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The One and Only Ivan | 2020 | PG | – 0.3.1
Why is “The One and Only Ivan” rated PG? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “mild thematic elements.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes several scenes of mild peril, an animal dies, stories of human cruelty to animals, and a few arguments and threats of being fired, discussions of animal captivity and some name-calling. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.
Inspired by a true story: Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla (voiced by Sam Rockwell), the main attraction of a small circus in a suburban shopping mall. Craving for a life outside a cage, he becomes a sensation when he shows off his artistic talents by painting. Also with Bryan Cranston, Ariana Greenblatt, Ramon Rodriguez and the voices of Angelina Jolie, Phillipa Soo, Helen Mirren, Danny DeVito and Brooklynn Prince. Directed by Thea Sharrock. [Running Time: 1:34]
The One and Only Ivan SEX/NUDITY 0
– None.
The One and Only Ivan VIOLENCE/GORE 3
– Gorillas in a forest hear noises and men’s voices, they run and a male gorilla places his young son high in a tree and then charges the men (off-screen) and we hear a gunshot, that presumably killed the gorilla and we hear that the rest of the gorillas were separated. An adult elephant dies and we see her enclosure empty afterward and other animals seem sad. We see and hear about a baby elephant being trapped in deep mud in a large hole in the ground and that people helped her out by tying a rope around her and pulling her up. We see a man training a baby elephant and the man becomes frustrated when the animal does not do what he is telling her to do; a gorilla in a cage snorts and becomes upset and a young girl asks her father to make the man stop; the elephant eventually sits down and spurts liquid on the man’s face and blows his hairpiece back (he leaves in a huff). A dog bites a man on the buttock and the man yells and falls off a ledge (he’s OK).
► A man with a net chases a dog into a gorilla cage and when the gorilla stands behind him and blows a raspberry at him the man faints and the animals run away. A gorilla is taken away from a circus enclosure in a cage and we see him wake up in a room where he becomes spooked, he rams a large door and a woman opens it to show an outdoor area for the gorilla to roam and be free. A gorilla breaks a glass door of a shopping mall and we hear the alarm blaring; several animals run through the parking lot and across a road, with a rabbit in a toy firetruck being stuck at the curb and nearly run over by an oncoming car (the car crushes the rabbit’s firetruck). Several animals run through woods and stop when they see the woods end and there is a city ahead of them; a man approaches and convinces them to go back where they came from. A man enters a transport truck and is pushed back onto his back by something inside that we cannot see. A man is reprimanded for letting a dog into a cage with a gorilla and the man unlocks the cage and moves toward the dog when the gorilla stands in his way scaring the man; he leaves without the dog.
► We hear that a dog was abandoned on the street by humans and that he fell off a bridge and nearly drowned. A man reprimands a gorilla for not performing. A man threatens to fire a security guard for not keeping a dog away from a gorilla. We hear about a baby gorilla being saved and raised in a home with a man and a woman until the woman got tired of the messes the animal would make and left. A baby elephant is afraid to perform without the adult elephant that had been caring for her; she is encouraged by her other friends and does just fine. A young girl pleads with her father to help free a gorilla. Many people with signs chant in protest outside a mall and demand that animals inside be freed. We hear that a gorilla was saved from poachers and raised by humans and that he didn’t go outside for 27 years. A young girl talks about her mother being very sick and that she wishes that she could change things by drawing them really well and the way she wants them to turn out. A gorilla says, “I’m very scary.” A dog tells a gorilla that he thought his performance showed real rage. A gorilla says that he dreamt that he ate a furry donut when a puppy came into his cage and slept on his stomach.
► We see animals performing acts for audiences in a circus-like setting: a chicken plays baseball, a seal balances a ball on his nose, a gorilla roars and pounds his chest, and an elephant poses on risers while a dog stands on the elephant’s head; children flinch when the gorilla roars in a couple of scenes. A young gorilla is shown smearing cake on the wall of a kitchen and a woman enters and looks frustrated, and the animal later is shown tearing up a sofa and throwing stuffing in the air causing the woman to leave and we hear that she did not return. A dog licks between his legs in a couple of scenes. A dog wakes up with a start after a dream about being blamed for stealing kibble. A dog says that he would nibble on a child’s nose. A young gorilla is shown smearing mud on a rock as if he is painting. Two young gorillas play tag and one slaps the other in the head, and then chases him and they fall in a mud puddle and wrestle briefly.
► An adult elephant steps very gingerly on one foot and seems to be in pain; a man looks at her foot and says he sees nothing but will call the vet. A dog flatulates. A dog licks a gorilla on the face and he protests and tells him he is “disgusting.” A gorilla blows a raspberry a couple of times.
The One and Only Ivan LANGUAGE 1
– Name-calling (ferocious, ham, neurotic, loser, presumptuous, flash in the pan, stupid, disgusting, Mud, Tag, dumb, humans are the worst), exclamations (bingo, oh, out of your mind, are you kidding me, shut her up, what the heck, heck), 1 religious exclamation (Holy Moly). | profanity glossary |
The One and Only Ivan SUBSTANCE USE
– None.
The One and Only Ivan DISCUSSION TOPICS
– Wild animals in captivity, family, friendship, business, domesticity, freedom, kindness, bankruptcy, animal conservancy.
The One and Only Ivan MESSAGE
– Not all humans are bad.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
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