In “Mia and the White Lion” by Gilles de Maistre, a young girl strikes up a close friendship with a feline. During filming, actress Daniah De Villiers also forged very strong ties with the film’s lion, Thor. What is it today? Are they still close?
Mia and the White Lion: an extraordinary friendship story
Released in December 2018, Mia and the White Lion is a film directed by Gilles de Maistre. It tells the story of 11-year-old Mia, who forms an unusual relationship with Charlie, a white lion cub born on her parents’ breeding farm in South Africa. For three years they grow up together and live a close friendship.
But when Mia turns 14 and Charlie has grown into a magnificent adult feline, she discovers that her father has decided to sell him to trophy hunters. The girl then has no choice but to flee with Charlie to save him. She undertakes to cross South Africa to reach the wild reserve of Timbavati, where the lion will be protected.
A three-year shoot
At the origin of the project, Gilles de Maistre evokes a trip to South Africa for a documentary he was making about children from all over the world who had a relationship with wild animals. He says he filmed a ten year old child whose parents had a feline breeding. The little boy was a real lion lover. Later he learned that this place sold lions for hunting. He said he was shocked to discover this lie, and especially that the parents lied to their son. The idea for the film was born from that.
Before Mia and the White Lion, Gilles de Maistre had made a documentary on Kevin Richardson, “the man who whispers in the ears of lions”. He then contacted him to tell him about his film project. The latter warned him that it would be complicated, unless you make the movie over three years, from the moment the lion is a baby. So that’s what they did.
Thus, for three years, the young actress of the film, Daniah De Villiers, forged a true friendship with Thor, who plays Charlie in the film. An essential element to be able to shoot the scenes with the adult lion, without danger. To do this, she followed a intensive training for three years, at the rate of three sessions of impregnation per week, from two to three hours. A very strong relationship between Daniah De Villiers and Thor was therefore born, and continued after the shooting.
What becomes Thorthe real lion of the film?
Thor is the white lion who interprets Charlie since the age of 4 months. On the set, there was also Charlie who plays the feline at the age of 2 months and who served as a stand-in. The baby was played by a female called Snow.
After filming, Thor and Charlie joined the Welgedach private game reservet, a shrine created by Kevin Richardson. It is located one hour northeast of Johannesburg. Kevin Richardson shares lots of videos of the predators who live there safe on his chain Youtube. You can find in this Thor and Charlie, during an enrichment session:
Daniah De Villiers, now 19, has not forgotten her friend and visits him frequently at the shrine. She’s been since the shoot very involved in the animal causeand in particular that of the lions alongside Kevin Richardson.
