Disney’s The One And Only Ivan Is A Heartwarming Tale Like No Other

Disney+’s The One And Only Ivan feels like it is ripped right from the pages of the book. It’s a heartwarming tale, based on a true story, that teaches a very valuable lesson.

My daughters and I read The One And Only Ivan together and absolutely fell in love with the story and the characters. So when we found out that Disney was going to be making a movie version, we were over the moon. Cut to the casting announcement and I knew this was going to be a phenomenal film. As long as Disney could pull off the talking CGI animals, we would be in a good position. They did all that, and more.

Disney’s The One And Only brings the story from the book, that is based on a true story, to the screen. It is done more beautifully than I ever could have imagined. My girls and I fell in love with the characters of Stella, Bob, Ruby, and of course Ivan, all over again. Plus the addition of some new animal friends was an added bonus.

This movie is the story of a group of animal friends who live in a mall circus. They don’t see the outside, and they work hard – really hard – to put on a good show. The circus is owned by Mack who has had Ivan, a Silverback Gorilla, since he was a baby. Bob is a mangy stray dog who loves nothing more than sleeping on Ivan’s warm belly. And Stella the elephant is truly something special. 

As you might imagine, a mall circus doesn’t always bring in a lot of money. Mack is always looking for new ideas to bring in customers. George works at the circus and his young daughter, Julia, is often with him there. She loves to draw and eventually gives Ivan his first set of crayons. A gorilla that can draw, what an attraction! But when Mack brings in a new baby elephant, Ruby, he starts to wonder if living in the circus for the rest of his life is something he really want. Even though he loves Mack.

Impressive CGI Animals

In all honesty, talking animals don’t really have the best track record when it comes to looking authentic. But wow, did The One And Only Ivan get it right. Every single animal is absolutely beautiful — and they don’t look awkward when they talk.

There are plenty of movies that have had horrible CGI talking animals. Almost to the point where you can’t even watch them. Not The One And Only Ivan. Any movie with talking animals should come to them for advice. Bravo.

Animals Shouldn’t Be In Cages

Probably my favorite thing about this movie is the lesson that it teaches. Animals shouldn’t be in circuses. They should be free. And The One And Only Ivan delivers that message in an incredible way. It teaches the lesson in a positive light. Sure some humans are bad, but in the worlds of the great Stella, “Not all humans are bad. Some will surprise you.”

The animals in the circus aren’t really abused, but they are locked in cages, which isn’t fair to them. In the book version, Ruby does get swatted when Mack loses her temper, but I am really glad they didn’t portray that in the movie. It would have taken away from the character of Mack. It also would have been really hard to watch for most people.

OK For Kids?

The One And Only Ivan is very much a family film. Like I said, this was a required reading book in Second Grade so my daughters and I knew what to expect. But that didn’t make it any easier to see in movie form. Fair warning, there is some animal death in this movie. I won’t say who, but there is more than one. 

The animal abuse from the book is not shown, like I touched on earlier. In fact, all the animals are pretty well cared for. There is one moment where Mack is tired and training Ruby, but the way they changed that scene is for the better, in my opinion.

They also very briefly touch on a parent being sick. Julia’s mother is ill and while they don’t go into too much detail, she does say her mother does not look like her drawing anymore and viewers can assume she has lost her hair.

Overall Thoughts

The One And Only Ivan is a movie that is perfectly pulled from the pages of a phenomenal book. The small adjustments that were made did not take away from the plot at all. In fact, they strengthened it. The entire voice cast did an incredible job and it is hard to believe that they did not record together because the chemistry is easy to hear. 

Get ready to fall in love with these characters. This is a great family movie night film. If you have read the book, you are sure to love the film. If you haven’t? You will probably want to pick yourself up a copy as soon as you finish watching it.

The One and Only Ivan is a heartwarming story based on real events that will touch even the coldest of hearts. It just might make you think twice about animals and where they truly belong. Hopefully anyways. Right before the credits, the story of the real Ivan is told — be sure to have tissues handy for that. And then there is another scene, so don’t stop watching until you see that.

Oh — there is a Mike White (voice of Frankie the Seal AND the screenwriter) cameo to keep an eye out for! I got so excited when I saw that. 

Be sure to check out my favorite The One And Only Ivan quotes!

About The One And Only Ivan

An adaptation of the award-winning book about one very special gorilla, Disney’s “The One and Only Ivan” is an unforgettable tale about the beauty of friendship, the power of visualization and the significance of the place one calls home. Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall with Stella the elephant, Bob the dog, and various other animals.

He has few memories of the jungle where he was captured, but when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him. Ruby is recently separated from her family in the wild, which causes him to question his life, where he comes from and where he ultimately wants to be. The heartwarming adventure, which comes to the screen in an impressive hybrid of live-action and CGI, is based on Katherine Applegate’s bestselling book, which won numerous awards upon its publication in 2013, including the Newbery Medal.

The film stars:

• Sam Rockwell as the voice of Ivan
• Angelina Jolie as the voice of Stella
• Danny DeVito as the voice of Bob the dog
• Helen Mirren as the voice of Snickers the poodle
• Brooklynn Prince as the voice of Ruby
• Ramon Rodriquez as the mall employee George
• Ariana Greenblatt as George’s daughter Julia
• Chaka Khan as the voice of Henrietta the chicken
• Mike White as the voice of Frankie the seal
• Ron Funches as the voice of Murphy the rabbit
• Phillipa Soo as the voice of Thelma the parrot
• Bryan Cranston as Mack, the mall’s owner

The One And Only Ivan debuts on Disney+ August 21st.