Arlo the Aligator Boy

Arlo the Alligator Boy is a 2021 American 2D animated adventure musical film by Ryan Crego in his directorial debut. This movie is a Netflix exclusive and was followed by a streaming television series called I ♥ Arlo in August 2021

Plot
To find the father he never knew, optimistic Arlo leaves his swampy Southern home for New York City, making friends along the way.

Why Being Different Is Something The Best Thing This Movie Can Be

 * 1) Let's start off with the biggest highlight of this movie. The animation! The style the animation attempts to be is this well-crafted 2D movie with gorgeous use of colors complete with top-notched character animation and worldbuilding. The backgrounds also look beautiful and can be compared to that of a picture book. Also, it does look creative.
 * 2) The other highlight this movie has would be the musical numbers. There is a lot of songs that turn out to be bops and each song contributes to the plot and how the characters feel. Most of the songs are using Jazz, R&B, and Pop which is a good mix. And who could not forget the animation sequences for those songs?
 * 3) Many characters are likable and sympathetic.
 * 4) *The main character is Arlo who is an alligator boy with an unknown origin that he has. It wasn't until his adoptive mother revealed that he came from New York City. Now that Arlo is old enough, he travels outside his swamp. Here is the catch though as he always wanted to interact with other people yet he fears about his alligator appearance.
 * 5) *Bertie is the first character Arlo befriended. He is depicted as a large teenage girl. She has an arc that talks about her life as an outcast due to being sheltered yet it wasn't until she met Arlo and became friends. Don't be fooled by her appearance, she is a wise and gentle girl who is the brains of Arlo's group.
 * 6) *Teeny Tiny Tony is a rodent/elf hybrid with an Italian background who used to be a leader of a group who bribes unlucky victims until he meets Arlo. Despite his impatience, he's an entertaining character.
 * 7) *Marcellus is a fish creature who was locked up in an aquarium before being freed by Arlo. He has an arc that shows his hatred and fear of children due to trauma. Despite his negativity, he is passionate and sympathetic towards his allies. Also, he's intelligent as well.
 * 8) *Furlecia is a furball character who is a flamboyant soul. Though a bit on the vain side, she won't hesitate to lend a helping hand.
 * 9) *Alia is a tiger girl who is enthusiastic and energetic. Despite her problems paying attention, she is kind when she needs to be and also has a laid-back yet protective persona.
 * 10) *Then there's Ansel who is a businessman with a secret. When you watch the movie, you will find out how he's sympathetic.
 * 11) *The antagonists, Ruff and Stucky are entertaining antagonists who happen to be a duo that tries to capture Arlo. They are basically on the same lines as characters like Tipa and Armando from Rio or Wario and Waluigi from Mario. They eventually changed their heart after learning about Arlo's reunion.
 * 12) The idea of a world where people who happen to come in a variety of looks (like an alligator, a pink fuzzball, a human/bird hybrid, etc.) is indeed creative. It may sound crazy, but given the movie's approach, it happens to be interesting.
 * 13) A simple storyline that is easy to understand. Nothing else needed to be said. But the story makes good use of Arlo being the sole main protagonist who happens to be a fish out of water due to him living in the swamp and going out to the real world.
 * 14) The character designs and the art style is imaginative almost like your typical modern-day 2D animated project.
 * 15) The movie combines two things. First off would be the spunky and unique characters and concepts who are not even ordinary. The second one would be the real world and the setting being more rooted in reality. When you combine those two things, you get something that makes so much sense without having both concepts look awkward around each other.
 * 16) Much like Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, this movie is basically a backdoor pilot or introduction to the Netflix series I ♥ Arlo. We get to learn more about Arlo and the lore surrounding his franchise prior to the series.
 * 17) Good voice acting from cast members like Michael J. Woodward, Mary Lamert, Jonathan Van Ness, Tony Hale, Annie Potts, Flea, Jennifer Coolidge, just to name a few. Every character has a voice that fits so well in an entertaining way. You can tell these guys had fun being in this movie.
 * 18) Certain emotional moments turn out to be worth a shot like Edmée raising Arlo since he was a baby, Arlo and Bertie's friendship, and of course Ansel's moments with Arlo including the one where Arlo learns about the truth of Ansel.
 * 19) Despite being emotional, it does have moments of comedy like Arlo eating a ton of ice cream, Alia's driving, Marcellus' "Children are monsters, ALL OF THEM!", the New Yorkers saying "I'm Walkin' Here!", Tony eating a pizza that is twice his size, Ansel's "Guys! Do I have to get my own door again?! Do you know how heavy this is?!", Marcellus admitting he's undressed at the Met Gala despite wearing a speedo, etc.
 * 20) *The mid-credits scene is both funny and wholesome which depicts Edmée scaring off a mailman before seeing the postcard from Arlo.
 * 21) Great dialogue such as "Why don't you pick on someone TWICE your size?"
 * 22) The movie knows when to be funny, when to be relaxing, and when to be emotional. This movie juggles all these elements to become a fun movie to watch.
 * 23) The Beast is depicted as a creature who is under the command of Ruff and Stucky meaning that the creature is unseen most of the time. It wasn't until we got to see the true identity of the monster who happens to be tough yet somewhat amusing.
 * 24) The movie has some good messages about family, kids needing love and support, finding beauty in differences, and never judging people based on their physical appearance. This has gone to the point where Ruff and Stucky redeemed themselves. Not to mention that Arlo as well as certain characters serve as metaphors to different people like the LGBT community as an example. This message is for everyone to relate to.
 * 25) Good ending. Arlo decides to live with his friends with Ansel letting Arlo move and rebuild the seashore part of NYC in better condition.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Even though the story works out well, it's also a little mediocre albeit not bad at all when compared to movies with more terrible plot lines. You see, the story can be predictable as well.
 * 2) Though intentional. Some may find the movie a bit weird with some designs like Ruff and Stucky looking ugly albeit intentional.
 * 3) For some reason, there is a bit of stereotyping despite the message of the movie. The characters that live in and around the swamp are portrayed as uneducated, violent, and poor.
 * 4) *The elites of New York City appear to be shown as vapid, shallow, and silly.

Reception
Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie an 82% while IMDb gave the movie a 6.6/10. Kristy Puchko of Pajiba said that the LGBT representation in the film was "not only welcomed but groundbreaking", and gave praise to the storytelling, characters, and animation.

Videos
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Trivia

 * The movie became one of the most popular movies of 2021 on Netflix along with The Mitchells vs. the Machines and Wish Dragon. It also has a motivating and uplifting message for viewers and became a success among the public.
 * This movie serves as the pilot of the tv show I Heart Arlo (stylized as I ♥ Arlo) which premired on Netflix on August 27, 2021, consisting of 19 episodes.
 * Director Ryan Crego makes a few minor voice appearances as, in order: one of the guys noticing baby Arlo, the mailman in Willow Button whom Arlo scares away, the businessman Tony yells at before entering the phone booth, and the lackey Tony contacts over the phone to get Ansel's location. He also sings the prologue song "New York, My Home" in the Cold Open.
 * There is a deleted scene where it showed a brief scene with Arlo and Bertie just before Furelcia's introduction.
 * In the earlier drafts of the film, Alia was meant to live in a sewer with a psychic pumpkin-headed boy named Gordy. Gordy was cut yet made a cameo.
 * 30 songs were written during production, but only a select few were chosen.