Quite a Menagerie at ‘Creatures’ Premiere

Calling the crowd that came together at Universal City Cineplex Odeon on Thursday night a zoo may be a cliche, but when you have to wade through a dozen or so fluffy animal mascots to get inside, well, what else can you say?

The occasion was the premiere of “Fierce Creatures,” a comedy from Universal that recycles the cast of the 1988 hit “A Fish Called Wanda.” The new film is about a group of animal-loving zoo employees who conspire to save a zoo and its animals from a greedy, Murdoch-esque takeover baron. After the screening, there was a reception at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal CityWalk. The event was a benefit for the Wildlife Preservation Trust International and the Los Angeles Zoo.

While Kevin Kline and Michael Palin were absent, stars Jamie Lee Curtis and John Cleese (who also co-wrote the script) and his daughter Cynthia, who had a bit part, and director Fred Schepisi were on hand. Among the 700 or so others who attended was a mostly B-list sprinkling of celebs, including Kelsey Grammer, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Brenda Vaccaro, Julie Delpy, Corey Feldman, Alan Thicke, Ed Begley Jr. and a very pregnant Pia Zadora.

“I think people elevate the experience of a movie when it becomes a success,” said Curtis, dispelling any notions that the reunion of the “A Fish Called Wanda” cast was magical and heartwarming. “It’s just never the case. The experience was difficult, fraught with frustration the first time and the second time. My point is that it’s a heartwarming reunion in the sense that it’s nice to see each other again. I just don’t elevate it to this legendary experience.”

About $66,000 was collected to be split between the zoo and the wildlife trust.

“Our founder, Gerald Durrell, likened the interrelationship of all species to a spider’s web,” said Mary Pearl, executive director of Wildlife Preservation Trust International, in a pre-screening speech. “You touch one thread and every other thread shudders. For every extinction we witness, a host of other animals, plants and fungi vanish at the same time.” The trust is the only American charity focused exclusively on endangered-species conservation worldwide.

For an animal lover’s event, there were certainly a lot of, er, protein foods on hand. Folks dined on a buffet of broiled chicken, salmon steaks and baked potatoes with fixings, while waiters cruised the party bearing turkey sandwiches, California rolls, chocolate brownies a la mode and strawberries with cream.