Saw 'The One and Only Ivan' when it first came out on Disney Plus, so a while back (have been behind with my reviewing hence the delay). My main reasons being my love for Disney (especially the Golden Age and Renaissance animated films), the circus being a nostalgic setting, liking animals and for the cast (humans and voices). It really is hard to go wrong with Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell and Danny DeVito, and they are just a few names involved.
'The One and Only Ivan' turned out to be a nice and well done family film, that is just right tonally for children and with enough for adults to enjoy too. Really liked its sincerity and it's all well crafted with nothing faring disastrously, but it does fall short of being exceptional. When it comes to live action Disney, there has been better but also a lot worse as well. 'The One and Only Ivan' may not have been the best film released during the pandemic, but it is around solid middle.
It is formulaic and also slight story-wise with not much new, the slightly too neat ending can be seen from some way off as well as the on the rushed side lead up to it.
Occasionally, the sentimentality gets a bit much (didn't think the coda was needed) and momentum drags towards the end.
However, a lot is good and there is so much to recommend. It is a good looking film, with a very vibrant circus setting filmed with accomplishment. Best of all are the beautifully realised photo-realistic look for the animals with there being absolutely nothing fake about them. The music is rousing but also gently luscious while the direction keeps things moving along quite nicely on the whole. The script flows well and avoids being cheesy or mawkish.
While the story is nothing new and imperfect pace-wise, there is a real charm and poignancy to it (especially with Stella, the consequences of her ageing are handled very movingly) and the gentle pace generally works in its favour. The circus setting is suitably exciting, risk taking and vibrant and the acts make the jaw drop. The true story-like element of the story is interesting and educational as well as emotionally investable (the credits sequence was beautifully done) and target audience (the whole family, not just children) is never in question.
The cast is very good, Cranston is very authoritative and Ariana Greenblatt is winning as Julia. Even better are the voice cast, Rockwell of course voices with a lot of nuanced charisma in the title role and other standouts are sassy DeVito and classy Angelina Jolie. Ruby also is absolutely adorable.
In summary, nice charming film if not mind-blowing. 7/10.
'The One and Only Ivan' turned out to be a nice and well done family film, that is just right tonally for children and with enough for adults to enjoy too. Really liked its sincerity and it's all well crafted with nothing faring disastrously, but it does fall short of being exceptional. When it comes to live action Disney, there has been better but also a lot worse as well. 'The One and Only Ivan' may not have been the best film released during the pandemic, but it is around solid middle.
It is formulaic and also slight story-wise with not much new, the slightly too neat ending can be seen from some way off as well as the on the rushed side lead up to it.
Occasionally, the sentimentality gets a bit much (didn't think the coda was needed) and momentum drags towards the end.
However, a lot is good and there is so much to recommend. It is a good looking film, with a very vibrant circus setting filmed with accomplishment. Best of all are the beautifully realised photo-realistic look for the animals with there being absolutely nothing fake about them. The music is rousing but also gently luscious while the direction keeps things moving along quite nicely on the whole. The script flows well and avoids being cheesy or mawkish.
While the story is nothing new and imperfect pace-wise, there is a real charm and poignancy to it (especially with Stella, the consequences of her ageing are handled very movingly) and the gentle pace generally works in its favour. The circus setting is suitably exciting, risk taking and vibrant and the acts make the jaw drop. The true story-like element of the story is interesting and educational as well as emotionally investable (the credits sequence was beautifully done) and target audience (the whole family, not just children) is never in question.
The cast is very good, Cranston is very authoritative and Ariana Greenblatt is winning as Julia. Even better are the voice cast, Rockwell of course voices with a lot of nuanced charisma in the title role and other standouts are sassy DeVito and classy Angelina Jolie. Ruby also is absolutely adorable.
In summary, nice charming film if not mind-blowing. 7/10.