The One And Only Ivan Writer Explains Changing Book For Movie Structure

Screenwriter Mike White‘s career has been varied to a huge degree. Having penned comedies like Orange County and School of Rock (which occupy different realms in the comedy sphere), White found himself in new territory with his latest film, The One and Only Ivan for Disney. Based on the book by K. A. Applegate, which is told in the first person from the titular gorilla, it presented a unique challenge for White not only because it’s an adaptation but also its unique structure. ComicBook.com got the chance to talk to White about this time writing the film and how he was able to adapt that story for the big screen.

“I read the book and I wasn’t really looking to do a kid’s adaptation at the time and then I was just kind of struck by how I was shedding some serious man tears throughout the book,” White said. “It’s a very touching and actually it speaks to an almost a more adult sensibility in certain ways. Obviously it speaks to kids, but it really packs a punch kind of book. And the message I thought was actually really cool and a kind of a message that I think was like, wow, Disney has a real platform for this animal rights message, I thought that was cool. So I was like, I’ll try this. But yeah, I think we wanted to stay true to the spirit of the book at the same time, build out the world a little bit, give it more of a plot. There’s certain expectations for a movie that the book, it delivers character and emotion, but it needed a little bit more humor plot and just a little bit more propulsion.”

Being ComicBook.com we also asked White if he’ll ever dip his toes into the world of superhero movie scripts.

“I feel like the superhero thing is like quicksand, once you’re in it you can never get out of it,” White said. “I’m afraid to even touch my toe into it ’cause I feel like I’ll never get out. I’ve never done, I can appreciate the superhero world but I’m not a full subscribing member as of yet…Lately there’s so many great superhero movies that are coming out now that people are excited about…As as I’ve gotten older and the movies have gotten more sophisticated and it’s the post-Christopher Nolan era, you realize that they can also be really thematically complex and dark and touch on things that you wouldn’t expect from, when you were a kid, what a comic book movie adaptation could be.”

The One and Only Ivan is available on Disney+ on August 21.