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Parents' Guide to

Mountain Lion: The Ghost Cat

By Polly Conway, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Powerful predators thrive in nature docu, some violence.

Movie PG 2020 30 minutes
Mountain Lion: The Ghost Cat Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Mountain Lion: The Ghost Cat Movie: Scene #1

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What's the Story?

Mountain Lion: The Ghost Cat is a short documentary about the mountain lion, also known as the puma. This South American animal spends its days lounging, and its nights hunting. Many other animals benefit from a successful mountain lion kill; once the lion takes their fill, foxes and condors come by and get the leftovers. They also interact with a llama-like animal called a guanaco; we see the males put on a show of prancing in order to woo a mate. Unfortunately, they're interrupted by hungry mountain lions. Mountain lions are the largest of the "little cats," meaning they're more like house cats in that they meow instead of roar like lions or tigers, aka "big cats."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This solid documentary is a standard "big cat attacks and devours prey" journey, but it's bolstered by an interesting locale and unusual animals like the guanaco. Mountain lions are scrappy and tough creatures at the top of their food chain, but notably, this docu also examines the chain reaction of their kill as it affects other, smaller animals. It's not necessarily riveting, but fans of cats both big and small will appreciate this peek into the mountains.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about wild animals. What makes the mountain lion different from a house cat?

  • What's your favorite type of animal? Do you know if they are endangered or not?

Movie Details

  • On DVD or streaming: August 26, 2020
  • Studio: Doclights
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Run time: 30 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG
  • Last updated: September 23, 2021

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