Mia and the White Lion

Mia et le lion blanc (2018)

Timing: 1:38 (98 min)

7.302/10
845

8.021/10
103899

6.5/10
7000

All about film

Video 4

Photo 27

Actors and characters

Release date

2018-08-02

Country

South Africa, Germany, France

Production

StudioCanal, Canal+, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, M6 Films, M6, Ciné+, W9, Pandora Film, Film Afrika, Galatée Films, Outside Films

Genre

Adventure, Family, Drama

Budget

$9 600 000

Revenue

$36 412 175

Website

https://www.miaandthewhitelion.movie

Director

Gilles de Maistre

Actors

Daniah De Villiers, Mélanie Laurent, Langley Kirkwood, Ryan Mac Lennan, Lionel Newton, Lillian Dube, Brandon Auret, Elvis the Meerkat, Benjamin Garrad, Andrew Stock
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Jacques Perrin, Gilles de Maistre, Stéphane Simon, Nicolas Elghozi, Valentine Perrin

Operator

Brendan Barnes

Composer

Armand Amar

Artist

Audition

Editing

All team (33)

• When the director came up with the idea for the film, he consulted with specialist Kevin Richardson and asked if it was possible to film a child with a lion. He was told that it was impossible, and that the only way to keep the child safe was for them and the lion to grow up together. This process would take three years for the lion – too long for filming. The director found Dania De Villiers in South Africa, arranged for her to grow up with a white lion cub, and filmed the movie over 2.5 years from May 2015 to December 2017. The other actors flew in to film as needed.
• Filming went smoothly until the lion turned two years old, after which the film crew worked in cages, as lions enter adolescence at that age.
• The filmmakers rejected over 300 applicants for the role, which was ultimately played by Dania De Villiers. During filming, the girl and the lion named Thor spent a long time in close proximity to each other. The filmmakers claim that the most difficult thing was not finding a girl for the lead role, but finding parents who would agree to let their child film with a predator.
• Director Gilles de Maistre considered filming a sequel, but abandoned the idea, as he would have had to rebuild the friendship between the heroine and the lion from scratch.
• When the director came up with the idea for the film, he consulted with specialist Kevin Richardson and asked if it was possible to film a child with a lion. He was told that it was impossible, and that the only way to ensure the child's safety was for the child and the lion to grow up together. This process would take three years for the lion – too long for filming. The director found Dania De Villiers in South Africa, arranged for her to grow up with a white lion cub, and filmed the movie over 2.5 years, from May 2015 to December 2017. The other actors flew in for filming as needed.