Bearing only the slightest resemblance to the 1966 Oscar-winning feature film, this TV movie fails to evoke the pathos so memorable in the original. Filmed on location in South Africa, this pale sequel tells of a widowed research scientist (Christopher Noth) who moves his family to Africa after receiving a grant to study viruses. His teenage son resents being uprooted, but soon befriends a tame lioness and the young girl who has raised her. Unless the two youths can help acclimatise her to the wild, however, the local game warden will have to place the now-mature lioness in a zoo. Noth does his best in a lacklustre role, while Jonathan Brandis and Ariana Richards (Jurassic Park) play the dedicated animal lovers with syrupy conviction. Alas, there's just not much adventure in this new adventure. Instead of this shoddy imitation, rent the first Born Free; better yet, read Joy Adamson's book.

Another thrilling adventure for Elsa the lioness as she works her magic on two teenagers struggling with changes in their life.