Mighty Joe Young is a 1998 family film starring Bill Paxton and Charlize Theron and directed by Ron Underwood, most known for directing City Slickers. It is based on the 1949 film of the same name. In this version, the ape is much larger than in the original. Charlize Theron plays Jill Young who as a child has witnessed the death of her mother, Ruth Young , and the mother of Joe, an infant mountain gorilla, at the hands of poachers led by Andrei Strasser . Strasser loses his right thumb and trigger finger to Joe, and swears revenge on the gorilla for the damage. Before she dies, Ruth tells... Jill to take care of Joe, to which Jill agrees. Twelve years later, Jill has raised Joe and weighs 2000 pounds ; as a result, the other gorillas won't accept him and both are living in relative peace until a wildlife refuge director, Gregg O'Hara , convinces Jill that they would be safer from poachers if they relocate to the United States.
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| Release date: | December 25, 1998 |
| Directed by: | Ron Underwood |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 114 Minutes |
| Producer: | Tom Jacobson, Ted Hartley |
| Editor: | Paul Hirsch |
| Music by: | James Horner |
| Cinematography: | Donald Peterman, Oliver Wood |
| Screenplay by: | Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal |
| Estimated budget: | $90,000,000 |
| Genre: | Thriller, Action, Adventure, Fantasy |