What age is Mia and the White Lion (Mia et le lion blanc) appropriate for?

10 alone, 9 with a parent; 9 in France. The whole movie, watched in full: what's in it, and how to talk about it with your child.

Why is Mia and the White Lion (Mia et le lion blanc) not recommended under 10?

What's in it: the lion stops being a pet; trophy hunting, said out loud; guns, and shots you hear; alone, in the dark; smoking, wine, rough words. The detail, fact by fact, is in the zinema guide, which reads the work itself (images, sound, dialogue).

zinema · movies · what age

Mia and the White Lion (Mia et le lion blanc): what age is it for? 10 alone, 9 with a parent

10 alone, 9 with a parent.

Movie · 2018 · 1 h 38 · adventure, family, drama

YRS

The trailer

Alone, or with you

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not yetwith an adult, or to talk about afteralonethe sweet spot

Alone from 10; from 9, with an adult or by talking about it afterwards.

The sweet spot: around 10-11, when you are Mia's age and can understand that an adult you love may make a revolting decision. Why a sweet spot?

In France, zinema would say 9.

Watch the trailerContinue in zinemathen where to watch it, in zinema · more trailers, and where to watch films · Where to stream itWhere to watch

What it's about

A young girl from London moves to Africa with her parents where she befriends a lion cub.

Why 10

The lion stops being a petThe bond is tender, but the animal is real. In one scene around the 17 minute mark the cub plays too rough under the blanket, Mia protests, hits him with her flashlight, then pets him again. Later, as a full grown lion, he is genuinely frightening. Younger children who have been rooting for Charlie can find that turn hard to hold.
Trophy hunting, said out loudThe film does not hide what a captive breeding farm is for. Killing, shooting and slaughter come up again and again in conversation, and the cruelty of the trade is named directly. Nothing graphic is shown, but a few images of dead animals land hard, and the betrayal comes from Mia's own father.
Guns, and shots you hearRifles and handguns are handled repeatedly in the second half, and gunfire is heard several times during the chase. There are threats made face to face, including threats to kill or hurt. It is tense rather than bloody, but the tension is sustained.
Alone, in the darkSeveral long night sequences show a girl on her own in the dark, far from home. That loneliness is the emotional heart of the runaway stretch and the part most likely to stay with a sensitive child at bedtime.
Smoking, wine, rough wordsAdults smoke on screen fairly often and wine appears at the table. The dialogue carries a handful of coarse words and insults like idiot or moron, nothing more. Worth a word if your household notices cigarettes.

What the movie brings

A real friendship between a child and a wild animal, filmed with actual lions, which gives the story unusual weight.
A clear, unsentimental look at how animals can be raised to be killed, and at what one person can decide to do about it.
A daughter standing up to a father she loves: a good model of disagreement that is not hatred.

Watching it together

Before

Before you start, tell them the lions are real and that the friendly cub will grow into an animal that can hurt someone, so the scary moments do not feel like a betrayal.

After

at 10 and up

Mia's father is not a villain, but he made a choice she could not accept. What would you have said to him?

See the facts

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For the same age, on zinema

Percy Jackson and the Olympians 9, 8 with a parent
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew 9, 8 with a parent
God Save the Tuche 9, 8 with a parent
Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis 9, 8 with a parent

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A zinema reading from September 8, 2026 · the whole movie, watched in full · the age by zinema's rules for the US and France, and a human reading · report an error · how this guide is made