Inspirational and family orientated, the movie Mia and the White Lion is one of those rare experiences that often miss the market for which they’re meant. Now on DVD however, the cool wonder of it all can be viewed by the whole family. What’s extra special about the film is the emergence of the white lion that gives young eyes and ears an exciting and first hand realization about the big cat’s life.
Mia Owen (Daniah De Villiers), has been in S. Africa for a month and has already begun to feel the loss of her friends in London. Bought to South Africa by her parents, John (Langley Kirkwood) and Alice (Melanie Laurent) with her brother Mick (Ryan Mac Lennan), the 11-year-old girl has no understanding why her parents are raising Lions. Challenging her mother about living on the farm, she’s losing interest at her new school, being obstinate and will not help with the animals.
One day John brings a white lion home worth a huge amount on the market. Mick loves the little cub and names it Charlie. Mia has no use for the “pet” and she distances herself even further from the family. That is until Charlie starts to pester Mia for attention.
It’s the beginning of a relationship that will give Mia a better understanding on how life works and the importance of family. Director Gilles de Maistre has the insurmountable job of bringing the difficult film to the screen. Working with wild cats can be dangerous and I’m sure he had some interesting shoots. But, my hats off to him as the story flows nicely and presents a very good story that questions the way hunters are taking lions as trophies in a devious way.
The acting by Daniah De Villiers is very good and should help her budding career. I like the way she handles Mia so that we get some of that pre-teenage angst and when she get older she delivers a typical teen in rebellion. Her performance makes the film work as she bounces off each of the family members on her way to finding the truth about the lions on the farm. Hopefully this will get her more shots at a starring role as Daniah has talent.
BONUS FEATURES:
Special features include “Interviews with the director Gilles de Maistre and actress Daniah De Villiers, through predetermined questions about the film.
“The Making of Mia and the White Lion” a short feature on how the film was made that includes interview with the lion handler Kevin Ricaharson and director Gilles de Maistre.
“The Extraordinary Friendship” a Quick feature showing the contact between the lions and Mia and others.
“Casting Footage” Gives you some insight on how filmmaker chose the characters Mia and her brother Mick though their screen tests.
“Deleted Scenes”, Five minutes of various scenes that are pretty cool, but may have been distracting or made the film too long.
“Still Gallery” a couple of minutes showing shot taken during the filming for director and publicity use
Check out Aced Magazine writer Alex Kecskes’s interview with Daniah De Villiers that ran on April 10 of this year for a more in depth view of her take on the film and working with the lions. https://acedmagazine.com/daniah-de-villiers-interview-on-mia-and-the-white-lion/
Mia and the White Lion has been rated PG by the MPAA for thematic elements, peril and some language. It’s great for the whole family and pin pointed toward pre-teens and teens. Now on DVD, Blu-ray, Digital HD, VOD
FINAL ANALYSIS: An excellent production with an important message. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Daniah De Villiers, Melanie Laurent, Langley Kirkwood, Ryan Mac Lennan,
Director: Gilles de Maistre
MPAA Rating: PG thematic elements, peril and some language. Mia calls a boy a scum-bucket, Mick tells his sister Mia that she’s batshit crazy
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family
Running Time: 1 hr. 38 min.
Video Release Date: July 2, 2019
Original Theatrical Release Date: April 12, 2019
Language: English (changeable to French)
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray/DVD combo
Audio: Blu-ray- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles: English
Number of Discs: 2 discs
Distributed by: Shout! Factory
Released on: DVD, Blu-ray, Digital HD, VOD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
