Mia and the White Lion (2018)

A young girl from London moves to Africa with her parents where she befriends a lion cub.

Director:

Gilles de Maistre

Writers:

Prune de Maistre (screenplay), William Davies (screenplay)

Stars:

Daniah De Villiers, Mélanie Laurent, Langley Kirkwood

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniah De Villiers	...	Mia Owen
Mélanie Laurent	...	Alice Owen
Langley Kirkwood	...	John Owen
Ryan Mac Lennan	...	Mick Owen
Thor	...	Charlie
Lionel Newton	...	Kevin
Lillian Dube	...	Jodie
Brandon Auret	...	Dirk
Elvis	...	Trevor (as Elvis the Meerkat)
Benjamin Garrad	...	Daniel
Andrew Stock	...	Theuns
Lebohang Elephant	...	Piet
Jurgen Hellberg	...	Dirk's Hunter (as Jürgen Hellberg)
Tessa Jubber	...	Enclosure Hunter
Ashleigh Harvey	...	School Teacher

Storyline

Mia is 11 years old when she develops an extraordinary relationship with Charlie, a young white lion born in Mia's parents farm, in South Africa. During three years, they will grow up together and live a beautiful friendship. When Mia reaches the age of 14 and that Charlie has become a magnificent adult lion, she discovers the unbearable truth: her father has decided to sell the lion to trophy hunters. Desperate, Mia has no other choice than to escape with Charlie in order to rescue him.

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Plot Keywords:

singing in a car | animal in title | pet lion | white lion | girl lion relationship | 

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Taglines:

Friendship is the Wildest Adventure of All

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, peril and some language

Details

Country:

France Germany South Africa

Language:

English French

Release Date:

12 April 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mia and the White Lion

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$192,816, 14 April 2019

Gross USA:

$399,471

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,487,190

Company Credits

Production Co:

Galatée Films, Outside Films, Film Afrika Worldwide

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filming was normal until the lion was a year and a half old. There, the team has folded in cages because lions go through 2 years a period that can be likened to adolescence.

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Goofs

Several times during the movie, there is a close-up of the white lion who seems to be purring. Lions do not purr. They can roar, which smaller cats cannot. The largest cat that can both "meow" and purr is the cougar, or panther. Lions cannot purr.

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Quotes

[John explains to Mia why it is dangerous to play with Charlie]
John Owen: For now, he's a cub, and you want to have fun with it. Soon, hell just want to kill you. Go past this fence, and any one of these lions will tear you to pieces in five seconds flat. It doesn't matter if you've fed them, or bathed them or cuddled them, or if you're name is Mia or Kevin or Obi-Wan Kenobi... a wild animal is a wild animal, and you can never change that, no matter what you do.

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

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Soundtracks

The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Written by Solomon Linda, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, George David Weiss and Albert Stanton
Performed by Kids United Nouvelle Génération

User Reviews

A Must Watch, Mainly for Animal Lovers

It's such a pity this film isn't more popular! The pace of the narrative is great. It is engaging from the first minute. It's also evident to see how long they've taken to film it, as the boys grow along with the lion - about three years. While it focuses on the relationship between Mia and this wonderful lion, it also deals with family ties, connection with nature and the hard way in which these animal farms have to survive. Super recommended!