Based on the children’s book by Bernard Waber, Lyle Lyle Crocodile follows the titular character, who happens to be a singing crocodile, as he is discovered and finds a home. It’s a brisk and breezy tale about Josh, played by Winslow Fegley, a kid with anxiety and asthma who finds a friend that gives him strength and confidence…because he’s a singing crocodile. Don’t expect any greater depth than that.

Lyle Lyle Crocodile

The plot is as average as the performances, full of traditional family entertainment tropes and cliches that move the plot along from one set piece to the next but do nothing to foster the wonderment and joy that it seems the filmmakers were going for. Most of the time, Lyle Lyle Crocodile felt little more than the direct-to-streaming content on Disney, but it had slightly better production value and marginally better performances.

The film tries to be more than the sum of its parts with some half-realized sub-plots, like the dad trying to get his confidence back and the mom learning to be more fun and carefree. However, each of the characters’ obstacles is so minor and their resolution so quick, that there’s barely a sense that there is a problem, let alone giving the audience a feeling of catharsis when the issues are overcome. For example, the mother is a known chef/author of cookbooks, and there are two very small, almost throw-away moments in which it’s indicated that perhaps she cooks too healthy, but after singing a song with Lyle, she’s all “better” and they’re eating pizza for breakfast. Not exactly deep stuff there.

The music in the film is just as vanilla as the rest of the show. There are a few original songs that all blend together and sound like the same one, and a few classics like “How Sweet It Is” that don’t do anything to wow or excite. They’re competently performed by Shawn Mendez, who voices Lyle, but that’s it.

Ultimately, Lyle is a safe way to spend some family time with your little ones, which is more than many of us have come to hope for with today’s cinema. With average to slightly above-average performances by the cast (that’s including Javier Bardem, who’s playing to the back rows in every scene), Lyle won’t be memorable by the next day, but it probably won’t put you to sleep either.

INAPPROPRIATE ELEMENTS FOR CHILDREN

Third of Ten

• There’s a single utterance of “oh my God” that could have just as easily been omitted, but we all know that it’s okay to offend Christians, so I’ll count my blessings at that one utterance and be happy.

Look At The Bones

• There’s also a scene toward the end involving several crocodiles that may be menacing for the little ones but only the most sensitive among them.

WOKE ELEMENTS

DEI

• There’s some diversity for the sake of diversity, but it’s not preachy.

Beta Man

• The dad is, of course, a beta male who is to blame for his son’s anxiety. However, he recaptures his “power” at one point in the movie and is course-corrected.