Disney's latest live-action/CGI hybrid movie interweaving tales of humans and animals, The One and Only Ivan, is based on the award-winning 2013 novel by K.A. Applegate. The story, which is based on the life of a real silverback gorilla that lived most if its life in captivity, follows a group of animals who live in a circus-style attraction located in a mall. Directed by Thea Sharrock (Me Before You) from a script by Mike White (School of Rock, Pitch Perfect 3), The One and Only Ivan is the latest original movie to hit the Disney+ streaming service, though it was originally intended for a theatrical release. The One and Only Ivan has a good heart at the center of this mediocre animal tale, which never quite delivers on the requisite Disney magic.
The film follows a silverback gorilla named Ivan (Sam Rockwell), who stars in the live circus show at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade along with the older elephant Stella (Angelina Jolie), the dog Snickers (Helen Mirren), the chicken Henrietta (Chaka Khan), the rabbit Murphy (Ron Funches), the seal Frankie (White) and the parrot Thelma (Phillipa Soo). Ivan seems to be happy, living at the attraction with his best friend, a stray dog named Bob (Danny DeVito). But when the owner of the show, Mack (Bryan Cranston), brings in a young elephant named Ruby (Brooklynn Prince), Ivan begins to remember his time in the wild as a young gorilla. Remembering his childhood in the wild and growing up with Mack forces Ivan to reevaluate his life and what he wants not only for himself but for Ruby.
Rather than depict the story of The One and Only Ivan in a hyper-stylized world like Tim Burton's Dumbo, Sharrock's movie is grounded in a much more realistic landscape, somewhere in the late 80s/early 90s of a mall set in the suburban area of a nondescript U.S. city. This lack of specificity gives the movie a sense that it could be taking place anywhere in America and allows the story to take precedence over the style and setting of the movie. For its part, White's script is fine enough, delivering a perfectly decent tale of animals living in captivity and dreaming of their freedom in the wild. There's a nice message at the heart of The One and Only Ivan about how animals should be treated and the decency of humans, though it gets a bit muddied by the darker aspects of that reality the script shies away from.
As for the cast, they each turn in entirely serviceable performances. Rockwell serves as the center of the movie as Ivan, and he gives a warmly charming - if not particularly memorable - voice performance as the silverback gorilla. Similarly, Cranston's turn as the over-the-top Mack is fine, though the character is a bit confused by the movie, which paints the circus owner as a loving caretaker or an abusive animal trainer as the story sees fit. As a result, Cranston does what he can to bring some heart to the role, though it's undercut by the script. The rest of the supporting voice and live-action cast is also perfectly fine, but not interesting enough to stand out very much.
In the end, The One and Only Ivan is a decently entertaining and enjoyable family movie, teaching an important lesson about animals in captivity with cute animals and some fart jokes to hold the attention of younger audiences. The CGI rendering of the animals isn't always the most realistic, but for the most part does the job of bringing Ivan, Stella, Ruby and the rest of the animals to life with enough realism to keep viewers invested in the story. Ultimately, though The One and Only Ivan may enthrall younger viewers and teach them a lesson, there's very little that's noteworthy in the movie, delivering a fine enough distraction for 90 minutes but not leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.
As such, it's for the best that Disney decided to skip a theatrical release of The One and Only Ivan and opt for a streaming debut on Disney+, as the movie feels perfectly at home alongside other originals like Lady and the Tramp and Togo. This means the barrier of entry in checking out The One and Only Ivan, particularly those who are not already fans of Applegate's book, is much lower than if it had been released in theaters and perhaps more folks will give it a chance. It's by no means a must-see Disney movie, though it will give families with young children a new film to keep the kids entertained - even if it doesn't hold the interest of all the adults. Still, anyone looking for even a little bit of Disney magic in a new release will do fine with checking out The One and Only Ivan. Just don't get your expectations too high for this mediocre Mouse House movie.
The One and Only Ivan is now streaming on Disney+. It is 94 minutes long and rated PG for mild thematic elements.
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