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When you tune into The One and Only Ivan (streaming on Disney+ Aug. 21), you may fawn over the cute and cuddly animals, tear up at the incredible bonds the characters forge with one another or marvel at the *stunning* sets. But one thing's for sure: You're going to root for Ariana Greenblatt and her character Julia, a mall janitor's daughter and inspired artist who's empowered to save her animal friends and fight for what is right. 

"You can expect to see a beautiful message and story of discovering friendship, keeping promises and respecting animals," says Ariana, 12, of the flick. (You may remember her as Young Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War, the mischievous little sis on Disney Channel's Stuck in the Middle or the cha cha-ing superstar on ABC's Dancing with the Stars Juniors.) While Ariana's been an animal lover for years (her current fave cuddly creatures are puppies, seals and honeybirds), working on Ivan ignited a newfound passion for animal rights: "I've always wanted to help animals in any way I possibly could, but I'm definitely going to do it more [actively] now. I hope that others are inspired by the film the way I was to treat animals kindly." 

Filming Ivan was definitely a unique experience. Since we (sadly) don't have sweet talking gorillas and baby elephants IRL, Ariana shot most of her scenes with human doubles. "I worked alongside [actor] Ben Bishop, who did the body language and movements of Ivan the gorilla while wearing a motion capture suit," Ariana explains. "It's a really tight suit with a bunch of colorful dots on it to help the animators do their CGI work." For the elephants, actors in "green screen suits" worked together to form the shape of an elephant. "I thought it was so cool," confesses Ariana. "You just have to use your imagination and picture the animal right in front of you." 

When Ariana isn't acting, she's been keeping busy at home. "[Quarantine] was harder at the beginning," Ariana says of her quick switch to Zoom school (#relatable). "Since [then], I've learned to skateboard, practiced the guitar and done *lots* more baking and cooking." Though she's eager to get back to her busy life, she's enjoyed the (much-deserved) time to relax. 

In the future, Ariana hopes to work with some of her acting heroes (Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio and Natalie Portman top her list) and to keep taking on characters that push and challenge her—like her upcoming role as Matilda in the Netflix thriller Awake starring Gina Rodriguez. But most of all, she hopes to be an inspiration to others:

"When I was younger, I didn't see a lot of people who looked like me on the screen," she says. "I hope to empower and inspire other young Latina girls as they grow up." 

Catch The One and Only Ivan on Disney+ starting Aug. 21. 

Image credits: Tiziano Lugli (Photographer). Stylist: Zadrian Smith. Hair: Paul Norton. Makeup: Fabiola. Stylist's Assistant: Patrick Lynere. Interview has been edited for clarity.

by Katherine Hammer | 8/21/2020