Interview: Will Speck and Josh Gordon Talk Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

Last Updated on October 20, 2022

This weekend, moviegoers met a singing crocodile. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is a musical with a touch of animation courtesy of its singing and dancing leading man. Well, more like a croc. With Shawn Mendes covering the vocals, Lyle is a sweet reptile with some serious vocal talent. Yet, he can only sing. Recently, we spoke with the men behind the music, Mr. Gordon and Mr. Speck. It was terrific talking with these filmmakers about merging animation with live-action. The two also discussed the casting of Javier Bardem and Winslow Figley. The cast is quite good here, and the director shows respect for the source material. Check out Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile at a theatre near you (read our review), and check out the interview in the embed above.

Along with Mendes, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile also stars Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy, Brett Gelman, Winslow Figley, and Javier Bardem. And frankly, watching Mr. Bardem sing and dance is quite a delight. Josh Gordon and Will Speck direct the film with charm and clearly, a bit of humor.

The film has the following synopsis:

When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son, Josh, struggles to adapt to his new school and friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle, a singing crocodile that loves baths, caviar and great music. The two become fast friends, but when evil neighbor Mr. Grumps threatens Lyle’s existence, the Primms must band together to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places.