“Lilo, my crocodile friend” is Paddington’s American cousin, for better or for worse

Movies about children who befriend an animal, monster, or fantastic creature are a genre of their own. ‘The Iron Giant’, ‘A Monster Comes to Find Me’, ‘A Monster Comes to Find Me’, ‘My Friend the Giant’ … The list goes on and on and grows every year with new additions. The latest to join this captivating tradition is “Lilo, my friend the crocodile”, a hybrid adventure of real action and CGI animation that introduces us to one of the most adorable digital creations so far this year: Lilo, a singing crocodile, and a little sybaritic, with the English voice of Shawn Mendez.

Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, known for more adult comedies like “Company Party” or the Marvel animated series “Hit-Monkey”, they make the leap to cinema for the whole family with the adaptation of a classic of children’s literature written by Bernard Waber and published in 1965. The book is not well known outside the United States, but with its adaptation to the big screen, the interest of the directors (and the studio) in making the story different is evident, making a film that adheres to all the norms of current children’s cinema and seeks to become a new world-famous property, such as “Peter Rabbit”, “Clifford the Big Red Dog” or “Paddington”.

In “Lilo, My Crocodile Friend” we meet the Primm family, made up of a father (Scoot McNairy), his new wife (Constance Wu) and their son, Josh (Winslow Fegley). The three move into a new apartment in New York, where young Josh struggles to adjust to his new school and new life in the big city, even though his fear of the outside world makes things difficult for him. Everything changes when the young man discovers he is hiding in the attic of his new home. a very special roommate: a crocodile who loves caviar, good music and long relaxing baths. Initially frightened, Josh soon realizes that Lilo is actually a gentle animal, except that one he does not speak, but communicates through singing. The two become best friends, but their existence is jeopardized by their gruff neighbor and community president, prompting Josh and his parents to turn to charismatic Hector P. Valenti (Javier Bardem), Lilo’s former owner, to ask. Help. the fear was not in line with the showman’s ambitions.

‘Lilo, my crocodile friend’ is a story about change, second chances and the idea of ​​overcoming fears and getting out of the comfort zone. To a greater or lesser extent, all characters live within the confines of their own limits, reluctant to explore unknown paths that may hold more than a surprise. The crocodile protagonist symbolizes that leap into the void that we should all take at some point, a life lesson that gives rise to a rather simple, but undoubtedly effective morality. If you don’t have the courage to try, how are you going to get it? It can be applied to the child who is afraid of starting school, the adult who feels stuck at work and might use a push to jump into the pool and change course, or someone who wants a change of scenery (New York, as a metaphor eternal for the idea of ​​starting a new life, is an important presence in the film). And in general, anyone who needs an angelic inner voice in the form of a crocodile to tell them that that (dance) step is worth taking.

Conceived as a music for the whole familywhere all family members end up singing one song or the other (everyone, from Wu to McNairy, passing through the boy and Bardem, have their number), ‘Lilo, the crocodile my friend’ tries to be “Paddington’s” American cousin, but remains more like a classmate than “Clifford, the big red dog”, a harmless and pleasant product, which does not harm and can be seen, but which lacks personality and true artistic aspiration. Rather superficial, “Lilo” can’t find that magic that is part of many of the films mentioned here, feeling like something rather mechanical and created by an algorithm, one of those films that force the heart instead of making it beat by itself.

That yes, despite this evident prefabricated character, there are sparks that bring it closer to that magic that separates the classics for children from Happy Meals. Especially in Lilo, an excellent CGI creation which, by its mere presence, quite compensates for the shortcomings of a very stereotypical script. The crocodile is simply adorable, especially in his child version (little Lilo is a cute thing that appears very rarely and leaves you wanting more), but also when he grows up, with Mendes breathing his soul through his voice. sweet and makes it clear the character not only sings like him, but also reproduces the attributes of the popular Canadian artist. But beyond that, Lilo is seamlessly integrated with the real world, making her interactions with humans one of the main attractions of the film.. It sounds unbelievable, but in 2022 we’re still seeing moderate, high-budget films with poor CGI, and here, Lilo appears to be there, the Primm family interacting with him in a realistic way and, therefore, connecting with them – and by extension, with the viewer – it is much more effective. Not to mention the musical numbers and action scenes, which seem above average.

Children’s version “The Greatest Showman”.

“Lilo, my crocodile friend” is not exactly a modest musical, but rather features two of the most acclaimed and sought after songwriters of the moment, responsible for their original songs: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the musicians behind “Dear Evan Hansen”, “Star City: La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman”. Although they sound a lot like déjà vu, the songs of “Lilo” have all the sense of entertainment and musical epic of the famous tandem’s works, recalling in particular the songs from the film with Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams, with whom he also shares (albeit marginally) the circus theme, represented in the character of Javier Bardem, an ambitious charlatan looking for success on the stage with whom he has a lot in common.

And well, Bardem deserves a separate mention. The Oscar-winning Spanish actor always gives his all, and this one is no exception. Far from going on autopilot, he devotes himself completely to the character and his grotesque and vaudeville spirit, demonstrating once again his versatility as an artist, but also applying the message of the film to himself. Bardem throws himself headlong into a genre in which he had no previous experience, the musical, and not only comes out of success, but ends up standing out above all. (It must also be said that Wu and McNairy are not much of a competition), acting in energetic and fun numbers in which he sings and dances as if he had already acted in several Broadway musicals.

Otherwise, “Lilo, my crocodile friend” fulfills what is expected of her. While it doesn’t break through its tacky surface, it’s a very sweet and easy-to-watch movie that doesn’t hurt, which is more than many similar products. With its colorful protagonist, infectious optimism, irresistible New York vibe and sense of entertainment, the film it offers the necessary distractions so that the little ones have fun and the older ones forget for a moment that there is almost nothing underneath.

Note: 6

The best: The integration of CGI with real action, baby Lilo and Javier Bardem give it their all.

Worse: The songs sound too familiar and the story is pretty flat. It tastes more like a product than a movie.