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The One and Only Ivan
2020 93 min United States of America PG 6+
★7.0
Family, Comedy, Drama
Director: Thea Sharrock
🎭 Based on
«The One and Only Ivan»
byKatherine Applegate
Trailers
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Description
A gorilla named Ivan who’s living in a suburban shopping mall tries to piece together his past, with the help of other animals, as they hatch a plan to escape from captivity.
Starring
Sam Rockwell
Actor
Bryan Cranston
Actor
Phillipa Soo
Actor
Awards
BAFTA 2021
— Best Visual Effects
Academy Awards 2021
— Best Visual Effects
Key opinion
The One and Only Ivan is generally viewed as a warm, emotionally resonant family film that succeeds through its gentle tone and strong voice performances. While some critics praise its calm, old-school sensibility and meaningful message, others argue that the narrative is overly predictable and lacks the depth of classic animal-centric stories.
| Acting | The voice cast—including Danny DeVito, Sam Rockwell, and Bryan Cranston—provides strong, elevated performances that give the animal characters genuine personality. | |
| Production | The high-quality visual effects bring the animals to life with convincing detail and tenderness. | |
| Ending | The conclusion provides an emotionally resonant and touching payoff to the characters' struggles. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is viewed by some as formulaic and overly simplistic, relying on predictable tropes rather than innovative storytelling. | |
| Pacing | Opinions on the film's tone are split, as some appreciate its calm, non-frenetic approach to family entertainment, while others find the pacing unengaging or lacking in substance. |