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Mia and the White Lion

Original title: Mia et le lion blanc
  • 2018
  • PG
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
6.9K
YOUR RATING
Thor and Daniah De Villiers in Mia and the White Lion (2018)
Watch Bande-annonce [OV]
Play trailer0:44
3 Videos
78 Photos
Animal AdventureAdventureDramaFamily

Mia moves to South Africa with her family to manage a lion farm and develops a special bond with Charlie, a white lion cub; however, things change when she uncovers her father's secret.Mia moves to South Africa with her family to manage a lion farm and develops a special bond with Charlie, a white lion cub; however, things change when she uncovers her father's secret.Mia moves to South Africa with her family to manage a lion farm and develops a special bond with Charlie, a white lion cub; however, things change when she uncovers her father's secret.

  • Director
    • Gilles de Maistre
  • Writers
    • Prune de Maistre
    • William Davies
    • Gilles de Maistre
  • Stars
    • Daniah De Villiers
    • Mélanie Laurent
    • Langley Kirkwood
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    6.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gilles de Maistre
    • Writers
      • Prune de Maistre
      • William Davies
      • Gilles de Maistre
    • Stars
      • Daniah De Villiers
      • Mélanie Laurent
      • Langley Kirkwood
    • 57User reviews
    • 35Critic reviews
    • 52Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos3

    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Trailer 0:44
    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Mia and the White Lion
    Trailer 1:33
    Mia and the White Lion
    Mia and the White Lion
    Trailer 1:33
    Mia and the White Lion
    Mia and the White Lion | Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:31
    Mia and the White Lion | Official Trailer

    Photos77

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    Top cast31

    Edit
    Daniah De Villiers
    • Mia Owen
    Mélanie Laurent
    Mélanie Laurent
    • Alice Owen
    Langley Kirkwood
    Langley Kirkwood
    • John Owen
    Ryan Mac Lennan
    • Mick Owen
    Thor
    • Charlie
    Lionel Newton
    • Kevin
    Lillian Dube
    Lillian Dube
    • Jodie
    Brandon Auret
    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
    Tessa Jubber
    • Enclosure Hunter
    Ashleigh Harvey
    • School Teacher
    David Clatworthy
    • Mr. Kruger - School Principal
    Craig Wainwright
    • Football Coach
    Sthandiwe Radebe
    • Policewoman
    • Director
      • Gilles de Maistre
    • Writers
      • Prune de Maistre
      • William Davies
      • Gilles de Maistre
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews57

    6.56.8K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    7sarah_kay2007

    Awesome concept

    Tugs at the heart strings that's for sure. Beautiful animals and the characters were well played.
    4balintmatyus

    Beautiful movie, wrong message for pre-teens

    I feel really conflicted about this movie. On one hand it is a masterpiece regarding the animals and sceneries. Respecting all life is an important value, which is well represented in the movie. However I find the movie highly disturbing regarding the message about parent-child relationship. The parents in the movie are considered inhumane and callous, who can't understand the bond between humans and animals. In the second half of the movie the rebellious teenage girl is considered to be the heroine, whose actions are highly questionable. The story completely ignores reality about risks treating a wild animal as family member. I would recommend watching the movie first, and then decide whether to watch together with kids.
    9edusting

    Trophy tourism

    Just watched this film with my two children who are 9 and 7. We enjoyed it a lot. It is beautifully shot and carefully filmed. The film also carries a powerful message that will resonate for children for care for our world.
    7juzer03

    Beautiful Movie. Must watch

    Absolutely loved every moment of this movie. Everyone should take time and watch this beautiful movie.
    8markthomassintek

    a very important message to share about tourism and hunting.

    REVIEW - MIA AND THE WHITE LION

    Occasionally while watching all of the films I find a gem, a film that stands out and as an impartial independent reviewer I can write without influence.

    This is one such film, whilst the acting could be better and the editing is terrible the subject matter and of course the white lion truly make this a film too watch.

    Simple story but what I absolutely loved about this film is the time it took to make, it must have been filmed over a period of about 4 years because you literally see the same lion grow from a lion cub to maturity and the children grow also!

    Of course the actual white lion steals every scene Charlie is in and the actors were in my personal opinion very very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such a beautiful creature.

    Easy to follow but with a very important message to share about tourism and hunting.

    One to watch but as I've said acting isn't the best and the editing is terrible but on this occasion I can forgive.

    Rating 8 out of 10

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    Related interests

    Ben Whishaw in Paddington (2014)
    Animal Adventure
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Upon getting the idea for the film, co-writer/director Gilles de Maistre asked specialist Kevin Richardson about the possibility of filming a child with a lion. He was told that it would be impossible, as the only way for the lion not to harm the child would be that they grow up together, a three-year process for a lion and much too long for a film shoot. Undeterred, de Maistre found Daniah De Villiers a young South African girl already familiar with lions to grow up with the titular white lion cub, and shot the film over 2-1/2 years, from May 2015 to December 2017, with the other actors regularly flying in to shoot their scenes.
    • Goofs
      There are several closeups of the white lion in which he 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.
    • 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 he'll 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 themnor bathed them or cuddled them, or if your 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.

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

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Mia and the White Lion?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 12, 2019 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Germany
      • South Africa
      • Switzerland
      • Monaco
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Hakka Distribution Page
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mi mascota es un león
    • Filming locations
      • South Africa
    • Production companies
      • Galatée Films
      • Outside Films
      • Film Afrika Worldwide
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $399,471
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $192,816
      • Apr 14, 2019
    • Gross worldwide
      • $35,487,190
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 38m(98 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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