Disney has announced that its upcoming feature The One and Only Ivan will skip the theatres and instead premiere directly on its streaming service Disney+ on August 21.
The movie, based on author K A Applegate's 2012 bestseller of the same name, features an impressive voice cast of Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Danny DeVito, Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren.
Thea Sharrock has helmed the movie from a screenplay by Mike White.
The One and Only Ivan is the second Disney project, after Kenneth Branagh's Artemis Fowl, to avoid the theatrical route in the wake of the coronavirus-forced shutdown.
"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 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," she added.
The live-action and CGI hybrid film presents the story of Ivan, 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," the official logline read.
Rockwell plays the titular gorilla Ivan, while Jolie voice stars as Stella the elephant. DeVito is voice playing Bob the dog, Helen Mirren as Snickers the poodle and "The Florida Project" breakout Brooklynn Prince as Ruby the baby elephant.
The One and Only Ivan has been produced by the late Allison Shearmur, Jolie and Brigham Taylor, while Sue Baden-Powell and Sharrock serve as executive producer