THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN"
(2020) (Bryan Cranston, voice of Sam Rockwell) (PG)

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: A silverback gorilla -- who's the star attraction of a small, mall-based zoo and can talk to the other animals but not the humans -- must contend with a new addition to the show.

PLOT:

For years, the silverback gorilla Ivan (voice of SAM ROCKWELL) has been the star of the Big Top Mall Circus that's long past its heyday. While Ivan can't converse with Mack (BRYAN CRANSTON), the man who raised him since he was little and serves as the headmaster of the circus, he does speak English with the rest of the animals.

That includes his oldest friend, Stella the elephant (voice of ANGELINA JOLIE), and newest one, Bob (voice of DANNY DeVITO), a canine mutt who's not part of the act but hangs around the various cages like he is. There's also Snickers (voice of HELEN MIRREN), a prim poodle who lives in Mack's office; Henrietta (voice of CHAKA KHAN) the baseball-playing chicken; Frankie the neurotic seal (voice of MIKE WHITE); and Murphy (voice of RON FUNCHES), a rabbit who rides around in a toy fire truck.

They're not only cared for by Buck, but also George (RAMON RODRIGUEZ) whose young daughter, Julia (ARIANA GREENBLATT), tries to distract herself from her mom's illness by drawing and hanging around the animals, particularly Ivan. The latter is concerned about the dwindling crowds and does his best to pretend to be a fierce gorilla, but that hasn't been of much help of late.

Things change when Mack introduces the newest animal to the bunch, a baby elephant named Ruby (voice of BROOKLYNN PRINCE) who Stella immediately takes under her trunk, and the newcomer ends up replacing Ivan as the headliner. While contending with that, the gorilla must also figure out how to keep a promise to Stella to find a way to make sure Ruby can grow up and live in the wild rather than a cage.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: It's a good bet many younger ones will.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG: For mild thematic elements.

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