Delayed Reaction: The One and Only Ivan

Premise: An ape in a strip mall circus dreams of a life outside of a cage.

 

The impressive thing about The One and Only Ivan is that I don't even remember it getting released. I remember August 2020. There wasn't a hell of a lot going on. Disney+ in particular had a slow drizzle of content thanks to poor COVID timing. I remember all the Star Girls, Artemis Fowls, and Godmothereds. No memory of this movie though. The only reason I even found it is because I'm catching up on Oscar movies. Which, by the way, the Visual Effects category is where you can feel the effects of COVID more drastically than anywhere else. In any other year, this never would've had enough attention to be nominated. That's not Ivan's fault though.

 

The One and Only Ivan is my favorite kind of "Based on a true story" movie. Here's what's true: There was an ape named Ivan who lived in a strip mall circus for 20+ years. He painted some crude pictures. He was eventually released to a wilderness reserve. That's it. Yet, this is a movie about talking animals, temporary escapes, and ape-painted wilderness paintings. Disney seems to believe they can get extra mileage by pointing out the basis of the story, but this could've just as easily left that off and been called an original story.

 

This movie is fine. I'd like to come up with stronger words, but they just aren't there. The animation of the animals is pretty good. I was never distracted by how clearly fake they looked. The voice cast is pretty stellar with Sam Rockwell as Ivan, Danny DeVito as his dog best friend, Angelina Jolie as an aging elephant performer, Brooklynn Prince as a new baby elephant, and several others. Bryan Cranston is the big name in the live cast as the conflicted owner of the failing circus. There's a nice enough message about animals not belonging in cages, and I'm a sucker for stray dogs finding a home. The story is a bit scattered though. It can't figure out how vital the painting skill of Ivan's is to the story. The "Some Pig" moment happens pretty late, and doesn't really have much impact.

 

It's hard for me to believe this was going to be a theatrical release by Disney before COVID hit. It's a small movie. It takes place mostly on two sets. The story is pretty simple. If not for the Awards credentials of the voice cast, I would've sworn this was always meant for Disney+. Not a bad movie, but a slight one. Like a less ambitious Dumbo.

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend