ArtemisGrey

This movie is not beautiful, nor does it aid conservation, or teach viewers anything about respecting lions or other wild animals. The lions you see here were bought from a captive lion breeding farm solely for the purpose of making this movie. Casting calls were held at Ukutula Lion Farm, which breeds hundreds of lion cubs each year, removes them from their mothers (just like Mia's father removes Charlie from his and give him to Mia) and then allows tourists to play with them. Older lions are used for lion walking, and then sold to other breeding farms or into the canned hunting industry. Gilles de Maistre and Kevin Richardson knew this, and still used Ukutula for casting, and them purchased five lion cubs from them, directly participating in the industry their movie vilifies. In addition, the much admired relationship of the actress and lion is hugely problematic in real life as evidenced by the fact that one of Richardson's other lions (not used in the film) escaped his control and fatally mauled a woman at his sanctuary while this movie was being filmed there. That woman's death has been largely covered up, and not addressed, while the interaction between young woman and captive lion in Mia And The White Lion has been glorified and promoted. Buying lions from the captive breeding lion industry only supports that industry. Showcasing the interactions between captive lions and humans, only makes other humans want to interact with lions. de Maistre is already filming ANOTHER movie that involves captive wolves trained to perform with people. We're supposed to be evolving above forcing animals to perform, but while circuses are maligned (rightfully) for using animals in performances, and have now been banned from doing so in many places, people like Richardson, who are buying and using lions for performances, are being applauded for doing so, and even worse, their use of the animals is being marketed and *good* for the species. Please, rethink supporting this movie.