Lee:
I KNOW! I KNOW HE'S DEAD! I DID NOTICE!

[Looks behind him, then back to Bugsy and Reggie, then straight back behind him]


Rollo Lee:
Where's the body?

Continuity: The foam in Vince's champagne glass when he pours it and drinks it.

Written by Bruce Springsteen