_{By: Amanda Guarragi}

There is something special about an animated feature that can speak to children and adults. The ability to educate children about life and how to express their feelings while making it relatable for adults is no easy feat. Every adult has gone through something, and it has stemmed from childhood. Films that tell a universal coming-of-age story will affect everyone differently. In Leo, co-directors Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel and David Wachtenheim take their audience back to middle school. Here, we meet a 74-year-old lizard named Leo (Adam Sandler) and his turtle friend Squirtle (Bill Burr), who plan to escape the Florida classroom they’ve been living for decades. Squirtle and Leo have been part of an ever-changing classroom and have learned about certain stereotypes among middle schoolers. It’s entertaining for adults to see the students get profiled, but it doesn’t stop there. The parents of these children are also quickly shown in the opening musical number, and we see different types of parenting. 

The reason why Leo is so enjoyable is because of how grounded these characters are. Even though there is a talking lizard, Leo almost feels like a wise old grandfather giving the best advice he can to these students. He doesn’t realize how much time has passed in the classroom, and he begins to worry that he may die soon. He wants to see the world and go on one final adventure. When a substitute teacher, Ms. Malkin (Cecily Strong), covers the classroom, she implements a new rule for her students. One student has to take Leo or Squirtle home for the weekend to teach them responsibility. At first, no one wants to volunteer, but it isn’t until the students spend time with Leo that they realize he can talk to them. It is the perfect structure to explore each student and their home life to understand the facade of the stereotype Leo sees. He uses his past knowledge of previous grades to give the students advice and, in doing so, gives them the strength to think for themselves and break out of their shells. Anyone can identify with one of the students and how hard it may have been for them to express themselves at that age. 

Marianetti, Smigel and Wachtenheim created a film for children to have an outlet to express their anxieties, pain and self-doubt healthily. Similarly to adults, children need someone to talk to, and it’s necessary to give them that space to trust those they express their feelings. The songs are the principal aspect of this film because you can thread many ideas with lyrics that can emotionally connect audiences to the characters. “When I Was 10” and “Don’t Cry” address a sense of loss that children can’t quite explain. Whether it’s grieving a loved one or reflecting on a loss of innocence, these two songs explore that pain no one ever really discusses. There’s always that one moment that shatters the perception we once had as a child, the realization that life will be hard and maybe it would be easier to stay a kid forever. The one thing that could have used more work was the designs for the students because they didn’t match the detail they gave to Leo and Squirtle. The animation differed between them and the students. Leo and Squirtle looked more polished than the human characters and some of the other animals. 

The team behind Leo balanced middle-school humour with heartfelt lessons to make this a well-rounded feature for the whole family. The beautiful thing about the songs is that they can go on forever (a Sandler staple if you’ve seen his comedy shows) but are detailed with wisdom and little anecdotes to help everyone. Not only does Leo help the students, but he also advises the substitute teacher to find herself again. Some adults have lost a piece of themselves, while pre-teens are beginning to tap into another facet. There is something for everyone to relate to in this film. However, the third act does drag a little because Leo has to go on his adventure. He finds other lizards out in the wild, and they help him understand how much time he has. The stories developed for each student came from years of witnessing the same cycle in middle school. Everyone has had a different experience, and their stories were represented in the classroom. Even if you don’t enjoy Sandler’s humour, this film has so much heart, and you can see that plenty of care went into writing this story.