‘The One and Only Ivan’ Review: Touching Disney+ Family Feature Gently Unpacks Tough Ideas

Ivan is a majestic silverback gorilla who loves his home (a circus-themed mall), his job (scaring kids during his daily show at said circus-themed mall), and his family (his seemingly kind-hearted owner, plus the motley crew of other animals who live in the mall and perform alongside him). Ivan’s life is great, because he’s never quite allowed himself to think about anything else — certainly not his life before the mall and the owner and the performances — though that is about to change in a major way, as Ivan’s once-steady life is rocked by new experiences. Thea Sharrock’s touching take on Katherine Applegate’s children’s book gracefully weaves together the obvious (cute talking animals) with some headier ideas (like perhaps those cute talking animals should have rights?), offering up a smart kids’ movie that is likely to really stick with its youngest viewers.
Like Applegate’s book, Sharrock’s film — scripted by Mike White, who also pops up in a funny cameo and voices a neurotic seal — is told from Ivan’s perspective (voiced by Sam Rockwell), creating a sense of discovery that helps sneak in some of the tougher ideas without permanently scarring the most sensitive members of its audience (this writer cried throughout, so make of that what you will). Initially unfolding a bit like a fairy tale in which Ivan is the (one and only) star, the film presents a fantastically fun world in which the cracks are just starting to show.
Ivan gets to perform every day for packs of cute kids (even if he wonders why he needs to scare them as part of his act), and he does it alongside all of his adorable animal friends. When the show is done, the sweet Julia (the charming Ariana Greenblatt) draws him pictures, while her dad George (Ramon Rodriguez) serves as right-hand man for fast-talking owner Mack (Bryan Cranston). At night, Ivan hangs out with a stray pup who sneaks into his enclosure (voiced by Danny DeVito) and hears stories from his oldest friend, the wise elephant Stella (voiced by Angelina Jolie). Lovely voice work fits in sweetly alongside stellar effects (in short: hey, these animals look real!), and for its first act, “The One and Only Ivan” lulls its audience into the kind of complacency its gorilla star has always enjoyed.