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Community reviews
From TMDb members · 2 total- Wuchak6/10
***Disney flick about “Kong Jr.” with Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton*** A young woman (Charlize Theron) who has raised a giant gorilla named Joe from infancy brings him to an animal sanctuary in Southern California with the aid of a zoologist (Bill Paxton). Meanwhile, a poach…
- r96sk7/10
It's basically 'King Kong', let's be honest. In fairness, though, 'Mighty Joe Young' does do its own thing and it's a film I did feel entertained by. Bill Paxton (Gregg) and Charlize Theron (Jill) are two of the big reasons, they are both enjoyable in this. The effects/animatr…
Full text & links on TMDb in the reviews section below.
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Mighty Joe Young
“Survival is an instinct.”
63%
Movie
1h 54m
AI Analysis
Mighty Joe Young (1998) — AI movie analysis
WatchMind AI generated this AI analysis of Mighty Joe Young (1998) — a movie tagged as Adventure, Family, and Action with balanced tone moods and fast-paced pacing.
Story & themes: As a child living in Africa, Jill Young saw her mother killed while protecting wild gorillas from poachers led by Andrei Strasser. Now an adult, Jill cares for an orphaned gorilla named Joe -- who, due to a genetic anomaly, is 15 feet tall. When Gregg O'Hara arrives from California and sees the animal, he convinces … Our models also surface themes such as family and survival from synopsis and genre signals.
Watch context: Best suited for families with kids and family viewing. Expect fast-paced storytelling (~114 min).
Community signal: TMDb members rate Mighty Joe Young 63% (877 votes) — solid community ratings for this movie.
AI verdict
Use this AI analysis as a quick read on Mighty Joe Young before you watch — trailer, TMDb reviews, and licensed streaming links on this page help you decide.
Preview on this device: 29% match — Matches your family. Sign in to save your profile across devices.
Algorithmic AI analysis from genres, synopsis, pacing heuristics, and TMDb community scores — not a generative chatbot. How WatchMind works.
Insights
Audience & engagement
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TMDb audience score
63%
from 877 TMDb votes
Taste match (this device)
29%match
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Matches your family
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Synopsis
As a child living in Africa, Jill Young saw her mother killed while protecting wild gorillas from poachers led by Andrei Strasser. Now an adult, Jill cares for an orphaned gorilla named Joe -- who, due to a genetic anomaly, is 15 feet tall. When Gregg O'Hara arrives from California and sees the animal, he convinces Jill that Joe would be safest at his wildlife refuge. But Strasser follows them to the U.S., intent on capturing Joe for himself.
Quick facts
- Type
- Movie
- Status
- Released
- Release date
- 1998-12-25
- Runtime
- 1h 54m
- TMDB rating
- 6.3
- TMDB ID
- 9822
Watch & discovery tips
- Read TMDb member reviews in the reviews section, and audience tips from other WatchMind visitors in Audience notes.
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Frequently asked questions
Where can I watch Mighty Joe Young (1998)?
Mighty Joe Young is available for discovery on WatchMind. You can find official links to rent, buy, or stream from licensed digital stores like Apple TV and Amazon in our "Where to Watch" section.
Is there an official trailer for Mighty Joe Young?
Yes, you can watch the official trailer for Mighty Joe Young directly on this page. We pull the latest video metadata from TMDb and play it via YouTube integration.
What is Mighty Joe Young about?
As a child living in Africa, Jill Young saw her mother killed while protecting wild gorillas from poachers led by Andrei Strasser. Now an adult, Jill cares for an orphaned gorilla named Joe -- who,... This is the official synopsis available via TMDb community metadata.
Is there an AI analysis for Mighty Joe Young?
Yes. WatchMind publishes an AI analysis on this page — tone, pacing, audience fit, and community scores from TMDb metadata and recommendation models (not a chatbot). Scroll to the AI Analysis section or read the meta description summary.
How long is the movie Mighty Joe Young?
The official runtime for Mighty Joe Young is approximately 114 minutes.
Cast & crew
Names and photos from The Movie Database (TMDb). Follow links on themoviedb.org for full filmographies.
Directors & writers
Cast
Charlize Theron
Jill Young
Bill Paxton
Gregg O'Hara
Rade Šerbedžija
Strasser
Peter Firth
Garth
David Paymer
Harry Ruben
Regina King
Cecily Banks
Robert Wisdom
Kweli
Naveen Andrews
Pindi
Lawrence Pressman
Dr. Baker
Linda Purl
Dr. Ruth Young
Mika Boorem
Young Jill Young
Geoffrey Blake
Vern
Christian Clemenson
Jack
- C
Cory Buck
Jason
- L
Liz Georges
Jason's Mother
Richard Riehle
Commander Gorman
- C
Cynthia Allison
News Reporter
- K
Ken Taylor
News Reporter
Audience notes
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Community reviews
Written by TMDb members — same catalogue as our movie & TV metadata. API terms
***Disney flick about “Kong Jr.” with Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton*** A young woman (Charlize Theron) who has raised a giant gorilla named Joe from infancy brings him to an animal sanctuary in Southern California with the aid of a zoologist (Bill Paxton). Meanwhile, a poacher from the past seeks vengeance on the creature (Rade Serbedzija), which breaks free to cause havoc. “Mighty Joe Young” (1998) was loosely based on the 1949 movie of the same name. I can watch it and enjoy it for what it is, a more kid-friendly version of King Kong with essentially Kong Jr. But, despite a good cast, great F/X and lots of action & adventure, the movie's somehow shallow with cardboard thin characters. When little Johnny gets stuck on the Ferris wheel, compelling Joe to rescue him, I just rolled my eyes. Yet the movie's still well done for what it is: a movie for kids (and the kid IN adults) about a lovable but menacing-when-necessary giant gorilla. The movie runs 1 hour, 54 minutes and was shot in Kaua'i, Hawaii (the Africa scenes) and Los Angeles, Hollywood & Long Beach, California. GRADE: C+/B-
It's basically 'King Kong', let's be honest. In fairness, though, 'Mighty Joe Young' does do its own thing and it's a film I did feel entertained by. Bill Paxton (Gregg) and Charlize Theron (Jill) are two of the big reasons, they are both enjoyable in this. The effects/animatronics for the gorilla are also impressive, even when Joe is shown via people in costume (incl. Verne Troyer!) he looks decent. They did a fine job in that regard. The premise isn't anything revolutionary, but there is certainly a fair amount of heart in there. I would've liked it more without the typical happy ending, admittedly. The music and cinematography is solid. The villains, meanwhile, are probably this production's weakest area, I never really became interested in them or their story. Good film, all in all.
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