The One and Only Ivan

A silverback gorilla that acts in a failing suburban shopping mall circus is the main character in The One and Only Ivan, which is based on Katherine Applegate's Newbery Medal-winning novel, which was also inspired by a true tale. Ivan's protective instincts are aroused when Ruby, a baby elephant, shows in, bringing back memories of his wild past and motivating him to dream of their shared escape. The film explores captivity, creativity, and interspecies interaction by combining voice-acted CGI animals with live-action human performances.

From tired resignation to cautious hope, Rockwell's portrayal of Ivan demonstrates a deep emotional depth, presenting a multifaceted figure rather than a simple caricature. His powerful statement regarding artistic awakening captures true development. Through her growing snobbery, Mirren's Snickers provides a striking humorous contrast. With DeVito, Jolie, and Khan contributing a variety of emotional depths, the voice casting is clever. Greenblatt's portrayal of a young kid steers clears of conventional precociousness and skillfully incorporates her lost storyline into Ivan's journey. Ivan's artistic development is successfully highlighted by the film's images, which combine CGI and reality while preserving thematic depth—expression as survival, art transcending solitude. By striking a balance between melodrama and nuance, the director enhances Ivan's moving recollections of the jungle by showcasing moral depth in people like Mack, a damaged but compassionate man, in a setting that represents economic deprivation.

The film's depiction of Cranston's character's psychology is ambiguous, with a hurried shift from denial to acceptance, despite his dedicated performance. Important choices about Ivan's future are made off-screen, which lessens the emotional impact. The escape plot develops late, and the narrative's repetition slows momentum. The adaptation frequently relies on humor and suffers with pacing at contemplative periods. Ruby's transition to captivity happens too abruptly, and her entrance is poorly handled, weakening anti-captivity themes. The ending of the last act seems phony, ignoring the difficulties of imprisonment. The speech stresses safety over depth, the screenplay lacks a clear voice, and the adaptation's examination of animal welfare is uncontroversial. Furthermore, although generally good, the movie's animal animation occasionally lacks realism, with Ivan's facial expressions vacillating between comical and realistic.

Excellent voice acting and moments of visual poetry raise The One and Only Ivan to a small level of success as family entertainment with real ethical problems. It honors the fundamental humanity—or rather, "animality"—of its source material while introducing young viewers to animal welfare issues without causing them any trauma. But it stays out of Babe's or Charlotte's Web region because it doesn't want to take a chance on real discomfort or narrative complexity. This is competent, sympathetic cinema but falls short of being truly remarkable.

Staff:

Directed by: Thea Sharrock

Written by: Mike White

Based on: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Produced by: Angelina Jolie, Allison Shearmur, and Brigham Taylor

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Danny DeVito, Helen Mirren, Brooklynn Prince, Ramón Rodríguez, Ariana Greenblatt, Chaka Khan, Ron Funches, Phillipa Soo, Mike White, and Bryan Cranston.

Cinematography: Florian Ballhaus

Edited by: Barney Pilling

Music by: Craig Armstrong

Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures and Jolie Pas Productions

Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Release date: August 21, 2020

Running time: 95 minutes