The plot focuses on a family who moves to New York City, where their struggling son befriends a crocodile, Lyle, who can communicate verbally only by singing.

The film stars Shawn Mendes as Lyle's singing voice, alongside Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Winslow Fegley, Scoot McNairy, Brett Gelman, and Ego Nwodim.

In New York City, a charismatic magician named Hector P. Valenti wants to try out on a national talent show but is constantly rejected.

One day after a failed audition, he wanders into an exotic pet store, where he finds a singing baby crocodile and names him Lyle.

Determined to put an end to it, he has cameras installed to discover what is happening but manages to achieve his goal by bribing Hector to sell Lyle to pay his debts.

Lyle cannot convince the authorities of his benevolent nature because of his stage fright and is locked up at the New York City Zoo.

The judge ultimately decides to rule against Grumps in favor of Lyle when Hector presents the deed to his house.

After the trial, the Primms and the people who attended the trial celebrate Lyle's freedom, and Grumps' implied eviction, by taking him on vacation, while Hector becomes acquainted with a new talented animal: a beatboxing rattlesnake named Malfoy, owned by Josh's friend, Trudy.

It was announced in May 2021 with filmmaking duo Will Speck and Josh Gordon attached to direct from a screenplay by William Davies for Sony Pictures.

[24] Original songs for the film were written by its executive producers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul along with Ari Afsar, Emily Gardner Xu Hall, Mark Sonnenblick, and Joriah Kwamé while Matthew Margeson composed the original score.

[25] Shawn Mendes, who voices the titular crocodile, features on eight of the soundtrack album's tracks, which also contains songs by Elton John and Stevie Wonder.

Because it's a certifiable mess on its webbed hind feet, teetering uncomfortably as both fanciful family comedy and live-action/animated musical, whether trying to make dumpster diving look whimsical (it isn't) or the tunes sound like anything but positivity-anthem-generator readouts.

But it is a warm-hearted family film with great musical numbers that will make another generation of kids hopefully search the attic on the chance that they might find a singing crocodile.