“Cryptozoo” is a 2021 animated movie directed by Dash Shaw. The movie features the likes of Lake Bell as Lauren Grey, Michael Cera as Mathew, Alex Karpovsky as David, Louisa Krause as Amber, Thomas Jay Ryan as Nicholas, Peter Stormare as Gustav, and more. “Cryptozoo” follows the story of Lauren, who tries to save a cryptid known as Baku from the US Military.
Cryptozoo (2021) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What do Amber and Mathew find in the forest?
The movie opens in a dense forest where two lovers, Mathew and Amber, are wandering around. After a while, they get intimate, sharing what they like about each other. Mathew says he loves Amber’s imagination, and Amber just smiles shyly. Afterward, they go on about random things, like how everyone in the world should be treated equally, and how animals shouldn’t have to fear humans, especially since people hunt them for sport. As they continue walking, they notice a massive enclosure surrounded by an iron fence.
Curious, they climb over it and discover a unicorn. Mathew reaches out, trying to gently pat the creature. But the unicorn impales him with its sharp horn, killing him instantly. Amber is overcome with rage, and in a fit of grief, she picks up a huge stone and smashes the unicorn to death. It’s then revealed that the enclosure is part of a hidden sanctuary that houses creatures from myths and legends: unicorns, horned goats, and other cryptids.
Who is Lauren Grey, and what is she looking for?
Lauren Grey is a cryptozoologist who, like others in her field, believes that cryptids are neither dangerous nor evil because when she was growing up in a military camp in Okinawa, a cryptid known as the Baku, a being that devours nightmares, cured her of her night terrors. Now, Lauren travels the world, infiltrating black markets and rescuing cryptids from captivity.
She begins pursuing an Alkonost, a mythical bird with the head of a woman, but before she can reach it, the creature is kidnapped by Nick, a smuggler who sells cryptids to the United States military in exchange for cash. Wounded during her search, Lauren is nursed back to health by Joan, who reveals that the very same Baku that once saved her has escaped the U.S. military.
According to Joan, the Baku is the most powerful cryptid known, and the military wants to harness its abilities to develop weapons that could suppress the growing counterculture movement. To help Lauren, Joan enlists the help of a gorgon named Phoebe. Together, the group travels to Orlando to seek out Pliny, another cryptid who was once captured by the military. However, before Pliny can tell them anything, his mother insists that both she and her son be safely relocated to the Cryptozoo. Once there, Pliny finally tells Lauren that the Baku is somewhere in Kentucky.
How do the cryptids get free?
Lauren isn’t the only one after the Baku. Nicholas, a skilled cryptid hunter, has also been hired by the military to track it down, as he’s considered the best in the business. While Lauren and Phoebe search for clues about the Baku’s whereabouts, they come across an astrologer’s tarot-reading shop marked with a cat symbol on the door. Inside, the reader guides them toward the Baku. However, Gustav betrays Lauren once again, leading to their capture by Nicholas and the military. During the struggle, Lauren is forced to turn a man to stone in self-defense, which gives the military the excuse it needs to seize control of the Cryptozoo and all the creatures inside it.
When Nicholas, Lauren, and the army arrive at the zoo, they find that cryptids have broken free from their enclosures and are attacking everything in sight. They also see a monstrous megaworm, the size of an entire forest. The surviving group manages to escape to a nearby cave, where they encounter Amber, the same woman seen at the start of the story, who is burying her boyfriend Matthew’s body. Amber tells them that she found the zoo’s massive fence, but when Matthew was fatally gored by a unicorn, she lashed out in grief and rage by releasing all the cryptids. When the cryptids try to attack her, Amber is rescued by a winged horse known in fable as Pegasus.
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At the same time, Joan’s tower begins to fall, just like the tarot reader had foretold in her cards. Lauren jumps onto Pegasus to save Joan, but despite doing everything, Joan is lost. In her final moments, Joan laments that she has failed the cryptids, admitting that all of this could have been avoided if she had enforced stronger security. But Lauren says that perhaps it is for the best and that the cryptids are better off free and in hiding. They can protect themselves far more effectively than humans ever could while trying to control them.
Cryptozoo (2021) Movie Ending Explained:
How does Phoebe save the cryptids?
Seeing the entire zoo in ruins, Phoebe says the only way to save everyone, including the cryptids, is with the help of Luz Mala, the lights that can mesmerize cryptids and guide them out of San Francisco to safety. Thanks to Amber’s help, Phoebe begs the lights to lead the cryptids back into hiding so they are not killed by the military. The Luz Mala abides and shepherds the cryptids far from the reach of humans and the military.
As for Nicholas, he is killed when the Baku feeds on his dreams. The film ends with Lauren burying Joan, giving her the service she deserves. Phoebe, one of the gorgon sisters, marries her longtime boyfriend Jay beside the lake. Lauren opens a veterinary clinic and now treats regular animals. As for Mariko, the Baku, she swims with the fishes in the vast ocean, away from harm.
“Cryptozoo” is both a satire and a dark story that raises tough questions about human greed and the lengths people will go to for control. It suggests that if mythical creatures really existed in our ecosystem, humans would exploit them, turning them into weapons for the military or capitalizing on them for profit. Still, there are a few good people, like Jones and Lauren, who risk everything to protect these rare beings. The movie also makes it clear that even if cryptids were allowed to live among us, they would most likely end up in zoos, put on display for paying visitors like you and me. In that sense, they could never truly feel at home. As Phoebe the gorgon says, it breaks her heart to see creatures like her treated as nothing more than a source of amusement for others.
