Mighty Joe Young
Mighty Joe Young is a 1998 American epic adventure film based on the 1949 film of the same name about a giant mountain gorilla brought to a wildlife preserve in Los Angeles by a young woman who raised him, and a zoologist, to protect him from the threat of poachers until one seeks Joe out in order to take his revenge. It was directed by Ron Underwood and stars Bill Paxton, Charlize Theron, and creature suit actor John Alexander as the title character. In this version, the ape is much larger than in the original. The film received mixed reviews and grossed $50.6million in the United States against a production budget of $90million.
Plot
As a child, Jill Young and her mother, Ruth Young, a primatologist, observe and study mountain gorillas in the Pangani Mountains in Central Africa, an infant gorilla named Joe and his mother. One evening, a group of poachers led by Andrei Strasser storm the mountains and Kweli, Ruth's friend, alerts her to the men as she is putting Jill to bed. Ruth heads into the mountains, and Jill follows shortly afterward. Strasser shoots and kills both Joe and Jill's mothers and when he tries to capture Joe, he bites off his trigger finger and thumb, causing him to swear revenge on the little gorilla. Before Ruth dies, she has Jill promise to protect Joe.
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 |
| keywords | animal conservation black market botswana burn capture central africa clean conservatory euthanized even ferris wheel hear hollywood boulevard kill los angeles mountain gorillas news report noisemaker poacher power line primatologist primatology santa monica santa monica pier strand transformer uganda 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 adventure monster movie |