58
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- Watching Ivan discover his love of art is intoxicating, too, particularly when his realization that he can use it to communicate results in a truly breathtaking tableau. The film’s genuine bursts of emotion, combined with the wry warmth of the vocal performances and the deftly realistic rendering of the CGI animals, give the project a silverback gorilla-sized heaping of heart.
- 75IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandIt builds to a conclusion that, like the best parts of this film, combines movie-magic whimsy with hard-won realism, slipping some very grown-up ideas (and ideals) into a classic talking-animal charmer.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenThe Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenJolie, who also serves as producer along with Brigham Taylor and the late Allison Shearmur, invests her fragile pachyderm with a gentle, world-weary wisdom, while Cranston makes you feel his world crumbling beneath him in a performance that could have easily flirted with cartoon villainy in less accomplished hands.
- 63The Associated PressJake CoyleThe Associated PressJake CoyleThe real story of Ivan is more interesting even if it’s probably too dispiriting and shameful for a Disney movie. At the same time there’s some awkwardness in relating such an animal-rights tale with fart jokes and a celebrity voice ensemble.
- 50Slant MagazineDerek SmithSlant MagazineDerek SmithThe charitable representation of Bryan Cranston’s character greatly diminishes the emotional resonance of the film’s dramatic turns in the final act.
- 50Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreRendered toothless, with barely a hint of menace or humor, much less jokes or sight gags, “Ivan” plays as downbeat and dispirited.
- 50USA TodayBrian TruittUSA TodayBrian TruittIt’s cute and heartfelt at times, though the adventure by director Thea Sharrock (“Me Before You”) can’t decide between being a fun-filled romp or an animal-rights drama.
- The One and Only Ivan always “feels” like a movie without actually being compelling enough to be truly entertaining.
- 50Screen RantMolly FreemanScreen RantMolly FreemanThe One and Only Ivan has a good heart at the center of this mediocre animal tale, which never quite delivers on the requisite Disney magic.
- 40The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeRather than a heartwarming family favourite-in-the-making, The One and Only Ivan is just a vaguely watchable cookie-cutter caper thrown together by people who should know how to make something far sweeter and substantial, a fleeting attraction for undiscerning young kids and a whelming waste for anyone older.