When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son Josh struggles to adapt to his new school and new friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle – a singing crocodile who loves baths, caviar and great music – living in the attic of his new home. The two become fast friends, but when Lyle’s existence is threatened by evil neighbor Mr. Grumps, the Primm’s must band together with Lyle’s charismatic owner, Hector P. Valenti, to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places and there’s nothing wrong with a big singing crocodile with an even bigger personality.
For in-depth thoughts on Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, please see my colleague Andrew Fukui’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile to Blu-Ray with a dazzling 1080p video presentation. The film is also available on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, but that was not made available to me for review. The image is clean with the vibrant, natural color palette of the world popping off the screen. The film employs lovely splashes of colors within the setting, production design and costumes which makes for a very striking image. Black levels remain stable with not too much in the way of digital noise or crush. The flesh tones are natural with a good amount of detail present in close-ups, especially when it comes to the texture of makeup. The presentation provides an excellent amount of depth on display, especially in the interior shots of the apartment. Nearly every facet of this world provides crystal clear textural details. This Blu-Ray is every bit as wonderful as you would want from a modern movie.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a stellar DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that captures this whimsical tale beautifully. This literary adaptation is music-driven, so it is important to report that every tune radiates from the speakers in a wonderful, well-balanced way with a flawless fidelity. This is not a particularly action-driven movie, but there are moments of madcap chaos which engage the surround speakers in a really pleasing way. There are some really nice ambient details at nearly every turn which flesh out the setting. The low end of the track is robust when the moment calls for it. Dialogue always comes through clearly without being stifled by any competing sounds. The audio track is an excellent sounding presentation for this feature in all respects. There are English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Sing-Alongs: There are sing-along versions of the songs “Top Of The World,” “Rip Up The Recipe,” “Take A Look At Us Now” and “Carried Away.”
- Bloopers: A two-minute collection of flubbed lines, goofing around, giggle fits and more are provided here.
- Croc and Roll – Lyle On Set: A three-minute featurette in which the creative figures discuss what it was like to work with a “real life” crocodile.
- Take A Look At Us Now – The Cast: A nearly 11-minute piece which takes a look at the talented cast assembled, why they wanted to join this project, the qualities they bring to their roles, the mood they brought to set, the challenges they faced and more.
- Story Time Featuring Shawn Mendes and Javier Bardem: A nearly ten-minute featurette in which two of the film’s stars and other creatives read excerpts from some Lyle adventures in the original source material.
- “Top Of The World” Music Video: The three-minute music video is provided here.
- “Carried Away” Music Video: The four-minute music video is provided here.
- Josh Learns About Lyle’s Stage Fright – Deleted Scene: A two-minute unused scene that plays out as described. Lyle is unfinished in this one, so you get to see the motion-capture actor opposite Javier Bardem and some unfinished special effects outside, as well.
- Previews: There are trailers provided for Vivo, Cinderella (2021) and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.
Final Thoughts
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is an extravagant adaptation which embraces the relative lunacy of its premise. This is a family movie that runs strictly on whimsy and joy, and those who give themselves over to the experience might just find themselves tapping their toe or even shedding a tear. Shawn Mendes is not the most dynamic vocal performer for our titular character, but he obviously knows how to bring a song to life beautifully. The live-action cast members hold up much more favorably with the full commitment of their natural talents. Everyone appears to be embracing the opportunity to perform something a little lighter and sillier compared to their normal output. The music of the film is often catchy, but the narrative impact often feels lacking in comparison with the most effective musicals. Sony Pictures has provided a Blu-Ray disc that sports a great A/V presentation and a few solid supplements. While far from perfect, this is wholesome family entertainment for all ages. Recommended
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.