10 movies about lions that will appeal not only to animal lovers

10. Napoleon and Samantha

USA, 1986.
Drama, adventure.
Duration: 92 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 0.

11-year-old Napoleon and his grandfather decide to shelter an old lion with bad teeth named Major. And after the death of an elderly relative, the young hero, along with his girlfriend and pet, set off on a journey.

The film, in which Jodie Foster played her first role, was invented by Stuart Raffil, a former animal specialist who turned into a film worker. He not only wrote the script, but also oversaw the work with the lion during filming. However, it was not without incident: the predator attacked young Foster, and she even left scars.

9. Fluffy

USA, 1965.
Comedy.
Duration: 92 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 2.

Scientist Daniel Potter is trying to prove that even a huge lion named Fluffy is trainable. But at first, the animal sows panic everywhere, and the hero has to hide with him in a hotel room.

The leading role in this picture was played by the famous Tony Randall. However, in the scenes with the lion, he was replaced by Ralph Helfer - the real owner and trainer of the lion, who was actually called Zamba.

8. Roar

USA, 1981.
Thriller, adventure.
Duration: 102 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 2.

Hank has been living far from civilization for several years. He shares an estate in Africa with dozens of lions and other huge cats. One day his wife and children come to Hank, but at this time he is distracted by local civil servants, and the guests are left alone with the predators.

The shooting of this film turned out to be no less dangerous than the adventures of the heroes. A lot of wild lions and tigers were gathered on the site, which regularly attacked the actors and workers. The leading actors, cameramen and many others were injured. And the director himself was bitten more than a dozen times.

7. Mia and the white lion

France, Germany, South Africa, Switzerland, Monaco, USA, 2018.
Drama, adventure.
Duration: 98 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 5.

Movies about lions: "Mia and the White Lion"

Young Mia and her family move to South Africa. She is not at all happy about the new place, until one day she meets a white orphan lion cub Charlie. The heroes become inseparable, and one day Mia has to save her friend from danger.

Director Gilles de Maitre came up with this film after filming a documentary, during which he ended up on a farm where lions are bred. There he saw a boy who calmly communicated with dangerous predators. And to translate this story into a feature film, the director hired a unique trainer, Kevin Richardson. Thanks to him, the scenes with the 11-year-old heroine and the lion were filmed in the most naturalistic way.

6. Ghost and Darkness

USA, Germany, 1996.
Drama, thriller, adventure.
Duration: 110 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 8.

Movies about lions: "Ghost and Darkness"

Engineer Patterson is sent to Africa to supervise the construction of the bridge. Soon after the start of work, huge man-eating lions begin to attack the builders. Patterson has to personally lead the hunt for predators.

The plot of the picture is based on a real story that happened during the construction of the railway between Kenya and Uganda. Only in the film, the lions were shown as monsters that hunt for pleasure. In reality, they killed people so as not to starve to death.

5. Madagascar

USA, 2005.
Comedy, adventure.
Duration: 86 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 9.

Several inhabitants of the New York Zoo decide to escape to some wilderness. After a series of adventures, four of them find themselves in Madagascar. And then the heroes realize that they are not at all adapted to life in nature.

One of the main characters of the cartoon is Alex the lion. He spent his whole life in the zoo and even perceives raw meat only in the form of already chopped steaks. But in the wild, his instincts quickly awaken, which his friends are not too happy about. By the way, a year later a very similar cartoon "The Big Journey" appeared from another studio, where one of the main characters is also a lion. But still the audience fell in love with Madagascar much more.

4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

USA, UK, 2005.
Fantasy, adventure.
Duration: 143 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 9.

Four children find a magic wardrobe in the old professor's house, climb into it and end up in Narnia. A wicked sorceress conquered the fairyland, making it an eternal winter. Now the young heroes must help the true king regain legitimate power.

One of the main characters of the film adaptation of the series of books by Clive Staples Lewis is the lion Aslan. He once created the country of Narnia and always comes to the rescue in difficult times.

3. Born free

Great Britain, USA, 1966.
Drama, adventure.
Duration: 95 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 2.

A scene from the film "Born Free" about lions

The Adamsons take care of three lion cubs. They are especially attached to the younger Elsa. When it grows up, the owners decide to return it to the wild, and not to give it to the zoo.

This plot is based on a true story described by Joy Adamson in the autobiographical book of the same name. And the performers of the main roles Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers (spouses in real life) after filming in the film became activists for the protection of animals.

2. Wizard of Oz

USA, 1939.
Fantasy, adventure, musical.
Duration: 101 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 0.

A hurricane that has flown takes young Dorothy and her dog to a magical land. To return home, the heroine needs to get to the Emerald City, where the great wizard lives.

Among the friends Dorothy meets along the way is the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lar). This hero wants to ask the wizard for a little courage to live up to his status as the king of beasts, and not be intimidated by every mouse.

1. The Lion King

USA, 1994.
Drama, adventure, musical.
Duration: 88 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 5.

The king of the savannah lion Mufasa and his wife have a son, Simba. It is he who will become the ruler in the future. But the evil brother of the king Scar planned to seize power. To do this, he is ready to commit the most terrible act.

The Lion King is often called the best cartoon of all time. And this is certainly the most famous story dedicated to the king of beasts. In order to realistically convey the appearance of the animals and the atmosphere itself, the animators even traveled to Africa. And the classic story with a reference to "Hamlet" touches not only children, but also adults.

In 2019, a remake with photorealistic graphics was released. Still, most viewers love the classic version.