Of all things these days to help teach humans about empathy, Ivan the artistic gorilla probably isn’t most people’s first guess. But The One and Only Ivan is a sweet feature that’ll do just that.
Disney+ has had variable success in their original movies, ranging from great (Togo and Timmy Failure) to terrible (June’s Artemis Fowl). But director Thea Sharrock has taken a heartfelt, gentle approach to a surprisingly good script.
Ivan (Sam Rockwell) is a silverback gorilla and headliner at a strip mall zoo in 1960s Florida. When his owner Mack (Bryan Cranston) adopts a new animal to help the show, he begins painting to help him and all the animals revamp the show and start a new life.
Cranston does a terrific job with the animals, balancing his love for the show and the animals he cares for. He’s got an especially great moment when Ivan reveals his masterwork painting.
This is only Sharrock’s second film (after 2016’s popular romance Me Before You) yet she shows great talent handling the camera and showcasing environments both big and small.
Another great asset is Sharrock’s experience directing radio plays. Since most of the film is the animals talking to one another, a large part is the voice cast and how they bring their characters to life through voice-over.
The result is some deeply soulful and above average voice acting. Rockwell’s Ivan plus Brooklynn Prince’s Ruby the baby elephant are standouts. Smaller parts like Mike White’s Frankie the Seal and Phillippa Soo’s Thelma the Parrot are great comedy bits.
The One and Only Ivan is scaled and sincere
One of the fatal flaws from Disney’s The Lion King remake last year was having the animals so realistic they don’t have any perceptible emotions. But Sharrock doesn’t make that mistake here. They animated creatures are the perfect mix between realism and expressive.
The film’s most endearing quality is how gently and sincerely the act of circus is portrayed. Animal shows are an old-school art with questionable ethics. But One and Only Ivan has a lot more likability than recent movies like Disney’s Dumbo last year or July’s abysmal Animal Crackers.
One moment of great tenderness is elder, wise elephant Stella (Angelina Jolie) reminiscing about her youth in the wild. When she’s rescued by young humans, she asserts “Not all humans are bad. They can surprise you.”
Ivan, and his movie, teach us that creation will always be valued above anger. As Ivan asks, “Why do people even want an angry gorilla anyway?”, the same question could be applied to the strangers or possible we know in our own lives. That same feeling is true while we as people emerge from a five month quarantine.
Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we stop wanting people to be angry and instead wanted to simply be together again?
In stressful times like the current pandemic world, we could all stand to behave less like animals and more like the ones at Mack and Ivan’s circus.
The One and Only Ivan
7 out of 10
PG, 1hr 35mins. Family Fantasy Drama.
Directed by Thea Sharrock.
Starring Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Angelina Jolie, Danny DeVito, Helen Mirren and Brooklynn Prince.
Now Streaming on Disney+ for subscribers.
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