Dog’s Movie House: “The One And Only Ivan” A Heartfelt Family Treat!

“The One And Only Ivan” continues Disney’s trend of creating terrific photorealistic animation for their characters (think “The Lion King” and “The Jungle Book.”) This amazing process is put to amazing effect in the story of Ivan (voiced by Sam Rockwell) the Silverback Gorilla who’s been the main attraction at this little mall circus for years. Raised from infancy by the owner/ringmaster (a terrific Bryan Cranston) his place in the hierarchy is undisputed until financial straits force the owner to purchase a new main attraction in the form of a cute baby elephant named Ruby (Brooklyn Prince). Taking care of the young elephant is the resident pachyderm Stella (Angelina Jolie) who coaxes the little one to join her on stage. But when Stella’s health begins to fail, she makes Ivan promise take Ruby out of the circus to freedom.

“The One And Only Ivan” is a marvelously gentle film with no real villains to speak of. In a typical film of this age, Cranston’s Mack would be a cruel master who’d mistreat the animals which would beget some sort of animal mutiny. My fellow critics who don’t care for the film are criticizing the movie for what it isn’t rather than analyzing it for what it is. The messages of freedom are readily apparent without them being shoved down your throat like some hyperactive PETA video. By giving the plot a softer touch it allows younger audiences to learn the lessons the film is trying to teach without sending them to a therapist for the rest of their lives. To me, that’s a win.

Now I mentioned earlier that the animals talk, but this isn’t a Doolittle movie: The animals only talk to each other and act like regular animals in the presence of humans. It presents some rather dramatic moments when Mack is trying to communicate with the animals. And when the animals do talk to each other, there is an understated elegance about their interactions (aside from a somewhat awkward joke about a chicken who actually has to cross a road).

The voice cast is uniformly outstanding. Rockwell brings a nice balance of humor and gravitas as Ivan and Jolie is wonderfully wise as Stella. Danny DeVito brings his usual excellence to the role of Bob, a mongrel dog who becomes Ivan’s best friend. Other voices include Shaka Khan, Helen Mirren, and screenwriter Mike White as a talented seal. The only real human character to make an impression is Cranston, but Ramon Rodriguez and Ariana Greenblatt do pretty good work as the father/daughter combo who work at the circus.

Although there are shades of “Bambi” and “Dumbo” throughout “The One And Only Ivan,” the film serves as it’s own unique creature. Be warned: you will need a tissue or two, but it’s definitely a good type of cry. Technically brilliant with a big heart, “The One And Only Ivan” is one of the best original films to appear on Disney+ thus far and I think will become a classic. 4 1/2 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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