Ivan the Wonderful is a character in the 2019 remake of Dumbo. He is the circus' magician and Catherine the Greater's husband.
Background[]
Prior to the circus being re-established, Ivan's magic acts consisted of doves until a new policy about animals was established, causing him and Catherine to release their doves back into the wild.
Role in the film[]
Ivan and Catherine witness Joe and Milly Farrier running past them, telling them that they will be coming to the train station. They later stand next to each other near Holt Farrier just as he introduces them by name. After a reminder from Max Medici, Ivan and the other workers continue building the tent. The next day, Ivan and the other performers gaze upon Jumbo Junior, recently born to Mrs. Jumbo in awe. Later when Max tells Holt to make Jumbo Junior's ears smaller before the deadline he is given, Ivan shrugs, telling Holt not to blame him for the trouble. He and Catherine later entertain some guests in the sideshow section. Later after the incident with the elephant act due to Mrs. Jumbo's rampage at the circus causing it to collapse, Ivan (who has a coffee mug) gives his wife Catherine coffee with Mrs. Jumbo put into confinement as he calmly comforts her while Miss Atlantis calmly sings "Baby Mine".
The next day, Ivan and the other performers sadly gaze upon Mrs. Jumbo being taken away just as Dumbo, as he is now called, is sent to perform in the clown act, no longer in the elephant one. Later during his next one, Ivan and Catherine watch him in the role of a firefighter clown and as the platform begins to collapse due to one of the clowns' clumsiness, Ivan and Catherine become fearful about this, but thanks to Milly's help, he manages to fly around the tent.
Furthermore, Ivan and the other performers travel to an amusement park called Dreamland in Arkansas as Dumbo's act was a success. After it is found out that Vandevere Enterprises has fired all the performers, Holt, Joe, Milly, and the performers plan to rescue Dumbo by releasing him back into the wild alongside Mrs. Jumbo. Ivan plays an important role in arriving at Nightmare Island which he and the other performers barge into as he and Catherine work together to put in the fog effects to distract the dangerous animals and turn off the lights to confuse the guards just as the performers take the transport vehicle with Mrs. Jumbo inside just before the park owner, V.A. Vandevere and his guards try to stop the circus troupe. Later, Ivan, Joe, Milly, and the rest of the performers spend their last moments with Dumbo and Mrs. Jumbo before they get released into the wild.
At the end of the film, Ivan and Catherine are seen releasing a dove as part of a new policy of not including animals in the circus.
Trivia[]
- His name is a parody of Ivan the Terrible, though his last name sounds more positive than the latter's.
- According to the English Audio Description, he is identified having Latin American roots.
- Ivan's actor, Miguel Muñoz Segura, is a real-life magician, which also fits his character who is also a magician.
- He was created solely for the remake and has no animated counterpart.
