Animation has been disappointing lately, what with the releases of Wish, Teenage Kraken, and Trolls Band Together. Nobody is excited about it anymore. However, a Netflix original is taking the world by storm, being a nostalgic movie and an enjoyable watch for every age group. This movie is called Leo.
The main characters in this movie are Leonard, aka Leo as it’s less Ninja Turtle-like, and Squirtle. They are both class pets, Leo being a lizard and Squirtle being a turtle. They have been around as class pets for a very long time.
In 2023, a new round of 5th graders come up but this isn’t anything new to Leo or Squirtle. The kids are introduced to their teacher, Mrs. Salinas, but as the first day unfolds it turns out she is unable to teach this year due to her baby on the way. The parents have a parent-teacher conference after this in Mrs. Salina’s room, where a parent comments on the class pets. The father says Leo looks pretty old and that he seems like he doesn’t have that long to live due to lizards only living to 75 years old.
Leo panics about this information and comes to realize that he is 74! After his late-life crisis, he concludes that he hasn’t done anything in his life. He comes up with a big plan to escape containment, see the world and be a true wild lizard.
The nice teacher gets replaced by Ms. Malkin, an intimidating old-fashioned teacher that everyone seems to dislike. But she brings back an old tradition: bringing the class pets home to teach responsibility. This is Leo’s shot to break free! However, there is a hiccup when he tries to escape.
Leo accidentally talks to the kid who brought him home. With his quick thinking, he saves himself and helps the student out by giving her advice. This is when he realizes that giving advice is his purpose for the last year of his life.
But this soon begins to spiral for him. Watch the movie to find out what exactly happens and how Leo deals with knowing he only has one year left to live. The ending is very satisfying plus it is a musical!
Leo stars Adam Sandler and Billy Burr with other recognizable names such as Cecily Strong, Sunny Sandler, Sadie Sandler, and Jackie Sandler.
When Leo was released it got the most debut views ever for Netflix as an animated movie. The whole cast has strong singing voices and the songs are really catchy!
Fellow journalist Aria Anderson states her opinion on the movie, saying, “I watched Leo just because I was bored and didn’t expect anything of it. But I was pleasantly surprised when I honestly ended up loving it. It was really funny and entertaining, and the characters were very well-written. It captured an elementary school class perfectly which made it even more enjoyable. It was funny to be able to relate to it and remember kids in my elementary school classes that were similar to the characters in the movie. All in all, it was a really good movie that made me laugh a lot. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something new to watch, no matter your age!”
Another Viper adds, “The movie Leo was a good example of a classic moral at the end of a story. The movie helps to inspire little kids to be themselves and cherish the memories they have of their youth.”
Overall, both Vipers really liked the movie and any new viewers are sure to love it too! It is a nice movie to watch during free time, and a great way to turn off the mind and relax inside from the cold weather. So go check it out!
