In the days of action and adventure films, there has always been a dearth of musicals. Kids have become fans of various animals, be it Sonic the Hedgehog or DC League of Super Pets, but the recent live-action comedy, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, is a welcome addition to the musical collection. The out-and-out entertainer not only helps unite a family on-screen, but off-screen as well.

Lyle, the music-loving, scarf-wearing crocodile, first came on the scene in 1962, with Bernard Waber’s book The House on 88th East Street, followed by another book Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile three years later.

The recent movie begins when an energetic magician Hector Valenti (Javier Bardem) dreams big with the help of his singing pet crocodile. Valenti loses his three-story Victorian brownstone home when the sure-shot success show abruptly ends with the reptile refusing to perform in front of an audience. The magician leaves the city to earn money while Lyle is left to fend for himself.

One and a half years go by and a new family moves into the house. All members manage to befriend Lyle, who is now living in the attic. Lyle helps the family embrace the new life with his antics and makes a place for himself amongst them.

The dad Joseph Primms (Scoot McNairy) had issues adjusting to his new job, the son Josh (Winslow Fegley) couldn’t make new friends, while the step-mum (Constance Wu), in an attempt to keep the family together, has taken time off from her first love, cooking.

Lyle, a crocodile who only sings, unites the family and gives them the courage to achieve their goals. The neighbour Mr. Grumps, dislikes Lyle and plays the villain in this story by sending Lyle away, but the good guys unite to bring their friend back and keep the family together.

Canadian pop star Shawn Mendes voices the much-loved character of the reptile, while Hollywood star Javier Bardem steals the show with his acting as a flamboyant showman. The energy he brought to the screen with his song and dance performance was remarkable.

The director duo of Will Spek and Josh Gordon successfully combine various genres, musical, comedy, thriller and drama, and held the audience intact. The movie has its share of fun while you and your friends will keep singing the songs from the soundtrack for days. Altogether, the movie has a heart-warming storyline that puts a smile on the face of every family member.

Fun facts about crocodiles

• Crocodiles are carnivores (meat eaters) and very efficient hunters with excellent hearing and eyesight.

• They are aggressive, ambush predators who can wait for long hours for their prey to come close to their hiding position, before rushing to attack.

• The smallest crocodile species, the dwarf crocodile, grows to about 5.6 feet (1.7 metres) in length. The largest, the saltwater crocodile, can grow up to 23 feet (6.5 m) in length and can weigh up to 2,000 pounds (907 kg),

• Thanks to their slow metabolism, crocodiles can survive without food for months.

• Crocodiles have the most acidic stomach of any vertebrate, enabling it to digest bones, shells and hides of toughest preys.

• Crocodiles have been around for at least 225 million years but today, due to habitat destruction and poaching, many species are at the risk of extinction.

• The traditional people in Mauritania revere and protect crocodiles as they believe that the waters where these reptiles live would dry up if these animals were to disappear.

• Most young crocodiles have a very high infant mortality rate. In their first year of life, 99% of them are eaten by other predators like adult crocodiles, hyenas, lizards and fish.

• Nile crocodile has a well-deserved reputation as a vicious man-eater. Village women and children getting water or washing clothes by a riverbank are its most frequent preys.

• Over 200 crocodiles live in a pond near Manghopir shrine in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 3rd, 2022