The Legend of Johnny Lingo

The Legend of Johnny Lingo is a 2003 film set in Polynesia and directed by Steven Ramirez. It is an extension of the 1969 short film Johnny Lingo that is based on a story by Patricia McGerr. Plot An orphan boy named Tama is adopted by an island chief named Malio who, having no children of his own, intends to raise Tama as his son and heir. However, a string of unlucky incidents causes Malio to conclude that Tama is cursed, and he becomes an outcast, passed from family to family around the island. At one point, a drunk villager, Pioi, takes Tama in. He has a daughter named Mahana who is considered ugly by the other islanders. Even though she is ill-treated by her father and the people around her, she remains kind and good and befriends Tama. One day, Tama, disgusted with life in Pioi's household and his status as an outcast, decides to leave the island in a canoe he built. Before departing, he promises Mahana that he will come back and care for her. Caught in a violent storm, Tama drifts ashore on an island which proves to be the home of a well-known and respected Polynesian trader, Johnny Lingo. Though Johnny is kind and welcoming, Tama's years of rejection have made him suspicious, particularly of Johnny's gruff chief steward, and he decides to leave. After stealing jewelry from Johnny's treasury and trying to escape, he is sentenced to work for Johnny for the next seven years to pay off his debt. He invents some simple machines that enable him to finish his work faster and, through his diligence, earns Johnny's respect. Eight years later, Johnny decides that a now adult Tama is ready to accompany him to a nearby island to conclude an important trade. During the course of their reception, Tama accidentally offends the people of the island and they take Johnny hostage, demanding payment for Tama's offense. Tama single-handedly navigates back to Johnny's home to obtain a cow from his herd for the ransom, winning the trust of the chief steward in the process. Johnny, Tama, and the chief steward are invited to be the guests of honor at the chief's son's wedding, where Tama learns that he is actually the heir to the chiefdom of a neighboring island. He initially accepts the chiefdom but eventually decides that he is happier working for Johnny. After they return to his home, Johnny confides to Tama that he is dying and leaves to him his name and fortune.