Maya

I remember the charm of this movie as a boy and it hasn't lost it (at least for me). Very nice elephant scenes. Very predictable coming-of-age type plot, but that's not bad! Although this was a more serious role for North as opposed to the "Dennis the Menace" TV programme & "Zebra in the Kitchen", etc., he performed it very well. If you like this movie, you'll also like "A Boy Ten Feet Tall."

A 14 year old boy traveling from the US to India to meet his dad for the very first time. The story of MAYA deals with the adventure, family drama and animal love. All in one. Cinematography, story, music and direction contribute to this saga of a Christian boy befriending a Hindu boy. Their friendship and companionship make them able to deliver their promise which they had made to a dying Hindu priest.The promise was about taking MAYA- the mother elephant and her white baby elephant to a far way temple. In the face of utmost greed and hardships, the journey of these two adolescents unravels. India looks beautiful.Following the release of the film ,in 1966-67 NBC made a 26 episode serial of MAYA which ran on prime time. There were comic book series of MAYA printed as well.

There is no online summary, as opposed to a comment, so I offer the following:

Teenager Terry Bowen arrives in India to live with his father, a famous hunter. When he finds out that his father, who has reluctantly accepted his presence, is a supposed coward after a hunting accident, he runs away. He befriends a local boy who is on a pilgrimage with an elephant (Maya) and its white elephant offspring. They go through many travails as Terry's father searches the countryside for him.

One of the timeless stories about working through difficult relationships with parents and importance of friend ship. Hugh was a remarkable hunter who had moved to India because of his passion for hunting and the enormous jungles of India and wild life. Then some thing happens and Hugh loses his spark and also his will to hunt. He had been separated from his wife who was living in America with her parents. And movie starts with Hugh's son Terry coming to India and Hugh meeting his son for the very first time . The mother has passed away and the boy arrives in India completely unaware that his dad was no longer the star of hunting . India - a new land and culture. As the movie progresses we see how hard it is for the father and son to bond and eventually the love for his son compels Hugh to pick up hunting again. The boy who has lived a very protected life so far, experiences the adventures of the jungle while befriending a native boy and accompanying him in his mission to take the sacred elephant to a save haven- the temple. Together they fight greed and danger and come out victorious. I liked the story then - when I first saw it and I like it now too. Though I think at times with all the advances technology has made , a remake of Maya would be a wonderful idea.

I recently watched toy story 3 with my grandson. And having stumbled across Maya, I remembered watching this as a kid. I loved it. In the 60's when there was no animation and real tigers were used for stunts in the fight between the elephant and the tigers - as a kid I was so fascinated. Technology has progressed and amazing new movies are being made for the children. However, this is what children loved to watch in the 60's. Now, having watched it recently, I was re introduced to its beautiful music track. Good one. This movie was much before Indiana Jones and most other adventure films- MGM took its viewers on a fantasy journey of a continent far away and introduced a whole new culture and cross cultural communication. Worth watching. A classic in the genre of jungle adventure.