If anyone can help me with this movie...

Hopefully, someone here may know what I am talking about:

When I was about 7, (I am 19 now) I went to a African film festival at the Magic Johnson theater in Los Angeles. I saw a movie that I loved, but didn't get the name of it. All I remember is the plot:

For the first few years of his life, a little boy finds that he has a unique connection to animals. So much so that he befriends a lion who he grows up with; early in the film, his tribe's village is attacked, and the rest of the film is just following him as he travels and looks for a new home. I know he ends up traveling with a girl and I assume we are suppose to believe that they are a couple by the end. I also distinctly remember two scenes, both really close to each other. At one point, he is being held in chains, but no one will go near him because he can roar like a lion, later on, he gets whipped, but he calls on a hive of bees that heal the wound for him.

I know that that description is totally scattered, but if anyone thinks they know what I am talking about, I would greatly appreciate it. I think it was a well received film when it came out, but I haven't been able to find anything about it. I am also pretty sure that it was considered a children's film, but I remember my uncle saying that it was one of those kid's films that didn't feel like it was 100% for kids, and looking back on what I remember about it, there was a lot of heavy stuff in it. Really, really good movie, that I would love to see again.