The Wolf and the Lion

Movie review by Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
The Wolf and the Lion Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 8+

Mixed messages in cute, far-fetched animal friendship tale.

PG 2022 99 minutes
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Parents say

age 7+

Based on 5 reviews

Kids say

age 7+

Based on 4 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Wolf and the Lion is a family-friendly animal-focused drama from married filmmakers Gilles and Prune de Maistre. Like their previous feature, Mia and the White Lion, it explores the relationship between a young woman and wild animal cubs -- in this case, a wolf and a lion, as the title suggests. It's also about the unlikely sibling-like bond that develops between the two animals. The storyline has mixed messages about the main character's well-meaning but, frankly, unsafe decisions regarding animal conservation and safety, as well as a younger character who disobeys and yells at his father (albeit for good reasons). A tranquilizer gun is used to shoot and tag an endangered wolf, and a circus owner tries to tame a lion by using a whip (it's heard cracking off camera). A character suffers a head injury that requires hospitalization. A character's death precedes the story; his funeral is shown. There's a scene with background drinking, and infrequent language includes one use each of "s--t" and "goddamn" and a couple of uses of "stupid," "nutcase," and "crazy." Empathy, teamwork, and perseverance are clear themes.

Community Reviews

Scarlet Holmes
Scarlet Holmes Adult
February 5, 2022
age 9+

The Wolf and The Lion Review

Technically, I'm not a parent, I'm an older sister - but I thought I should post a comment on this movie. I went to see it in theaters, and while at first I liked the movie...there were some things I had a problem with. P.S. there will be a few spoilers: The first part of the movie is pretty good, up until the point where the main character (Alma), raises a Wolf and Lion Cub on her own, and when the proper authorities get involved - she goes on a mission to find them. Please note - you should not raise wild animals that you find in the woods!! The message being sent in the movie felt like it was saying "It's okay to raise and watch over a wild animal cub." Now as far as the Lion Cub goes...I didn't like what happened later in the movie. The Lion Cub is later repossessed by the Circus who bought him (after the Cub was illegally captured), and abused. The Ring Master injects the Lion with a needle of sedative, and then proceeds to whip him so he acts like a trained animal (the whipping is not shown - but it is heard, along with the lion's painful roars or protest). After that scene...I didn't want to sit and watch it anymore. I was expecting a fun, cutesy kids movie, and I found myself watching a slight fun, not really a kid's movie.
3 people found this helpful.
Smilin'
Smilin' Adult
August 12, 2022
age 9+

Missed the mark

I would not consider this a family movie since the s word was used three times (could have easily been omitted), and we heard other disappointing language from a positive adult character (Joe). There were very disappointing decisions from a father figure in the circus as well. Spoilers... As a previous review mentioned, the main character Alma, made a poor choice to keep 2 wild animals. The lion training scene caught us off guard with the tranquilizers and talk about removing his claws. Unfortunately, this movie had the potential to be much more enthralling (given it was based on a true story, had the permits and animal rights in place for production, and took a year to film to show the animals growth), but I found the sequencing of scenes and direction of actors to be lacking and sometimes confusing...what a mised opportunity! With all that said, the scenery was beautiful, and the cub & pups interactions were very cute. I wouldn't recommend the movie though.
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE WOLF AND THE LION, classical music student Alma (Molly Kunz), who hopes to land a significant pianist placement, returns to her childhood home on a tiny private Canadian island in the middle of a forest for her grandfather's funeral. There she comes across a white female wolf that her grandfather had befriended. After a small plane carrying a tiny lion cub meant for a circus crashes near the island, Alma ends up rescuing the cub, whom the wolf cares for alongside her own pup. While Alma is gone for a piano audition back in New York, a local wolf expert captures the mother wolf to take back to his preserve. When Alma returns, she takes over feeding the two cubs, despite her godfather Joe's (Graham Greene) initial disapproval and disbelief. The cubs (whom Alma names Mozart and Dreamer) grow up like siblings on the tiny island until an accident tears them apart, forcing them to find a way to reunite.

Is It Any Good?

The cute odd-couple animal pairing only works for so long before this movie's plot and underwhelming characterizations start to stretch credulity. Alma's decision to save both baby animals, while initially admirable, is utterly irresponsible. Instead of reaching out for help, she -- a classical musician with no training in caring for wild creatures -- takes it upon herself to mother these two seemingly orphaned babies on a private island? The script makes no sense, jadedly lumping in government forestry officials -- and even animal conservation experts -- with the likes of circus owners. You can't help but agree with nerdy wolf biologist Eli (Charlie Carrick) that Alma doesn't know what she's doing.

Greene is fine as godfather Joe, but aside from a few conversations between his character and Alma, there aren't any compelling human interactions here. And while Mozart and Dreamer's coexistence is touching (and adorable, particularly when they're babies), there's not much more to The Wolf and the Lion beyond occasional performances of classical pieces courtesy of Alma. Yes, if you only care about watching a lion and wolf hang out together, the movie satisfies. But if you're looking for more -- particularly about the realities of conservation and the dangers of humans thinking they can truly take care of big cats and wild wolves -- this is an unintentionally problematic story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the amount of violence in The Wolf and the Lion. Is it necessary to the story? How much violence is appropriate for a kids' movie?

  • How does the movie promote compassion, empathy, and teamwork? Why are those important character strengths?

  • What did you learn about wolves and/or lions from the movie? Did it spark your interest in other unlikely animal friendships? Check out our list of best animal movies.

Movie Details

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