Murphy is a character from the 2020 Disney+ original film The One and Only Ivan.
Background[]
Murphy is a rabbit who rides a fire truck his size occasionally using a fire hose whenever he performs. Serving as one of the stars of the Big Top Mall, he is popular with children who watch him perform at the circus. He also often wears a red bow tie on his neck to show that he is a performing rabbit. Like typical rabbits in real life, Murphy uses his hind legs to move by hopping if he is not riding on his fire truck.
Role in the film[]
Murphy is introduced at the beginning of the film where he performs his firefighter act where he drives his fire truck across the ring, being a popular animal with the children who enjoy the circus. The next day, Murphy's fire truck is seen being carried by George who is getting him ready for his firefighter act along with Mack getting the other animals ready for their acts.
Later when Ruby the Baby Elephant becomes a new addition to the circus, Bob tells Murphy that there is a new animal coming, alongside Henrietta which Murphy questions her about where Ruby's home will be at. Murphy then notices Ruby's arrival from the Handley Brothers Circus to the Big Top Mall, alongside the other animals. When Henrietta tells Murphy if Mack would put her in a fire truck like Murphy's, the latter becomes irritated of Henrietta's thoughts about Ruby, much to Murphy expecting for a female rabbit to be his partner. After Ruby arrives, Henrietta asks Murphy if the staff will place Ruby in a fire truck, which Murphy tells her that Ruby cannot fit in his fire truck The following night, Murphy sits next to Henrietta who is also mourning Stella's death where Henrietta sadly places her head on Murphy's, just as the other animals and the rest of the Big Top staff mourn Stella's death.
Furthermore, Murphy, who is riding on his fire truck, follows Ivan and the other animals as part of Ivan's plan to escape into the wild only to find out that the doors at the entrance to the Big Top Mall are locked, unable to escape, but to Ivan's strength, he breaks through the doors seeing trees from a distance, causing the other animals to escape. As Henrietta tells Frankie to keep up telling him to hurry before the police arrives the bring the animals back to their enclosures, Murphy tells her that he will use his hose to keep the police away from them. While following alongside the other animals into the "forest", Murphy attempts to follow him, but cannot accelerate his fire truck, which Ivan rescues Murphy in time, but his toy fire truck is destroyed after being hit by a car, bringing Murphy to safety. As Murphy temporarily enjoys his freedom with the other animals in the woods, they later find out that this "forest" is an intersection. Mack brings all the escaped animals back into their enclosures.
The next day, Henrietta approaches Murphy who receives a yellow toy fire truck as a replacement of the red one that was destroyed by a car in the highway as Murphy tells her that he is not used to the color yellow yet. The following day after the audience became impressed of Ivan's masterpiece, protesters arrive at the Big Top Mall, demanding all the animals to be free; Murphy, Henrietta, Frankie, and Thelma are taken away from the circus to be sent to a better home, followed by Ivan and Ruby being relocated at Zoo Atlanta.
Trivia[]
- It is unknown how Murphy learned how to perform at a firefighter act at the circus in the first place.
- "Murphy" is a surname of Irish origin, which rabbits are an abundant species in Ireland in real life.
v - e - d  | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|