The One and Only Ivan to Premiere on Disney+

Disney has made another wave of release date changes for its upcoming movies as it continues to adjust for the closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to shifting release dates, Disney's latest announcement also revealed that one of its theatrical films would be moving to Disney+ for an exclusive premiere on the streaming service. The upcoming animated film The One and Only Ivan, based on the book by Katherine Applegate, is going to debut on Disney+ on August 21st.

This announcement comes on the same day as Disney's Artemis Fowl adaptation premieres on Disney+. Like The One and Only Ivan, Artemis Fowl was initially supposed to be released in theaters, but the schedule shift in response to the pandemic caused Disney to send it to streaming.

"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 director Thea Sharrock. "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 One and Only Ivan features the voice of Sam Rockwell as Ivan the gorilla, Angelina 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, Brooklyn Prince as Ruby the baby elephant, Ron Runches as Murphy the rabbit, Phillipa Soo as Thelma the parrot. The voice cast also includes Ramon Rodriguez, Ariana Greenblatt, and Bryan Cranston.

You can read the synopsis for Disney's The One and Only Ivan below.

"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. Ruby is recently separated from her family in the wild, which causes him to question his life, where he comes from and where he ultimately wants to be."

Are you looking forward to checking out The One and Only Ivan on Disney+ later this summer? Let us know in the comments!