One Lucky Elephant

2009

1h 24m

Documentary

List

96%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

73%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

Sixteen years after adopting Flora, a 10,000-pound elephant that is the main attraction of a St. Louis circus, trainer David Balding resolves to return his beloved beast to a more natural home. This documentary follows Balding as he investigates suitable new habitats, journeying from Botswana to Miami and Tennessee. Though he eventually finds a sanctuary for the elephant, all is not well, as the new owners exercise their rights to keep Balding away from Flora.

Read More

Read Less

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Simple enough to delight a child and complex enough to baffle a philosopher.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 18, 2011

Full Review

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

How affected are these animals by the physical pain of being trained or by childhood trauma? Can they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder? What can trigger that if they can? All these questions are raised and, quite appropriately, left open.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 23, 2011

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

What begins as a simple man-and-his-pachyderm love story ends up encompassing unexpected levels of trauma and sacrifice.

Rated: A-

Jun 22, 2011

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Posing thought provoking questions about exotic animals and captivity, as well as man's imprint on the animal world, One Lucky Elephant will bring a tear to your eye, a smile to your heart, and awaken your own conscience.

Nov 16, 2019

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

You'll find no truer or more empathetic documentary on the big screen this year.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 5, 2019

Full Review

Brent Simon

Shared Darkness

An extraordinary movie about inter-species relationships, and the beauty, enrichment and, ultimately, constraints of those bonds.

Rated: A-

Apr 21, 2012

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

Very sad in a way, to see the after effects of what capture and culling of elephants in the wild does. I am glad that Flora has gone on to a happy life, but it is a pity it is at such sad costs. Feel sorry for her previous owner, but did feel the man was in denial about her misbehaviour.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Touching and thought-provoking story that examines humans' relations with circus animals, and where they go when it's time for retirement.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A well done documentry. It doesn't change my opinion of people with exotic pets.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A deeply personal and emotional documentary about a man and his elephant, One Lucky Elephant outlines the relationship developed between a human and an animal all the while providing enough background on the captivity and management of elephants.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I liked it but it was kind of heart breaking. Any movie about circus animals can be hard to watch. He was a well cared for animal however....so not heartbreaking in that sense.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This show highlights the exact reason I boycott circuses...mainly because of the elephants. At least this man treated her really well and recognized she needed a different life. I hope this film raises awareness of the plight of wild animals who need a better life of freedom, if not in the wild again, then to live out their lives in a sanctuary of some sort.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Lisa Leeman

Director

Cristina Colissimo

Screenwriter

Cristina Colissimo

Producer

Jordana Glick-Franzheim

Producer

Lizzie Friedman

Executive Producer

Greg Little

Executive Producer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

83%

84%

The Elephant in the Living Room

74%

77%

African Cats

74%

75%

Chimpanzee

97%

65%

Sweetgrass

87%

88%

The Last Lions

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: Super 8 is Certified Fresh

View more photos

Synopsis

Sixteen years after adopting Flora, a 10,000-pound elephant that is the main attraction of a St. Louis circus, trainer David Balding resolves to return his beloved beast to a more natural home. This documentary follows Balding as he investigates suitable new habitats, journeying from Botswana to Miami and Tennessee. Though he eventually finds a sanctuary for the elephant, all is not well, as the new owners exercise their rights to keep Balding away from Flora.

Director: Lisa Leeman
Producer: Cristina Colissimo, Jordana Glick-Franzheim
Screenwriter: Cristina Colissimo
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Runtime: 1h 24m