The One and Only Ivan (2020)

The One and Only Ivan is a 2020 American drama film directed by Thea Sharrock and written by Mike White based on the 2012 children's book by Katherine Applegate. Inspired by the true story of Ivan the gorilla, the film stars the voices of Sam Rockwell as Ivan alongside Angelina Jolie (who helped Allison Shearmur and Brigham Taylor to produce the film), Danny DeVito, Helen Mirren, Brooklynn Prince, Chaka Khan, Ron Funches, Phillipa Soo, and White, with the human characters portrayed by Ramón Rodríguez, Ariana Greenblatt, and Bryan Cranston.

The project was first announced in 2014, and went into production two years later. The cast was assembled between October 2017 and May 2018, with filming taking place in Florida in summer 2018. Originally intended to have a theatrical release, The One and Only Ivan was made available to stream on Disney+ from August 21, 2020, and received mixed reviews from critics. The film received nominations from both BAFTA and the Academy Awards for its visual effects, but lost both to Tenet.

The film was dedicated in memory of Allison Shearmur who died of lung cancer on January 19, 2018.

The film was removed from Disney+ on May 26, 2023, amidst a Disney+ and Hulu content purge as part of a broader cost cutting initiative under Disney CEO Bob Iger. It was, however, re-released on multiple video-on-demand platforms on September 26, 2023.