Croc (film)

Croc is a 2021 American computer-animated comedy film produced by 20th Century Animation as its first non-theatrical film. The film was based on the video game series of the same name, with an original story loosely based on the first game in the series, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. It's about Croc, a crocodile who was abandoned by his parents as a baby and found by small furry creatures called Gobbos. As he eventually grows into a young crocodile and develops a close relationship with the Gobbos, Baron Dante and his army of minions kidnap the Gobbos, meaning it's up to Croc to rescue them, including King Rufus, avenge his friends' supposed death, and stop him from taking over Gobbo Valley, if not the world.

It featured the voices of Huck Milner, Craig Ferguson, and Patrick Stewart. Originally scheduled to be released in theaters, it was officially released by 20th Century Studios on April 16, 2021 as a Disney+ original film. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot
On Crocodile Island, a baby crocodile is playing around with his friends, while his parents are watching over him, but just as they are ready to head back home, they were attacked by Baron Dante and Dantini minions, forcing them to put him in a small basket and let him go across the river for safety, as they watch him with sorrow. The basket soon arrives at an island inhabited by small furry creatures called Gobbos, where King Rufus, their leader, is watching the sunrise by the riverbank when he noticed the basket floating ashore in the river, and gathered a group of his Gobbo subjects to see who was in the basket, which turns out to be a baby crocodile. Although suspicious at first, he and the Gobbos decide to raise him as one of their own and teach him the way of the Gobbos after they were won over by his innocence. He was also given the name of "Croc", and after some time on the island, Croc eventually grows up to become a young crocodile and establishes a close relationship with them, as if he believed he actually was a Gobbo, while also becoming much larger than them in the process. From there, however, Croc began to feel less like a Gobbo, causing more harm than good to their kind, from eating like crazy to accidentally smashing through buildings and tripping over homes, and even causing his friends to suffer injuries just from playing pattycake.

Even if his friends are trying their best to brush off these accidents, Croc began to feel like he doesn't belong in Gobbo Valley. However, just as he had decided to tell his Gobbo friends the truth, Baron Dante and the Dantinis invade Gobbo Valley and begins terrorizing the Gobbos, kidnapping them and locking them up in steel cages. Luckily for the young crocodile, before he could be captured as well, he receives his backpack from King Rufus and the Gobbo King summons a magical yellow bird named Beany Bird, who manages to escape with Croc by using her magical abilities to teleport him to safety, just before Rufus is kidnapped and caged up.

Both Beany Bird and Croc arrive at the forest, where he gets cornered by a herd of Magic Deer who were once friendly, but are now monsters under Dante's bidding. He takes care of them swiftly with his attacks, turning them back into innocent creatures and the herd thanks him for it. As he tries to wrap his head around what's going on, the leader of the herd, Presto Deer, arrives and tells him that Baron Dante and his Dantini army have invaded Gobbo Valley, and locked up all the Gobbos, and if he doesn't stop him in time, then he could conquer Gobbo Valley, if not the entire world. Beany Bird then tries to get him to realize that he is the only chance they have of being rescued, and he eventually agrees to go on his mission to free the Gobbos, including King Rufus, avenge his friends after they are supposedly 'killed off', and stop Baron Dante from achieving his ultimate goal, but only if she helps him. So Croc and Beany set out on a journey, as the stag reminds him that he might be much more powerful than he seems.

More coming soon!

Voice cast

 * Huck Milner as Croc
 * Craig Ferguson as King Rufus
 * Patrick Stewart as Baron Dante
 * Dee Bradley Baker (vocal effects)/Andrea Bowen as Beany Bird
 * Ewan McGregor as Presto Deer
 * Nathan Lane as Renny Rat
 * Ken Jeong as TBA
 * Tony Hale as TBA
 * Betty White as TBA
 * Kath Soucie as Croc's mother
 * Jeff Bennett as Croc's father

ADR Group
Coming soon!

Production
Coming soon!

Music
In May 2020, it was announced that John Debney has signed on to compose the film.

Streaming
The film was released on April 16, 2021 by 20th Century Studios as a Disney+ original film. Originally, it had been set for a theatrical release on December 25, 2020. However, around August of 2019, the film was cancelled along with many other films from Fox. On November 13 of that same year, it was announced that Croc has been put back into production, this time as a Disney+ original movie, as the director felt that the film was better suited for the streaming platform. The film's actual release date of June 11, 2021 was announced on October 26, 2020, as the film's post-production was nearing its completion. On January 22, 2021, the film was pushed back to April 16, 2021, possibly to avoid competition with DreamWorks' Spirit Untamed, as well as 20th Century Animation's own Alaina Gleen: World's Most Wanted.

Marketing
On June 19, 2020, the teaser trailer was released online, featuring Elton John's Crocodile Rock, with the teaser poster also being revealed around this time. The teaser trailer was well-received by a lot of people, including fans of the Croc franchise. During Disney's Investor's Day presentation on December 10, 2020, the first official trailer was released showcasing footage from the actual film. The second official trailer for Croc was released on January 29, 2021, with the official poster also being revealed around this time. The final trailer for the film was released on March 19, 2021, the same day as the world premiere of the Disney+ original series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

To promote the film's release, both Fox Family and Disney Channel aired a marathon of Croc! episodes as part of the Croc Takes Over Marathon. In addition, a junior novelization of the film was also released.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 56% based on 101 reviews, and an average rating of 5.4/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".