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MOVIE FEATURE

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golden voice to the movie’s CGI star, and the filmmakers were wowed when Javier Bardem agreed to actually sing, performing a duet with Mendes no less. “Hector P. Valenti was a really fun part to play,” says the actor. “The fun situations he gets into, the dialogues, his way of being on and off stage… it was a joyful ride.” Moreover, Bardem delighted everyone by nailing the movie’s main theme song, Take a Look at Us Now . “I’m not a singer, so it’s tricky for me to learn such complex songs. It was a challenge, but I loved it. I loved the preparation it took to get into the songs, the lyrics, the rhythms, every bit of the recording experience,” he says. And then there’s Lyle, who isn’t just any crocodile - he is a singing crocodile. “That came from the source material – Lyle was raised by a vaudevillian performer, so it was a really exciting way to bring pop music into the narrative and make the film distinctive,” says Speck. The filmmakers decided that Lyle would be a character with plenty to say, but who cannot speak – only expressing himself through music and physical gestures. “It’s in how his eyes move, his tail's personality, how he uses his physical space – Lyle's humour shines through,” says Speck. “He's a towering, very intimidating creature, but also radiates warmth, whether he's breaking your heart or singing Stevie Wonder.”

Imagine discovering a fully-grown singing crocodile in your attic?That’s the premise of comedy-musical Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile , based on BernardWaber’s best-selling book series. Words Gill Pringle CROCODILE ROCK

• Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is out on Mar 29

“W hat’s great about Lyle is that it's a bit of wish Will Speck. “It's the pet that you wish you had. It's the discovery you wish you had found in your attic.” But more than that, it’s what Lyle stands for. “It's the agent of change that comes in and fixes the things in your life that aren't quite working, and brings joy and passion and music into your life,” adds co-director Josh Gordon. Set in NewYork City, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile stars Javier Bardem as failed magician Hector P. Valenti, who wanders into an exotic pet store where he finds a singing baby crocodile and names him Lyle. Seeing Lyle as an opportunity to get rich in the talent business, he places his three-storey Victorian brownstone home as collateral for an ambitious show, but Lyle gets stage fright during the premiere and Valenti loses the home. Forced to move out, Hector reluctantly leaves Lyle to fend for himself with just fulfillment,” says co-director

publication over 50 years ago, Speck and Gordon have been fans of the Lyle books since childhood. “Lyle comes into the lives of so many different people. Once you can get over the intimidation and the fantastical idea that this crocodile can communicate in a human way, he influences change, in a timeless and relatable way,” says Speck. “There's something about becoming friends with an animal that has the capacity to eat you if it decides that you've said the wrong thing,” adds screenwriter Will Davies,

WHO IS LYLE? Lyle first appeared in Bernard Waber's popular 1962 children's book The House on East 88th Street , followed by nine sequels. He went on to become a beloved character amongst young readers, alongside the likes of Peter Rabbit and Paddington Bear. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile was also adapted as an animated musical special for HBO in 1987.

a music player loaded with the singing reptile’s favourite songs. Lyle makes a go of things in the attic of the brownstone, enjoying his baths and his music, until the Primm family moves in. A classic since its

DYK?

who – as a writer of How to Train Your Dragon – knows something

Directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon are the filmmaking duo behind Blades of Glory (2007) and Office Christmas Party (2016).

about possibly lethal pets. “There's something about the danger in that that's really cool.” Pop star Shawn Mendes lends his

28 MARCH 2023

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