Last month this year, one of the biggest animated surprises came out in the form of an animated musical comedy on Netflix called Leo. Brought to us by Adam Sandler and friends, this marks the second feature length animated movie produced by Happy Madison Productions following the infamous Chanukkah related Eight Crazy Nights from 2002. Unlike that film however, this feature has garnered largely favorable reviews from critics and audiences and has also been regarded as proof that Sandler has grown better in recent years. So what makes this out of nowhere gem so charming in the first place?
Set in Fort Myers, Florida, the film tells the story of a tuatara named Leo who longs for an exciting life beyond his elementary school upbringing. Upon becoming worried about possibly dying soon, his life takes a turn for the better when different students get to look after him. It should go without saying that the story is about impacting the lives of others, especially given the context of Leo realizing he has not done much in his old age. Considering that the children Leo guides are fifth graders who are worried about growing up, there is a surprising amount of endearment layered throughout this feature. While the plot does follow the typical liar revealed formula you'd expect from your average family film, the message of keeping someone close that you can trust ultimately makes the film as heartwarming as it is funny. And as far as the humor goes, the film is sprinkled with numerous gags that are aided by Leo's bonds with the kids, the animation, modern social culture and humorous voice acting. Sometimes, all you need to make an ordinary plot stand out is some engaging heart.
Now given Adam Sandler voices Leo himself, he actually does a good job portraying the character's cynicism while still emphasizing his heart of gold. As the character's heart speaks louder than his words, the film succeeds in making him grow as a genuinely caring aid to the kids' insecurities. In addition, Bill Burr portrays Leo's pal Squirtle with wisecracking pessimism, and the duo's chemistry could be the highlight of the film's verbal humor. In regards to the students, they represent tropes you would expect in any classroom setting, including the popular girl, the talkative nerd, the obnoxious bully, the class clown, etc. In balancing out all of the different kids through Leo's guiding wisdom, the students all become appealing through acknowledging their flaws and growing as a result. As for the disciplinary substitute teacher Ms. Malkin, her role as the adult with real issues is both intimidating and problematic, especially when she acts like an antagonist because the film feels like it needs one. In embracing familiar archetypes, the characters all prove they have the chance to change for the better.
Going into the filmmaking, the animation team at Animal Logic put in a lot of fun visuals and art direction into Leo. Although the character and background designs don't stick out much conceptually due to the cast being comprised of ordinary people and talking animals, not to mention how the film's school setting can get routine pretty fast, the execution of the animation succeeds in delivering some fun slapstick, facial expressions and over the top visual gags. In addition to the animators putting a lot of personality in Leo and Squirtle in spite of their animalistic proportions, the humans work in a pseudo realistic yet cartoony flair to help all species blend well within the film's universe. Kudos must be given to some additional moments of 2D animation to illustrate some fantasy moments and spice up some musical numbers. Maybe the film's rendering doesn't look as polished as the actual animation, but the lighting and layouts keep it from sticking out like a sore thumb. Maybe people will remember the humor and characters more than the animation, but it did its job well enough.
Finally, it's time to praise the songs written by the film's co-writer and co-director, Robert Smigel. As Smigel's background in SNL and puppetry influenced the soundtrack, the musical numbers are executed in a self aware mode where they pop up without the need of a real song & dance showstopper. In a way, it's debatable if Smigel and the team behind Leo wanted to fully commit to putting on a musical and only felt like doing so to add into the comedy. That being said, the lyrics and visual gags are quite humorous on their own, especially when establishing the school setting and how the kids feel about facing the inevitability of growing up. Perhaps the best numbers come up when Leo shares his wisdom to the kids thanks to his charming anecdotes and witty singing. Along with Geogg Zanelli's complimentary upbeat score, the musical numbers in Leo might be the closest an animated family film has come to feeling like a children's show as opposed to an elaborate stage show. Maybe the film wouldn't have been quite as special without these extra contributions after all.
With an undeniably heartfelt message, charming characters, witty humor and committed talent involved, Leo is one of the biggest surprises in Netflix's recent animation output and Adam Sandler's career yet. Unless you're plain sick of Happy Madison and modern animated family fare, this film is worth checking out at least once for the humor and heart alone. It really is saying something when a film about a lizard who gives good advice to children has shown to be one of the better received animated films this year compared to the competition. There is as much to feel enlightened as there is to laugh at.
Set in Fort Myers, Florida, the film tells the story of a tuatara named Leo who longs for an exciting life beyond his elementary school upbringing. Upon becoming worried about possibly dying soon, his life takes a turn for the better when different students get to look after him. It should go without saying that the story is about impacting the lives of others, especially given the context of Leo realizing he has not done much in his old age. Considering that the children Leo guides are fifth graders who are worried about growing up, there is a surprising amount of endearment layered throughout this feature. While the plot does follow the typical liar revealed formula you'd expect from your average family film, the message of keeping someone close that you can trust ultimately makes the film as heartwarming as it is funny. And as far as the humor goes, the film is sprinkled with numerous gags that are aided by Leo's bonds with the kids, the animation, modern social culture and humorous voice acting. Sometimes, all you need to make an ordinary plot stand out is some engaging heart.
Now given Adam Sandler voices Leo himself, he actually does a good job portraying the character's cynicism while still emphasizing his heart of gold. As the character's heart speaks louder than his words, the film succeeds in making him grow as a genuinely caring aid to the kids' insecurities. In addition, Bill Burr portrays Leo's pal Squirtle with wisecracking pessimism, and the duo's chemistry could be the highlight of the film's verbal humor. In regards to the students, they represent tropes you would expect in any classroom setting, including the popular girl, the talkative nerd, the obnoxious bully, the class clown, etc. In balancing out all of the different kids through Leo's guiding wisdom, the students all become appealing through acknowledging their flaws and growing as a result. As for the disciplinary substitute teacher Ms. Malkin, her role as the adult with real issues is both intimidating and problematic, especially when she acts like an antagonist because the film feels like it needs one. In embracing familiar archetypes, the characters all prove they have the chance to change for the better.
Going into the filmmaking, the animation team at Animal Logic put in a lot of fun visuals and art direction into Leo. Although the character and background designs don't stick out much conceptually due to the cast being comprised of ordinary people and talking animals, not to mention how the film's school setting can get routine pretty fast, the execution of the animation succeeds in delivering some fun slapstick, facial expressions and over the top visual gags. In addition to the animators putting a lot of personality in Leo and Squirtle in spite of their animalistic proportions, the humans work in a pseudo realistic yet cartoony flair to help all species blend well within the film's universe. Kudos must be given to some additional moments of 2D animation to illustrate some fantasy moments and spice up some musical numbers. Maybe the film's rendering doesn't look as polished as the actual animation, but the lighting and layouts keep it from sticking out like a sore thumb. Maybe people will remember the humor and characters more than the animation, but it did its job well enough.
Finally, it's time to praise the songs written by the film's co-writer and co-director, Robert Smigel. As Smigel's background in SNL and puppetry influenced the soundtrack, the musical numbers are executed in a self aware mode where they pop up without the need of a real song & dance showstopper. In a way, it's debatable if Smigel and the team behind Leo wanted to fully commit to putting on a musical and only felt like doing so to add into the comedy. That being said, the lyrics and visual gags are quite humorous on their own, especially when establishing the school setting and how the kids feel about facing the inevitability of growing up. Perhaps the best numbers come up when Leo shares his wisdom to the kids thanks to his charming anecdotes and witty singing. Along with Geogg Zanelli's complimentary upbeat score, the musical numbers in Leo might be the closest an animated family film has come to feeling like a children's show as opposed to an elaborate stage show. Maybe the film wouldn't have been quite as special without these extra contributions after all.
With an undeniably heartfelt message, charming characters, witty humor and committed talent involved, Leo is one of the biggest surprises in Netflix's recent animation output and Adam Sandler's career yet. Unless you're plain sick of Happy Madison and modern animated family fare, this film is worth checking out at least once for the humor and heart alone. It really is saying something when a film about a lizard who gives good advice to children has shown to be one of the better received animated films this year compared to the competition. There is as much to feel enlightened as there is to laugh at.