The story line about how the girl is really close with the lion and cannot let go of his proximity felt as expected as it was shallow and predictable with these scenes of the lion scratching a tourist or the cringeworthy scene when the brother is slightly injured. Whilst I really enjoyed this movie, my children found the content difficult to comprehend, and naively the storyline took me by surprise. Older lions are used for lion walking, and then sold to other breeding farms or into the canned hunting industry. I'm sure some of it was digital manipulation but how much I cannot tell. This film is anti-science nonsense that will harm understanding of nature of kids who view it. This movie really makes you have a look into what happened. Even if this film had been about the father selling them to honorable men, this was a joke. All rights reserved. The parents had a little more, well the father you could say. "Mia et le lion blanc" is a French/German/South African co-production that is despite the French title a mostly English-language movie. It is called a kids, more like a family movie, but to be honest, this is not a movie I would want my children to see. [Mia and the White Lion] not only deeply embraces the nature elements, but it also manages to be a moving story about family, trust, love and conservation. And as we are speaking about the last quarter of the film already, lets include several scenes here that felt really bad and unrealistic. My 7 year old cried her eyes out at the end. For people who know how lions live / studied them / watched documentary about them, this movie won't be very good. This movie gives kids and especially pre-teens the wrong message. Like seriously? Summary: 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. It is beautifully shot and carefully filmed. Thought the film was very good. Despite the fact that they are a wild animals, I still find this movie very educative and also sending an important message to the world and new generation that we really need to give those animals them space, because we are the one who invaded them territory, and they reacted aggressive because they have to survive in same stage. I also feel like I must mention that intermittently, and awkwardly, a legend about a white lion saving the world is brought up that the teenage kids unrealistically believe throughout the movie. Good for them. [A] touching and surprising familiar tale. | Have some funny scene, Mia and her brother messing with the animal with their maid in the kitchen! This is NOT RIGHT! Please enter your birth date to watch this video: You are not allowed to view this material at this time. Most annoying and unbelievably stupid main character that I've seen in a long time. This movie is not beautiful, nor does it aid conservation, or teach viewers anything about respecting lions or other wild animals. This scene did not make any sense whatsoever compared to everything we knew about the girl before that. [Full Review in Spanish], This film tells a marvelous story and has the clear intention to humanize our attitudes towards lions and wildlife. Action goes crescendo with suspense in last chapter. Humans should not hunt animals just for pleasure. Casting calls were held at Ukutula Lion Farm, which breeds hundreds of lion cubs each year, removes them from their mothers (just like Mia's father removes Charlie from his and give him to Mia) and then allows tourists to play with them. During three years, they will grow up together and live a beautiful friendship. He takes a job as a tracker for a hunter, while keeping watch on the lion he names Letsatsi. Save-the-lions tale shows beauty, beastliness of humanity. The first half is still somewhat fine, but the longer it goes the more absurd it becomes. Saw this with my mom 'cause she really wanted to see it and it was her birthday. It is engaging from the first minute. Early on, they included a story about a girl living in South Africa with her parents and brother and she preferred to stay in London with her friends. A kind of cross between Richard Linklater's Boyhood and Wild Kingdom, Mia and the White Lion offers a unique spin on the coming-of-age tale with stunning visuals if questionable ethics of "employing" real lions to "act.". You can't keep huge predators in small areas like these whil saying you are a good person and treat them right as the film wanted to convince us. Mia and the White Lion - Ten-year-old Mia has her life turned upside down when her family decides to leave London to manage a lion farm in Africa. Under its appearance of an adventure film, it shows the disturbing functionality of the cinema as a bleaching instrument. But the exact outcome is very disappointing and said message would have deserved a far better execution. This movie show us in a kindly way the truth about the stage haunting that rich people do with South African wildlife. Watching the lion grow from cub to adulthood alongside the family is quite amazing to witness and very moving. Next scene when she uses the lion to trick her father and eventually shoots him with a sedative in the leg. This film start with a girl called "Mia" have a video call with her friend at London! Not outstanding and less touching moment! Also as I watched the German dub version, I was not impressed by that, especially the line delivery from the voice actress of the girl / young woman that was really hitting all the wrong marks at times. There are several uniquely impressive elements to the adventure drama "Mia and the White Lion," but they're undermined by a choppy, at times contrived and implausible script by Prune de Maistre and William Davies. A very experienced French filmmaker, even if mostly for the small screen recently, I must say I expected better quality here to be honest. Also the character introduction to everybody wasn't as bad like with the girl really liking the lion cub, but not wanting anybody to see how she assimilates. Actually the mall is the way through the Timbavati Reserve! It was very intriguing watching how both the kids and the lion grew up together. | Yet, still enjoyed it. The film brings great heart while underscoring ties between family, friends and, crucially, between humans and the wider environmental world in a way likely to resonate with tweens and teens in North America as it has already successfully done internationally. [Full Review in Spanish]. Just a thought how familiar the animal got with the people. Good-looking but predictable and schlocky, Mia and the White Lion is ultimately saved from slaughter by its two plucky heroes. The perhaps weakest moment of them all was when she begs the lion to kill her. The human acting is, for the most part, indifferent, with even the polished Laurent (“Inglorious Basterds,””Beginners,” “Night Train to Lisbon”) underwhelming owing to the lack of big emotional moments in the script. One of the best animal film out there and ... REALLY? Good-looking but predictable and schlocky, Mia and the White Lion is ultimately saved from slaughter by its two plucky heroes. The lions you see here were bought from a captive lion breeding farm solely for the purpose of making this movie. Copyright © Fandango. Rated it a 2, solely for the lion . Find a full list of the movie and TV titles headed to disc in July,... Get a list of the best movie and TV titles recently added (and coming... What to Watch Now on HBO Max and the HBO App, Music title data, credits, and images provided by, Movie title data, credits, and poster art provided by. Firstly, salute to director and whole crew that they really use all real Lion and take 3 years to shoot that for girl and lions to familiar. No CGI with real Lion?? It's really sad to see, but it really lets you see what needs to be done to save the lions. There are several uniquely impressive elements to the adventure drama Mia and the White Lion, but they’re undermined by a choppy, at times contrived and implausible script by Prune de Maistre (wife of director Gilles de Maistre) and William Davies. A decent movie to watch with family! Parents should alert their kids who watch this movie that wild animals weren't all like what happening in the movie. Despite a heartfelt sentiment that one person has the power to uproot societal structure and inspire change, and the filmmakers’ desire to raise awareness about an abhorrent practice, packaging it in a family-friendly narrative proves to be wildly problematic. Desperate, Mia has no other choice than to escape with Charlie in order to rescue him. If you look beyond the facade, it feels very shallow. When Mia reaches the age of 14 and that Charlie has become a magnificent adult lion, she discovers the unbearable. 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. The performances do not turn towards melodrama. Humanity is cruel! Casting calls were held at Ukutula Lion Farm. Check box if your review contains spoilers, Now Playing: Mia And The White Lion (US Trailer 1), 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. 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. Full Review. I don't want to spoil the movie for others, so I won't give anything away, just be prepared perhaps for some questions and discussions with your kids afterwards.