A horse, a girl and Mzansi: SA stars in Disney's new 'Black Beauty' film

Black Beauty, the 1877 classic book by Anna Sewell, has long been a beloved read by South Africans and now will once again enthral local audiences with a new film shot right here in Mzansi.

Disney's Black Beauty was released on Friday and can be viewed on in Disney Plus.

Filming began in SA in October 2019 and the movie was predominantly shot in Cape Town. It features the scenery at Val de Vie Winelands Estate in Paarl and Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West.

Piketberg, east of Saldanha Bay, with its low mountain range formed from Table Mountain sandstone, was the location for the mountainous scenes, and other scenes were filmed in Stellenbosch.

There are also a few short scenes filmed in New York and in the city's Central Park.

The film about a wild horse and a teenage girl who forge an unbreakable bond stars Mackenzie Foy as Jo Green and Kate Winslet as the voice of Black Beauty. The film adaptation was written and directed by Ashley Avis.

Other cast members include Scottish actor Iain Glen, who played Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones, as John Manly; Calam Lynch, who appeared in Dunkirk, as George Winthorp; Max Raphael as James; Nigerian-born British actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim, known for his roles in Hotel Rwanda and X-Men Origin: Wolverine, who plays Terry; Matt Rippy as Henry Gordon; Avianah Abrahams as Anna; Sascha Nastasi as Jennifer; and Alex Jeaven as Jasmine.

Since it was published the book has been adapted for a play once, for television twice and now eight times for film. Disney Records also produced an LP in 1966.

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