Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 22, 2022

The most commonly shared word amongst various movie reviews today may very well be "book" as in "the movie is based on the book..." That is true of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile...sort of. The movie based on the books (plural) The House on East 88th Street, first published in 1962, and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, first published in 1965, both by acclaimed author Bernard Waber. That's a long time for a film adaptation to materialize, but it took that long for the technology to be available to make the film look and feel right. The picture blends live action and digital animation and is much in the same family-friendly style as last year's Clifford The Big Red Dog. This is not a particularly robust film, but it's a satisfying little escapist jaunt through essential human emotions and stories, here with a crocodile rather than a person taking center stage.

Failing magician Hector P. Valenti (Javier Bardem) knows that he needs to up his game if he’s going to up his name. Looking to boost his act, he heads to a shop in search of something truly unique and memorable for his act. He happens across a baby crocodile. He brings the creature home and teaches him to sing. Soon, Lyle (voiced by Shawn Mendes) is singing up a storm. However, Lyle suffers from stage fright! Valenti loses most everything he has, including his home, because Lyle will not perform. Sometime later, the Primm family – mom (Constance Wu), dad (Scoot McNairy), and son Josh (Winslow Fegley) -- move in. Josh is new to New York, and he is terrified of everything –- seen or unseen, heard or unheard, experienced or suspected –- until he discovers Lyle. Soon, Josh and the crocodile become best friends, but it is quickly brought to light that Valenti is not done with Lyle and still sees the croc as his ticket to stardom.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile isn't going to wow anyone with significant narrative depth or acting aplomb, but it is nevertheless a fun and safe family film about stage fright, togetherness, and friendship. Lyle's talented singing prowess is matched only by his reluctance to perform on the stage, but it soon becomes clear that singing before an audience isn't as important as finding one's voice in other areas of life. These are narratively vacuous plot threads that don't break new ground, but they serve as an adequate backdrop for the various song and dance numbers (this is as much a musical as it is anything else) and the character camaraderie and interaction that develops throughout the film. Adults will likely be fiddling with their phones during this one, but kids will be enthralled by the sheer presence of the title character and the various uptempo musical numbers that populate the film.

The special effects are, of course, the film's bread, while its music is the butter. The two are inexorably interconnected in most every sequence as Lyle, from infancy, is groomed to sing and falls in love with music. The film gets most of its mileage not out of the drama that ensues but rather of the family fun that follows, as Lyle becomes part of the family and various musical numbers allow him to bond with the Primms. Audiences will fall in love as Lyle sings and dances and interacts on the screen with impressive fluidity and visual seamlessness. Even though it's clear he's CGI, it's CGI done very well, and the aesthetic strikes a fine balance between interactive realism and maintaining a slight detachment from reality that gives the movie a sense of place and purpose as entertainment first and foremost.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony releases Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile to the Blu-ray format with an impressive 1080p transfer. The image is very warm, and colors often favor pushes to amber and gold and red, with other tones feeling slightly desaturated at times. Still, there are fine dynamics in play, including the digital green crocodile skin, various examples of clothes, and other tones seen throughout the film, especially in well-lit city exteriors or the brightest clothes, like orange and blue Florida Gators apparel. Black levels and white balance are solid. Skin tones push to that warm shade but look fine within the color timing parameters. Clarity is excellent and details are very sharp. Facial intricacies are clearly defined, environments hold tack sharpness whether inside or out, and clothes present with all of the clarity and fine fabric definition Blu-ray viewers could want. Certainly, the companion and concurrently released UHD offers better, but Blu-ray only fans should find this a very respectable image in all areas of concern, especially considering the relative absence of any source flaws or encode artifacts.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is a film that needs a good audio track, and Sony has provided just that with the Blu-ray's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack (note that, as per studio norms, the UHD offers a Dolby Atmos soundtrack). The 5.1 track is plenty active and alive. It's teeming with opportunity to strut its stuff, particularly in the musical numbers, which are lively and engaging with excellent spatial awareness, lifelike detail, and satisfying low end depth accompaniment. Lyrics are crystal-clear, too, and so is dialogue, which maintains natural front and center positioning for the duration. City environments and bustling school hallways spring to life with impressively immersive dynamics. A few larger hits and mild action-type effects are pleasantly placed and supported by balanced low end depth. This is a rock-solid listen in all areas of concern.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile contains a fair number of extras, though most of them are fluff. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Sing-Alongs (1080p, 8:07 total runtime): Song from the film with karaoke-style lyrics on the screen. Included are Top of the World, Rip Up the Recipe, Take a Look at Us Now, and Carried Away.
• Bloopers (1080p, 2:08): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Croc and Roll -- Lyle on Set (1080p, 2:32): In this fun piece, cast and crew talk about working with "Lyle" on the set.
• Take a Look at Us Now -- The Cast (1080p, 7:28): A quick run through of key cast and the qualities that the actors who portray them bring to the film.
• Story Time Featuring Shawn Mendes and Javier Bardem (1080p, 9:21): Collected cast and crew read The House on 88th Street.
• Music Video (1080p, 2:52): "Top of the World" by Shawn Mendes.
• Music Video (1080p, 3:54): "Carried Away" by Shawn Mendes.
• Josh Learns About Lyle's Stage Fright -- Deleted Scene (1080p, 2:06): A scene in an early stage of development; Lyle appears in human form.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is not a groundbreaking film, not narrative and not technically. It's just another in a recent string of live action-digital hybrids like the aforementioned Clifford as well as The Smurfs and Paddington that are showcases for what modern movie technology can do. The film itself is not necessarily a classic, but it is a winner. It will please its target audience and, in this day and age, that's about par for the course. Sony's Blu-ray delivers excellent video and audio along with an average assortment of extras. Recommended.