Curator Watchlist
A gentle, emotionally sincere family film with solid voice performances and polished visual effects, but it stays very safe and often feels formulaic. It works best as a low-stakes, kid-friendly watch rather than a standout Disney adaptation.
Where to watch: Buy
Fri · 1h 33m
Director: Thea Sharrock
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell, Brooklynn Prince
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.
Thea Sharrock
Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell, Brooklynn Prince
A gentle, emotionally sincere family film with solid voice performances and polished visual effects, but it stays very safe and often feels formulaic. It works best as a low-stakes, kid-friendly watch rather than a standout Disney adaptation.
The One and Only Ivan is exactly the kind of modest, well-meaning family movie that can slip by without making much noise. It has a clean emotional arc, a sympathetic lead, and enough charm in the ensemble voices to keep younger viewers engaged. The visual effects are generally strong, and the film understands how to aim for warmth without becoming aggressively sugary.
What holds it back is familiarity. The script follows a very familiar rescue-and-freedom template, and several beats feel engineered to land rather than discovered naturally. Even so, the movie’s sincerity goes a long way, especially when it leans into Ivan’s memory, loneliness, and the idea of animals as a found family.
If you’re in the mood for a brief, accessible streaming family film, it does the job. If you’re hoping for something more emotionally layered or more inventive in its storytelling, this one is pleasant but not essential.
Sam (2.5★) · 183 likes
Better than Artemis Fowl in every conceivable way! While it may not be great, The One and Only Ivan certainly succeeded at what it was trying to do: tell a fun and entertaining story for kids. It’s about 90 minutes and has fun characters. The visual effects worked and were rarely distracting. The score was pretty nice too. My biggest problem with the movie is actually Sam Rockwell. I love Sam Rockwell, but his voice felt sort of out of… more
Vishwas Verma 🟠🟢🔵 (3.5★) · 158 likes
🦍🐘🦮🦜🐇🦡 Inspired by the true story of Ivan 🥺🥺Emotional, heartwarming... very beautiful ♥️♥️ Ruby and Julia are so cute, Bob is awesome, Bryan Cranston did amazing but Sam Rockwell as Ian is something....
Sabrina 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (2★) · 122 likes
WAIT WTF MONKEYS ARE REAL???
san (2★) · 117 likes
oh my god it’s the one and only ivan
George Clark (3★) · 113 likes
2020 Releases Ranked-HERE Disney’s newest release The One and Only Ivan is arguably the best out of the four Disney originals thus far this year. It’s a solid family film that’s easy to enjoy whilst also having a simple, yet enjoyable story as well as having quite good acting/voice acting from the whole cast throughout. The real story of Ivan differs quite a bit from the one that’s shown but Disney does take a lot of inspiration from the true… more
A gentle, animal-centered family story with similar warmth, sadness, and kid-friendly emotional stakes.
Shares the tender, humane tone and the appeal of animals as fully felt characters in a family setting.
A polished studio family film built around a charming nonhuman lead and a soft, accessible tone.
For viewers who want an animal story with more atmosphere, danger, and emotional intensity.
A classic tale of captivity, performance, and longing for freedom that echoes the film’s emotional core.
A bittersweet Disney animal drama with a similar blend of innocence, sadness, and friendship.
Another straightforward, family-friendly story about an animal in captivity and the push toward liberation.
A breezy, kid-oriented animal movie with the same easygoing, comfort-watch appeal.
For audiences drawn to simple, affectionate animal storytelling with a gentle tone.
A newer family film that also centers on empathy, belonging, and emotional connection with nonhuman characters.
A warm, polished family film that balances sweetness, humor, and sincere emotional beats.
For viewers who want a more inventive and more consistently charming version of family-friendly kindness.
animal captivity, found family, freedom and escape, memory and identity, friendship, compassion, childhood empathy, hope
family drama, talking animals, CGI animation, sentimental, streaming original, animal rescue, coming-of-age, light comedy, tearjerker, adaptation