SHOW OF THE WEEK: The One and Only Ivan (Aug. 21, Disney Plus)
PHOTO CREDIT: Disney Plus
At first I felt conflicted about how much I liked Ivan, the CGI silverback gorilla who stars in Disney’s new movie “The One and Only Ivan.” After all, should we still be anthropomorphizing animals in this day and age?
My conscience was eased by the movie’s overarching message: that animals belong in the wild, not in circuses, which is where we find Ivan and his animal friends.
Ivan, voiced by Sam Rockwell, is the star of a shopping mall big top run by Mack, played in the flesh by Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”). Ivan’s best friends are Stella, an elephant voiced by Angelina Jolie, and Bob, a stray dog voiced by Danny DeVito, who steals most of the scenes he’s in.
Ivan is mostly untroubled by his lot in life, which involves roaring and chest-beating once a day for the ever dwindling mall crowds. (“Why do they want an angry gorilla, anyway?” Ivan asks Stella. “I think humans like us one way and gorillas they see as angry,” Stella wisely replies.) And then Ruby arrives, a baby elephant who’s been separated from her parents and who stirs in Ivan memories of his own life in the wild before his captivity.
The other game-changer is Ivan’s ability to paint – a proclivity he shares with the real Ivan, a captive lowland gorilla who lived in a mall in Tacoma, Washington, for 27 years.
If you’ve read the children’s novel by Katherine Applegate that this movie is based on, also inspired by the real Ivan, you already have an idea of what happens to the film versions of Ivan, Stella, Ruby and Bob – but I won’t spoil it for you if you don’t.
This is a Disney movie, and one meant for children, so the cruelty that humans inflict on animals is suggested rather than explicitly shown.
Yes, Mack is benefiting financially by keeping animals in captivity, but it’s down to ignorance rather than a conscious desire to hurt them.
The other human stars include Ariana Greenblatt (“Avengers: Infinity Wars”) as the daughter of an animal keeper who befriends and advocates for Ivan. But the CGI animals and the loving relationships they form are the star attractions of the film.
The A-list voice cast also includes Helen Mirren as poodle Snickers, Chaka Khan as chicken Henrietta, Phillipa Soo of “Hamilton” as parrot Thelma and Brooklynn Prince (“Home Before Dark”) as Ruby.
The film very effectively pushes all the right emotional buttons. I defy you not to cry at the end.
Odds and Ends
and Cree Cicchino in “The Sleepover.” PHOTO CREDIT: Claire Folger/Netflix
I’m not sure who declared this Friday “Family Movie Day,” but Netflix is offering another film on Aug. 21 meant to entertain youngsters (and their parents), “The Sleepover.” I’m not allowed to review it until Wednesday, but the gist is that two kids and their best friends have to rescue their parents after their mother, who’s actually a reformed jewel thief, is kidnapped and forced to pull one last job.
Netflix also has animated comedy series “Hoops” out on Aug. 21. It’s about a loser of a high school basketball coach, voiced by Jake Johnson of “New Girl,” who’s desperate to turn around his failing team and get to the big leagues. There are lots of swears and raunchy humour. If you think the overuse of the word “dicks” is funny, maybe this is for you. It’s definitely not for me.
I’d love to tell you all about “Our Chemical Hearts” (Aug. 21, Amazon Prime Video), the teen romance flick based on the book by Krystal Sutherland that stars Lili Reinhart of “Riverdale” and Austin Abrams (“Euphoria”), but I wasn’t able to get my hands on the screener.
CBC Gem has the seventh annual “The Future of Film Showcase” on Aug. 21, a collection of short films by filmmakers under 40 that clocks in at just 67 minutes for all six shorts. The streaming network is also recycling the comedy web series “The Amazing Gayl Pile” (Aug. 21), which stars Morgan Waters as a Hamilton shopping channel host who tries to break into the home shopping market with an unorthodox women’s beauty product.
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