LOS ANGELES: Disney+ has debuted another film originally intended for theatrical release, “The One and Only Ivan.”
Based on a book of the same name by the prolific children’s author Katherine Applegate, the movie is the latest in Disney’s trend toward live-action computer-generated imagery, hybrid flicks.
The voice cast is as star-studded as ever, with famous names such as Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, and Danny DeVito lending their talents to the film’s animal characters.
But director Thea Sharrock has distinguished the film from its contemporaries by bringing back a production tactic that has fallen out of favor in recent years. Arab News got the inside scoop from the cast.
“The One and Only Ivan” tells the story of the titular Ivan, a silverback gorilla who lives in a circus-themed shopping mall where he performs for customers as a fearsome king of the jungle. But in reality, Ivan, voiced by Rockwell, is laid-back and bored.
Having found himself in a comfortable if unfulfilling rut, Ivan spends his days in the company of his friends, Stella the elephant (Jolie), pampered poodle Snickers (Mirren), and stray dog Bob (DeVito).
“I think kids in particular will identify with a creature who’s been in the ultimate lockdown for all of his life,” Mirren said.
Ivan’s wake-up call comes in the form of Ruby, voiced by Brooklynn Prince (“The Florida Project”), a young elephant who still remembers life outside of the cage.
The movie’s strongest asset is the cast’s dynamic, due in no small part to how Sharrock decided to handle the voice-recording sessions.
Where animated features and the like used to have the cast record all together, it has become the standard for actors to record their lines separately. But drawing from her background in live theater, the director opted to bring the movie back to basics and have the cast record their scenes together.
“I think Thea made the decision to do it right away and I think it was the best move in the world because we got to relate to each other,” said DeVito.
Rockwell said: “Having people in the room and getting to work briefly with Helen and Angelina and Brooklynn but mostly with Danny was a huge advantage; mostly all theater actors and a theater director. I think that made a big difference.”
The voice cast includes Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, and Danny DeVito. Supplied
Aiding the performances is the skillful CG work bringing the animal characters to life, with technical realism, reminiscent of the 2019 CG remake, “The Lion King.” But while “The Lion King” received some criticism of the animals being too realistic and therefore unable to convey emotion, Ivan’s creatures sacrifice some realism in order to stay emotive.
“We see evolution with all this technology. We’ve seen the way the hair is, the skin texture, the lights, all those things. But now there’s this emotion, little nuances of feeling, the glint in the eye and the emotion. It was really so much of what the director’s focus was,” Jolie said.
“Sometimes when there’s a lot of technology it can take over and become all about that and lose the essence of the soul and the storytelling. And I think Ivan has a really nice mix. It’s not just because the CG’s so good. It’s because there’s a soul behind the character in the behavior that feels familiar,” she added.
Technically and performance-wise “The One and Only Ivan” is an accomplishment. Where audiences may find fault, however, is in the story.
The animal captivity theme is the most central to the plot. Supplied
The secondary characters are given little to do, most of them delivering a few jokes before vanishing from the movie. Bryan Cranston’s Mack, the ringmaster and mall manager who in most family films would be the obvious villain, has potential depth. He is kind and raised Ivan since the ape was a baby. But at the same time, he is the reason the animals are not allowed to run free in the wild. Sadly, little comes of this.
In general, very little happens in the film. Paradoxically, it is trying to be about more things than its relatively short 90-minute runtime is able to handle. Thematically, “The One and Only Ivan” touches on the issues of keeping animals in captivity, Mack’s struggles to run a failing business, a little girl’s ailing mother, a bunch of animal friends hanging out, and Ivan’s painting – which while important to the climax of the film is not nearly as prevalent as the advertising would have you believe.
The animal captivity theme is the most central to the plot, but without getting into spoilers, the resolution of the film serves only to confuse what it actually has to say on the subject.
“The One and Only Ivan” is by no means the worst of the Disney+ original movies. That dubious distinction belongs to the abysmally reviewed “Artemis Fowl.” But if it is looking for a hit for the service, Disney better hope the long-awaited live action “Mulan” lives up to expectations.
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