‘The One And Only Ivan’ Skips Theaters For Disney+

By Dave McNary, Variety
Published June 12, 2020, 2:32 p.m. ET

Disney has moved its animal adventure movie The One and Only Ivan, with a voice cast that includes Sam Rockwell and Angelina Jolie, out of theaters and onto its Disney+ streaming service on Aug. 21.

The studio announced the shift Friday — the same day that it began streaming “Artemis Fowl,” which was also originally intended to be a theatrical release.

“The world has changed in a heartbeat. People all over the globe have shared important, life changing experiences in ways we have not seen for a century,” said the film’s director, Thea Sharrock, in a statement. “In response to this, I am so happy that we can share Katherine Applegate’s delightful and original story, The One and Only Ivan with the world this August on Disney+, bringing some joy through this unique movie of true friendship, inspired by a true story.”

The film, which mixes live-action and CGI, is based on Applegate’s novel of the same name. Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall with Stella the elephant and Bob the dog. He has few memories of the jungle where he was captured, but when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him and causes him to question his life.

Rockwell voices Ivan. Other voice cast include Jolie as Stella the elephant, Danny DeVito as Bob the dog, Helen Mirren as Snickers the poodle, Chaka Khan as Henrietta the chicken, Mike White as Frankie the seal, Brooklynn Prince as Ruby the baby elephant, Ron Funches as Murphy the rabbit and Phillipa Soo as Thelma the parrot.

Ramon Rodriguez, Ariana Greenblatt and Bryan Cranston also star in The One and Only Ivan. Sharrock directed from a screenplay by Mike White based on Applegate’s novel. Producers are the late Allison Shearmur, Angelina Jolie and Brigham Taylor.

It’s the latest revamp in studio schedules in the wake of mass shuttering of multiplexes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Though movie theaters in some states have started to reopen, the majority of cinema chains are still closed. Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island, a comedy starring Pete Davidson, also debuted Friday on digital rental services in lieu of a traditional theatrical rollout.

Disney also announced Friday that Peter Jackson’s documentary The Beatles: Get Back, which was initially set for Sept. 4 of this year will now go close to a year later on Aug. 27, 2021. The doc includes footage from studio sessions and the Beatles final live performance on a rooftop in London. Additionally, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie moved from Oct. 23, 2020, to Jan. 22, 2021, and the studio dated The Personal History of David Copperfield for a limited release on Aug. 14, 2020.