I, Crocodile

Based on the late noted picture book illustrator Fred Marcellino's I, Crocodile (1999), this animated adaptation from legend Michael Sporn offers a whimsically drawn tale of an aristocratic Egyptian crocodile, living--if I can mix my animal metaphors--high on the hog on the banks of the Nile, with exquisite fish for dinner and lip-smacking pink flamingo for dessert…until August 17, 1799. On that day, a notable French runt by the name of Napoleon entered Egypt and snapped up one of everything exotic he could find, including our croc. After a miserable ocean voyage, the reptile narrator finds himself the toast of Paris as a popular attraction for families, and even the inspiration for a dance, until…the little Emperor develops a craving for crocodile pie, sending our hero into the sewers in hiding. Narrated by cult movie icon Tim Curry, and backed with a fun soundtrack by Raul Malo, I, Crocodile is an entertainingly imaginative divertissement with a deliciously subversive surprise ending. Sure to be a big hit with tykes and parents this is warmly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)