The One and Only Ivan (2020):The Animal Drama That Asks Students What a Promise Is Worth Keeping

Twenty years inside a small mall enclosure raises a question for students before the story even gets going: what does it cost to spend a life performing for other people instead of living for yourself? Ivan has been the headline act at a mall circus for as long as he can remember, doing the same roar and chest beat every day, until a new arrival forces him to confront what that life has actually taken from him.

Based on Katherine Applegate's Newbery Medal winning novel, itself inspired by the true story of a real gorilla who spent decades inside a shopping mall, the movie follows Ivan and his circus friends, including the wise elephant Stella, the stray dog Bob, and Julia, the young daughter of the mall's caretaker. When Stella grows too weak to perform, she asks Ivan to promise that the newly arrived baby elephant Ruby will grow up somewhere better than a cage, and that promise becomes the thread that pulls the rest of the story forward.

The movie gives students a way into thinking about captivity, loyalty, and what it means to keep a promise even when it is difficult, all through characters who are easy to care about and a story that stays approachable for younger viewers.

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🦍 Ivan lets the audience in on what he's really feeling, even when his performance says otherwise. Sam Rockwell voices Ivan both in conversation with the other animals and in moments where he speaks directly to the audience, admitting that his roaring, chest beating act is just a show he has kept up for twenty years. That gap between what Ivan performs and what he actually feels gives students an easy way into talking about identity and self expression.

🐘 Stella's dying request to Ivan gives the whole story its emotional throughline. Before she dies, the elephant Stella asks Ivan to promise that Ruby will have a life free from a cage. That single promise is the reason Ivan risks everything by the end of the movie, and it gives students a clear thread to follow through the rest of the story.

🎨 Ivan's talent for painting becomes his path toward changing his circumstances. A young girl named Julia gives Ivan crayons and later paint, and his drawings end up mattering more to his future than his years of performing ever did. It is a quiet but clear message about being recognized for who you actually are.

🎪 Mack, the circus owner, is never written as a simple villain. Mack genuinely cares about the animals he has raised, even as he struggles to keep the circus afloat and makes decisions students can recognize as wrong. That gives students a more complicated picture of someone doing the wrong thing for reasons that are not evil, just short sighted.

📖 The story is based on a real gorilla who spent decades inside a shopping mall. Ivan is inspired by an actual silverback gorilla who lived for years as the star attraction of a mall circus before being relocated to a proper zoo habitat. Knowing the movie has roots in a true story gives its themes of captivity and freedom extra weight for students.

🐕 Bob the stray dog gives the story its humor without undercutting the more serious moments. Bob is sarcastic, a little cynical about humans, and fiercely loyal to Ivan, and he provides the comic relief that keeps the movie from becoming too heavy for younger viewers while it works through its themes of loss and captivity.

⚠️ Things to be aware of:

• Ivan's father is shot by poachers offscreen, heard but not shown, in a flashback to Ivan's separation from his family.
• Stella the elephant dies peacefully in her sleep due to exhaustion and illness.
• No sexual content, strong language, or substance use.

📚 English Language Arts Teachers. The One and Only Ivan is a strong fit for ELA classes covering book to movie comparisons, character analysis, or narrative writing, especially for classes that have read Katherine Applegate's novel. The guide covers two differentiated sets of comprehension questions along with favorite character writing and a storyboard and synopsis task for older grades, giving a range of comprehension and creative writing work to draw from.

🗣️ ESL and ELL Teachers. The multiple choice comprehension set works well with ESL and ELL students, giving them a structured way to follow the plot without relying on open ended written responses. The movie's clear visual storytelling also makes it easier for English language learners to track what is happening scene by scene.

🎬 Substitute Teachers and Cover Lessons. Hand it to a sub and walk away. The guide's differentiated comprehension questions, word search, and storyboard activity are all self contained and organized in chronological order, with answer keys included for both sets of comprehension questions. A substitute can run the full session without having seen the movie themselves.

🏠 Homeschool Parents. The One and Only Ivan works well for home learning, particularly for a parent reading the book alongside the movie with a younger child. The guide's differentiated question sets let a parent match the comprehension work to the child's level, while the favorite character writing and storyboard tasks give room for more independent, creative engagement with the story.

💙 SEL Teachers. Ivan's story centers on empathy, loyalty, and keeping a promise even when it is difficult, themes that fit naturally into SEL discussions around perspective taking and grief. The guide does not include SEL specific activities, but the comprehension questions keep students engaged with these themes as they move through the story.

🌟 Supporting All Learners Movie guides can be a wonderfully calm fit for students with autism, learning difficulties, and mild to severe disabilities. The structured format gives every student a clear purpose during viewing, easing uncertainty and allowing them to engage at their own pace. If you teach in a special education or learning support setting, you may find this guide a gentle and practical resource. Find out more about why movies work for diverse learners.

Part 1. Comprehension Questions
Two differentiated sets of questions in chronological order: 30 questions requiring full sentence answers, and 30 multiple choice questions with three possible answers. The multiple choice set works well with ESL and ELL students. Answer keys are included for both sets.

Part 2. Writing (Younger Grades)
Students write sentences using each letter of the word IVAN, then write about moments in the movie where they felt sad, happy, and excited, followed by circling the correct spelling of five animal words. A favorite character writing task then has students describe a character, reflect on their personality, and draw them.

Part 3. Word Fun and Word Search
A word bank of 15 movie related words anchors an unscrambling activity, a word tracing task, and a set of clue based questions to find matching words, followed by a full word search using the same word bank.

Part 4. Storyboard and Synopsis (Older Grades)
Students draw a nine scene storyboard of what they consider the most important parts of the movie, with a brief description for each scene, then use that storyboard as the basis for writing a synopsis of the movie.