Checked out the new Disney+ family zoo comedy The One and Only Ivan. This flick is based on a book that I haven’t read and is based on a true story… a line on screen that appears a few seconds before the ape (Ivan) starts talking. One is suspicious… but apparently the basics happened in the early 2000s so fair enough. Stay tuned for the real story before the end credits.
The film is about an ape and his animal pals who work in a mall-based circus. Yes, a circus in a mall (which was part of the real story). One day, with ticket sales dropping, they bring in a baby elephant who Ivan (the gorilla) decides needs to be free.
Each animal is voiced by recognizable actors (Helen Mirren, Angelina Jolie, Danny DeVito, Sam Rockwell, etc.) and Brian Cranston plays the ringmaster. So a good cast… and a reminder this was going to be a theatrical release before it went Disney+ (for the usual 2020 reasons). I’d say most of the voice actors do a fine job and certainly the CGI animals are very well done (and required given this is a movie about breaking animals out of confinement).
Overall, the film is pleasant enough when it isn’t just kind of modern kid movie mundane. It does pick up a bit in the last act, though it feels like it makes story shifts really abruptly, especially for a standard length flick. But I guess that’s not the worst crime when you’re really just dealing with a kid-friendly talking animal flick. It’s basically a good-natured, warm movie that most adults can miss but kids will probably enjoy.
Score: 74