It had taken me a while to get round to watching Arlo the Alligator Boy and I nearly did not bother as there was just something about it that was not grabbing me. Well, I had my niece staying over for the weekend and she was looking on Netflix for something to watch and she picked this. It turned out to be a fun, kind of retro-feeling animated movie that we both enjoyed.
How to Download Arlo the Alligator Boy
You can download or stream the film from Netflix. Click on the Download button at the end of this review. Check out also other Netflix animated movies we have reviewed – Klaus (2019), The Willoughbys (2020), Over the Moon (2020), Back to the Outback (2021), Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood (2022), and The Sea Beast (2022).
The Movie Review
The movie is directed by Ryan Crego and it is not only his directorial debut, he also had a hand in creating the script as well. The title is pretty much what the movie is! It is about Arlo who is a teenager and he is half boy and half alligator. Arlo is a very likable character right from the start and you really do root for him to be happy.
When Arlo was born, he was cast away and he ended up arriving in a swamp where he was adopted by Edmee. When Arlo is 15, Edmee gives him the bracelet he was wearing when he was born and this is where he learns that he was born in New York City and that his father is a man called, Ansel Beauregard.
Arlo decides to head on a quest to New York City to find his dad. It is pretty heartwarming how positive and fun Arlo is. Soon after his quest starts, someone spots Arlo and calls two alligator hunters (along with The Beast) to go and try and hunt Arlo down. The thing is, on his journey, Arlo meets some new people who will help him.
Arlo’s buddies that he makes are just as awesome as he is. We have Bertie who is a giant, Alia who is a tiger girl, Furlecia who is this strange pink furry creature, and Teeny Tiny Tony who is like a little rodent-type guy. They form a great friend group that is really the heart of the movie.
Without getting too deep into spoiler territory, the first meeting between Arlo and his dad does not go as Arlo had hoped and it is pretty heartbreaking stuff. Of course, Arlo and his friends are not going to stop their quest here! There are a lot of laughs and funny moments in the movie, but overall, I would say that friendship and being there for your friends is the real point of the story.
One of the things that makes Arlo the Alligator Boy stand out from all the other Netflix animated movies is its whole style. Many Netflix animated movies look like something that could have been released in a theatre, but this one has a different vibe. It reminds me of an 80s or 90s movie that you would have rented at the video store as a kid. I do not mean that as a negative either, but it just has that little bit of roughness to it.
Overall, Arlo the Alligator Boy may not get the same amount of attention that some of the other big hitter Netflix animated series have, but it is still worth checking out. My niece liked it enough to want to watch the animated series, I Heart Arlo which was released a little after the movie so it must have been good! If you are looking for a fun and heartfelt family movie to watch with the kids, you cannot go wrong with this.
