Mia and the White Lion

“Mia is a willful young girl whose life is turned upside-down when her family decides to leave London to manage a lion farm in South Africa. But when a beautiful white lion, Charlie, is born, Mia finds happiness once again and develops a special bond with the cub. As Charlie grows to full size, Mia uncovers an upsetting secret and feels she must protect him. The two friends set out on an incredible journey across the South African savanna in search of a sanctuary where Charlie can live out his life in freedom.”

Ever since I read the announcement that Shout! Factory was developing their own studio to release films, I eagerly anticipated to see what they came up with, as their company takes great care in providing their customers with the very best of experiences through their media releases. From their Shout Select series, Scream Factory titles, to their Shout! Kids, they typically have something for everyone.

Mia and the White Lion is an inspiring tale of friendship and adventure, as a rare white lion cub changes the life of one girl forever. The two bond as they grow up together, establishing a sense of trust that Mia believes is based on mutual love for one another, and that Charlie is incapable of hurting her, despite her father’s warnings that a grown lion will turn on you in an instant. It is this bond of love that drives the film, with Mia reluctantly wanting to have anything to do with Charlie at the beginning, to her running away from school to come home and take care of him. Though this could seem like a fantasy and wishful thinking, Charlie indeed does shut down when Mia is away, not eating or defending himself against the other lion cubs. As Charlie grows bigger and the potential for Mia getting hurt or killed is too great a cost, Mia’s father forbids her from going in his cage, testing her relationship with her family and Charlie, as she decides to free him after learning the horrific truth of lion trophy permits that allow those with enough money to kill a lion in cold blood in an enclosure.

Sure, Mia and the White Lion plays out largely like a Hallmark Original film, where reality conveniently takes a back seat as a lion walks freely through a mall without mauling anyone, where a lion and a teenage girl can be best friends with no danger. But what the movie does well is make you forget all that, for the most part, in order to provide a feel-good story about a girl and a lion, that also educates you about the permit hunting practices in South Africa. While the relationship between Mia and Charlie is at the forefront, Mia’s relationship with her father is put to the test as well, a heart-wrenching journey that anyone with children will identify with as what’s best for your child isn’t always what they think is right.

Daniah De Villiers does a wonderful job as Mia, especially her acting with the lion. The most fascinating thing about this film is that it is live action, and in order to safely film scenes with a child and a lion, specialists claim could only be done if they grew up together, so that’s what they did. Filming took place close to three years for this to be accomplished, a dedication that has to be respected no matter what your thoughts are on the film itself. Also in the cast is Mélanie Laurent who plays Mia’s mother, an actress I’ve come to admire since Inglorious Basterds. Although she doesn’t play as big of a role as Mia’s father (Langley Kirkwood), she’s excellent in the film.

Video

Mia and the White Lion is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.35:1. The film looks great, with a clear and detailed picture. Most striking are the brights and bright colors, as the film mostly has a yellowish hue from the South African scenery, which provide a good balance against the other, more vibrant colors you’ll see. I’ve compared this to a Hallmark film earlier, which still holds true when speaking of the filming, as it definitely has a lower budget feel to it which bothered me a bit at the beginning, but I quickly forgot as the film got into things. Despite this, it’s beautifully shot with the African backdrop featured prominently.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This track sounds good, with some good atmospherics coming from the surrounds, as well as animal and jungle sounds you might expect to hear in South Africa. Levels sound good, with dialogue clear and concise from the center channel. The film also has a heartwarming and beautiful score that compliments all of the Mia/Charlie scenes very well.

Special Features

Some interesting extras on the disc for fans of the film. These include:

• Interviews
• Featurettes
• Deleted Scenes
• Casting Footage
• Theatrical Trailer
• Image Gallery

Mia and the White Lion doesn’t claim to be anything more than an inspiring family-friendly film about a girl and a lion. In that right mindset and for the right audience, it’s an adventure you won’t soon forget.