Mighty Joe Young

"Survival is an instinct."

1998 1h 54m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🥫

55%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.7

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 908🥫55%Rotten Tomatoes●51Metacritic★5.7IMDB · 31,958

AdventureFamilyActionFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

As a child living in Africa, Jill Young saw her mother killed while protecting wild gorillas from poachers led by Andrei Strasser. Now an adult, Jill cares for an orphaned gorilla named Joe -- who, due to a genetic anomaly, is 15 feet tall. When Gregg O'Hara arrives from California and sees the animal, he convinces Jill that Joe would be safest at his wildlife refuge. But Strasser follows them to the U.S., intent on capturing Joe for himself.

“Survival is an instinct.”

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Cast

Charlize Theron
Jill Young
Bill Paxton
Gregg O'Hara
Rade Šerbedžija
Strasser
Peter Firth
Garth
David Paymer
Harry Ruben
Regina King
Cecily Banks
Robert Wisdom
Kweli
Naveen Andrews
Pindi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ron Underwood
Writers: Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner, Merian C. Cooper
Languages: Swahili, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $90M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Swahili, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ron Underwood, shot by Donald Peterman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Horner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Paul Hirsch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton and Rade Šerbedžija carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Survival is an instinct.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ron Underwood directs. Donald Peterman behind the camera. James Horner scores. Paul Hirsch cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Swahili, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $90M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Swahili, English.
4Directed by Ron Underwood, shot by Donald Peterman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by James Horner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Paul Hirsch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton and Rade Šerbedžija carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Survival is an instinct.".
9IMDB entry: tt0120751 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "dying and death", "gorilla", "uganda", "poacher".

The technical file

Cinematography: Donald Peterman
Original score: James Horner
Editing: Paul Hirsch
Production design: Michael Corenblith
Costume design: Molly Maginnis
Makeup / hair: Rick Baker
VFX supervisor: Hoyt Yeatman
Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $90,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes: 55% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 51/100
IMDB rating: 5.7/10 · 31,958 votes
MPAA: PG
US box office: $50,632,037

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 win & 4 nominations total

Genesis Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Ron Underwood

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-10-24
★ 6/10
Disney flick about “Kong Jr.” with Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton A young woman (Charlize Theron) who has raised a giant gorilla named Joe from infancy brings him to an animal sanctuary in Southern California with the aid of a zoologist (Bill Paxton). Meanwhile, a poacher from the past seeks vengeance on the creature (Rade Serbedzija), which breaks free to cause havoc. “Mighty Joe Young” (1998) was loosely based on the 1949 movie of the same name. I can watch it and enjoy it for what it is, a more kid-friendly version of King Kong with essentially Kong Jr. But, despite a good cast, great F/X and lots of action & adventure, the movie's somehow shallow with cardboard thin characters. When little Johnny gets stuck on the Ferris wheel, compelling Joe to rescue him, I just rolled my eyes. Yet the movie's still well done for what it is: a movie for kids (and the kid IN adults) about a lovable but menacing-when-necessary giant gorilla. The movie runs 1 hour, 54 minutes and was shot in Kaua'i, Hawaii (the Africa scenes) and Los Angeles, Hollywood & Long Beach, California. GRADE: C+/B-
r96sk2020-10-09
★ 7/10
It's basically <em>'King Kong'</em>, let's be honest. In fairness, though, <em>'Mighty Joe Young'</em> does do its own thing and it's a film I did feel entertained by. Bill Paxton (Gregg) and Charlize Theron (Jill) are two of the big reasons, they are both enjoyable in this. The effects/animatronics for the gorilla are also impressive, even when Joe is shown via people in costume (incl. Verne Troyer!) he looks decent. They did a fine job in that regard. The premise isn't anything revolutionary, but there is certainly a fair amount of heart in there. I would've liked it more without the typical happy ending, admittedly. The music and cinematography is solid. The villains, meanwhile, are probably this production's weakest area, I never really became interested in them or their story. Good film, all in all.