It seems like this film was trying to duplicate Walt Disney's success and magic with animal and wildlife based films in which there is some interaction with humans. The problem is Walt Disney had Winston Hibler and MGM did not.
The tedium begins with the opening credits and opening song. In spite of that British invasion mid 60s rocking sound, it is repetitious and tiresome. So the story is about a kid (Jay North, whose acting career is on its last prepubescent legs) who is friends with a mountain lion, Sunshine, that lives near his ranch. But his dad's illness requires that he do less strenuous work and move to the city, so the family leaves the ranch and thus the mountain lion behind. Except they don't, because the kid hides the lion away in the back of their truck. What happens to Sunshine once the family gets to the destination comprises the rest of the film.
So it's no secret that at one point, the animals in the local zoo get loose. In fact that happens at the film's midpoint and is stretched out so long it is boring, and yet it is a great example of bad filmmaking. This movie was obviously made on a budget, and though the scenes of the mountain lion are well shot, there didn't appear to be enough money to shoot the other animals properly. So you have shots of animals in extreme close-up, other animals that are obviously stock footage, and a few animals that are humans in animal suits. You can practically see the zippers. The crowds of people fleeing the zoo animals are shown in sped up action. That hasn't been funny since the silent era and the Keystone Cops.
Then there is director Ivan Tors doing some shameless plugging for his other movie - "Clarence The Cross-Eyed Lion" by having Andy Devine say "I'll be a cross-eyed lion" without any context and also having actor Marshall Thompson make a cameo appearance. For legal procedure it is odd too. It is the first time I ever saw a defendant plead from the witness chair, and have a judge basically just go "Aw shucks!" when confronted by obvious perjury. Too boring for kids and too inane for adults, I'd simply avoid this one.
