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Mighty Joe Young

  • 19981998
  • PGPG
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
29K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Official Trailer
Play trailer0:41
1 Video
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureFamily

A legendary fifteen-foot tall mountain gorilla named Joe is taken to an animal sanctuary in California by zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) and Jill Young (Charlize Theron), with whom he ... Read allA legendary fifteen-foot tall mountain gorilla named Joe is taken to an animal sanctuary in California by zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) and Jill Young (Charlize Theron), with whom he grew up. Poacher Strasser (Rade Serbedzija) returns from the past to seek vengeance on Joe... Read allA legendary fifteen-foot tall mountain gorilla named Joe is taken to an animal sanctuary in California by zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) and Jill Young (Charlize Theron), with whom he grew up. Poacher Strasser (Rade Serbedzija) returns from the past to seek vengeance on Joe.

IMDb RATING
5.7/10
29K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Ron Underwood
  • Writers
    • Merian C. Cooper
    • Ruth Rose
    • Mark Rosenthal
  • Stars
    • Bill Paxton
    • Charlize Theron
    • Rade Serbedzija
Top credits
  • Director
    • Ron Underwood
  • Writers
    • Merian C. Cooper
    • Ruth Rose
    • Mark Rosenthal
  • Stars
    • Bill Paxton
    • Charlize Theron
    • Rade Serbedzija
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 106User reviews
    • 42Critic reviews
    • 51Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Mighty Joe Young: 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray
    Trailer 0:41
    Mighty Joe Young: 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray

    Photos210

    Bill Paxton, Charlize Theron, David Paymer, and Regina King in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Charlize Theron, and John Alexander in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    John Alexander in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Charlize Theron, Liz Georges, and Richard Riehle in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    Charlize Theron, Peter Firth, and Rade Serbedzija in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Charlize Theron, and John Alexander in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    Ron Underwood in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    John Alexander in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Charlize Theron, and John Alexander in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Charlize Theron, and Ron Underwood in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    John Alexander in Mighty Joe Young (1998)
    Bill Paxton and Naveen Andrews in Mighty Joe Young (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bill Paxton
    Bill Paxton
    • Gregg O'Haraas Gregg O'Hara
    Charlize Theron
    Charlize Theron
    • Jill Youngas Jill Young
    Rade Serbedzija
    Rade Serbedzija
    • Strasseras Strasser
    Peter Firth
    Peter Firth
    • Garthas Garth
    David Paymer
    David Paymer
    • Harry Rubenas Harry Ruben
    Regina King
    Regina King
    • Cecily Banksas Cecily Banks
    Robert Wisdom
    Robert Wisdom
    • Kwelias Kweli
    Naveen Andrews
    Naveen Andrews
    • Pindias Pindi
    Lawrence Pressman
    Lawrence Pressman
    • Dr. Bakeras Dr. Baker
    Linda Purl
    Linda Purl
    • Dr. Ruth Youngas Dr. Ruth Young
    Mika Boorem
    Mika Boorem
    • Young Jill Youngas Young Jill Young
    Geoffrey Blake
    Geoffrey Blake
    • Vernas Vern
    Christian Clemenson
    Christian Clemenson
    • Jackas Jack
    Cory Buck
    • Jasonas Jason
    Liz Georges
    • Jason's Motheras Jason's Mother
    Richard Riehle
    Richard Riehle
    • Commander Gormanas Commander Gorman
    Cynthia Allison
    • News Reporteras News Reporter
    Ken Taylor
    • News Reporteras News Reporter
    • Director
      • Ron Underwood
    • Writers
      • Merian C. Cooper(story)
      • Ruth Rose(earlier screenplay)
      • Mark Rosenthal(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    The baby gorilla left in her care grows up to become a hugely tall and broad specimen by the name of Joe, living in the mountains as a mostly unseen legend amongst the people who live there. Along comes eco-minded emissary Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton), who is from a California sanctuary, and who talks jungle girl Jill Young (Charlize Theron) into providing a safe haven for Joe at the Los Angeles facility. The transition is not without discomfort, but everything is aggravated via a conspiracy of poachers to get Joe into their own greedy hands. —Anthony Pereyra <hypersonic91@yahoo.com>
    leopardhide and seekwildlife preserveanimal sanctuaryanimal conservation69 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Survival is an instinct.
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Adventure
      • Family
      • Fantasy
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • PG
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Since Gorillas in the Mist (1988), Rick Baker stated that he wouldn't do any more projects that involved creating animatronic apes. Baker had to break that statement when he did Baby's Day Out (1994), which featured a gorilla scene. After that, Baker restated he would not do any more ape projects, but when he got called to work on this movie, Baker's love for the original film changed his mind. He also saw it as a chance for redemption for King Kong (1976) since he designed the King Kong suit and portrayed Kong himself. This movie was the last for which Baker created an animatronic gorilla suit. He later added Planet of the Apes (2001), starring Mark Wahlberg, to his ape-centric résumé.
    • Goofs
      The gorilla is supposed to be 12 ft tall. Yet in all scenes he has to be at least 20 to 30 feet tall, and certainly isn't 2000 lbs. One of his legs alone would have to weigh that much.
    • Quotes

      Jill Young: So, this is L.A., huh? Everything looks the same. How do you know where you are?

      Greg O'Hara: It's easy. The ocean's that way, the mountains are that way, Mexico's that way, and Canada's thataway. You don't have to worry about the rest; you'll never see it through the smog.

    • Alternate versions
      German video and DVD versions are edited for violence (capturing of the gorilla, transport of the gorilla in the city, escape of the gorilla, explosion of the ferris wheel) to get a more family friendly "Not under 6" rating. The uncut version (rated "Not under 12") was shown several times on pay-TV channel Premiere World (now Sky Germany).
    • Connections
      Edited into Attack of the 50 Foot Monster Mania (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Windsong
      Written by James Horner and Will Jennings
      Choir Direction/Arrangement by Lebo M.

    User reviews106

    Review
    Top review
    Great adaptation of the classic 1947 film
    Mighty Joe Young is terrific family fare, and one of the better movies of 1998. It is based on the immortal classic from 1947 of the same name about a young woman and her faithful 20-foot tall, 2,000-pound gorilla named Joe.

    Great special effects featuring Joe are the real highlight of the film, especially the animatronics and CGI which truly bring Joe to life.

    There are also good performances, especially from Charlize Theron as the young woman, Jill, and Bill Paxton, fresh from Titanic, as the scientist who loves her.

    But, the real star is the title character, the Mighty Joe, who brings a wonderfully gentle screen presence, and is the true hero of the film.

    Highly recommended for children of all ages.
    helpful•10
    1
    • Chiron1987
    • Jul 7, 1999

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 26, 1999 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Swahili
    • Also known as
      • Koca bebek Joe
    • Filming locations
      • Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA
    • Production companies
      • RKO Pictures
      • Walt Disney Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $90,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $50,632,037
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,602,042
      • Dec 27, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $50,632,037
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 54 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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