Mighty Joe Young
Mighty Joe Young is a 1998 American epic adventure film remake of the 1949 film of the same name about a giant mountain gorilla brought to a wildlife preserve by a young woman who raised him and a zoologist to protect him from the threat of poachers until one decides to seek his revenge and capture and kill Joe. It was directed by Ron Underwood and starred Bill Paxton, Charlize Theron, Rade Šerbedžija, Naveen Andrews, Peter Firth, Regina King and David Paymer. Creature suit actor John Alexander played the title character, who in this version, is much larger than the original. The film was released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution on December 25, 1998, received mixed reviews and was a box-office bomb, grossing $50.6million in the United States against a $90million production budget.
Plot
In 1986, as a child, Jill Young and her primatologist mother, Ruth study mountain gorillas in the mountains of the Rwanda. Jill names an infant gorilla "Joe." As Andrei Strasser leads a group of poachers to storm the mountains, Ruth's friend and leader of the village, Kweli alerts her to the men as she is putting Jill to bed. Ruth heads into the mountains and Jill follows. Strasser murders Joe's mother and shoots Ruth. Joe bites off Strasser's thumb and index finger on his right hand and Strasser swears revenge. As Ruth dies, she has Jill promise to protect Joe from poachers at all costs.
Awards
Cast
- Bill Paxton
- Charlize Theron
- Christian Clemenson
- David Paymer
- Debbie Lee Carrington
- Dina Merrill
- Geoffrey Blake
- Janet Eilber
- Judson Mills
- Larry Brandenburg
- Lawrence Pressman
- Lily Mariye
- Linda Purl
- Marguerite Moreau
- Mika Boorem
- Naveen Andrews
- Peter Firth
- Rade Šerbedžija
- Ray Harryhausen
- Regina King
- Richard Riehle
- Rick Cramer
- Robert Wisdom
- Scarlett Pomers
- Terry Moore
- Tony Genaro
- Tracey Walter
- Verne Troyer
- Vicki Davis
More details
| author | Lawrence Konner Mark Rosenthal |
|---|---|
| award | Genesis Award |
| contentLocation | Africa |
| director | Ron Underwood |
| editor | Paul Hirsch |
| genre | adventure drama science fiction |
| keywords | animal conservation being followed black market blood sample botswana burn claim conservatory euthanized ferris wheel follow hollywood boulevard kill los angeles meet mountain gorillas murder news report noisemaker poacher primatologist primatology run rwanda santa monica santa monica pier south african strand wildlife reserve young boy |
| musicBy | James Horner |
| nomination | Academy Award for Best Visual Effects |
| producer | Ted Hartley |
| productionCompany | RKO Pictures Walt Disney Pictures |
| publisher | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| recordedAt | Hawaii |
| theme | children's children's adventure monster movie |