One of this summer's best family films.

It doesn't feel like the film knows what it wants to be, and I think the biggest problem is that it brushes up against some really thorny territory like animal captivity and freedom... And yet it seems to really lack the teeth to go there.

The director and writer do introduce plot twists that are not in the book, but they should have gone further. They soften bits of it, with the younger viewers in mind. They should have had us on the edge of our seats...

Boasting an impeccable cast and one of my favorite scores of the year, this adaptation of Ivan's true story might follow a (slightly changed) generic formula, but it's undoubtedly an emotional journey worthy of everyone's attention.