Mighty Joe Young (1998): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1998, Mighty Joe Young is an action, fantasy, adventure and family film directed by Ron Underwood, running about 114 minutes. “Survival is an instinct.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s 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, 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.

Who’s in it. Mighty Joe Young stars Charlize Theron as Jill Young, Bill Paxton as Gregg O'Hara, Rade Šerbedžija as Strasser and Regina King as Cecily Banks, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.2/10, Mighty Joe Young has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Disney Plus and Wonder Project Amazon Channel and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Mighty Joe Young page.

If you liked it. Fans of Mighty Joe Young tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.