The One and Only Ivan (2020)

The One and Only Ivan (2020) is an American fantasy drama film based on the 2012 children’s novel of the same name by Katherine Applegate. Directed by Thea Sharrock and written by Mike White, the film follows Ivan, a gorilla who has spent 20 years as the main attraction at a circus located inside a shopping mall in Central Florida. Alongside his fellow animal performers – wise elephant Stella, spoiled poodle Snickers, spunky chicken Henrietta, toy fire truck-riding rabbit Murphy, anxious sea lion Frankie, and talkative parrot Thelma – Ivan forms a close bond with a stray dog who lives in his enclosure. George, the animals’ caretaker, often brings his daughter Julia to visit Ivan. After giving him her old crayons, Julia is able to interpret his drawings and names the stray dog Bob.

After business at the mall begins to decline, Mack’s solution is to acquire a baby elephant from a bankrupt circus, whom he names Ruby. The new addition draws in large crowds and quickly becomes the main attraction. However, Ivan, who is used to being the star of the show, struggles with accepting Ruby into their circus family. As Stella’s health deteriorates and she is no longer able to perform, Ivan pushes Ruby to take center stage. In a heartfelt conversation later on, Ivan reveals that Mack and his wife Helen had adopted him when he was just a baby. But as Ivan grew bigger and more wild, Helen could not handle it and left. Eventually, Mack bought the mall and transformed it into a circus.