"stand by and fight for as an animal lover. The highest praise I can offer this film is that it feels surprisingly immersive, even when watching at home. When Ivan talked, I never thought "that's Sam Rockwell!". I always looked and heard Ivan as Ivan, same with every other character. The animals look impressively realistic, but movie magic reached a point where I can't even tell the difference between a real animal and a fake one sometimes. It's not really the case of The One and Only Ivan, bu"

"no matter the nature of any role he plays, is always enjoyable and/or likeable. He brings heart as Mack, as do Sam Rockwell (Ivan) and Angelina Jolie (Stella). I liked Danny DeVito as Bob, while Ariana Greenblatt portrays the wholesome Julia well. The (true) premise is something we've all seen before, as such you're just waiting for the 'penny to drop' so the film can get going - once that happens onscreen events do improve, culminating in a very touching end. <em>'The One and Only Ivan'</em>"