Mia and the White Lion

Mia and the White Lion

Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	2018 (2018)
Founder	Gilles de Maistre
Products	Family adventure movie

Mia and the White Lion () is a 2018 family adventure movie helmed by director Gilles de Maistre. The cast features Daniah de Villiers, Mélanie Laurent, and Langley Kirkwood. It debuted in France on December 26, 2018, followed by its U.S. release on April 12, 2019.

Plot

When ten-year-old Mia Owen’s family relocates from London to oversee a lion farm in Africa, her life takes an unexpected turn. Mia develops a strong connection with a rare white lion cub named Charlie. However, as Charlie grows larger, her father confines him and ultimately opts to sell him after Mia disobeys instructions to keep her distance. Upon discovering that the farm supplies lions for trophy hunting, Mia sets out to rescue Charlie by releasing him into South Africa’s Timbavati Game Reserve.

Dirk, a trophy hunter linked through business dealings with Mia’s father, targets Charlie next. Meanwhile, Mia’s family pursues her to avoid legal issues stemming from harboring a potentially dangerous animal. After an attack at the reserve, Charlie manages to escape and is subsequently safeguarded by officials within the sanctuary. Eventually, Mia’s family returns to find Charlie flourishing alongside a new pride of cubs.

Cast

• Daniah De Villiers as Mia Owen
• Thor as Charlie the lion
• Langley Kirkwood as John Owen
• Mélanie Laurent as Alice Owen
• Ryan Mac Lennan as Mick Owen
• Lionel Newton as Kevin
• Lillian Dube as Jodie
• Brandon Auret as Dirk
• Elvis as Trevor
• Benjamin Garrad as Daniel
• Andrew Stock as Theuns
• Ashleigh Harvey as School Teacher
• David Clatworthy as Mr. Kruger
• Craig Wainwright as Football Coach

Production

French director Gilles de Maistre oversaw a three-year production process to enable young performers Daniah De Villiers and Ryan Mac Lennon to forge genuine bonds with the lions featured in the film. All scenes involving animals were captured live without the use of CGI technology. The principal cast also includes Mélanie Laurent, Langley Kirkwood, Brandon Auret, and Lillian Dube.

Renowned lion specialist Kevin Richardson, often called the "Lion Whisperer," supervised every interaction between actors and animals to maintain safety standards during filming. The concept originated from Prune de Maistre, the director’s wife, who was inspired by visits to South African lion-breeding facilities. The screenplay was co-authored by Prune de Maistre alongside William Davies.

The movie was co-produced by Studiocanal, M6 Films, Film Afrika, and Pandora Film in collaboration with Canal+, Cine+, M6, W9, Film-und Medienstiftung NRW, and Kevin Richardson.

Box office

In 2019, Mia and the White Lion ranked as the top-grossing French film outside of France, attracting 2.43 million viewers and generating €13 million across 25 countries. Major markets included Italy with 900,000 tickets sold (€5.62 million) and Colombia with 264,000 admissions (€625,000).

Critical response

The film garnered mostly favorable critiques. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating based on multiple reviews with an average score reflecting positive consensus. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, it earned a weighted average of 52 out of 100 from six critics, signifying mixed or average feedback.