Leo Review (Netflix) Adam Sandler in the role of a dying chameleon turns into a teacher imparting life lessons to children.

Leo An original Netflix animated musical comedy film that portrays the last year in an elementary school through the perspective of classroom pets. Leo (Adam Sandler), a 74-year-old chameleon, is stuck in a terrarium with his tough turtle pal (Bill Burr) in the same classroom for decades. When he learns that he has only one more year to live, Leo plans to escape and experience the outside world. However, he finds himself entangled in the problems of the elementary school students and the cruel substitute teacher.

Leo Review Netflix

The film is an animated children’s movie with a 7+ rating, featuring Adam Sandler in the lead role as a chameleon in a classroom of elementary school children. This is not just any typical children’s animation. The story revolves around the status of a character nearing the end of its lifespan, as the gecko in the film hears that it has a lifespan of 75 years, and it has been in the classroom for 74 years. It observes and understands what’s happening in the classroom without the freedom to explore the wider world. Feeling the need to make the most of the final stages of its life, the chameleon attempts to escape after the teacher instructs students to take pets the chameleon and turtle home and normalize their care to instill basic responsibility in them. Instead of escaping, the chameleon ends up having conversations with the children, turning it into an opportunity to impart life lessons to kids with different problems and understanding.

The movie unfolds its storyline exceptionally well at this point, through the perspective of the elderly gecko who desires to leave something behind for the world through a lifetime of experiences. It is akin to a human character in the same situation. Utilizing the theme of being confined throughout life as a challenge, it pushes the character to strive for a meaningful conclusion in its final stages. However, it transforms into a way of entrusting hope for the new generation of children to grow up and lead good lives in a society different from that of their parents. The film addresses short but impactful issues faced by each child, such as children of wealthy parents, talkative children who others grow tired of listening to, studious children, children who enjoy teasing others, and the gecko tackles these challenges by teaching and guiding the children progressively. The inclusion of a turtle character as a companion to teach in a similar manner but falls short due to a different perspective on life. Bill Burr, the voice actor, brings a unique touch with his character, an elderly conservationist who despises woke changes, having previously delivered for Netflix in “Old Dads” with drama. However, in this film, he plays a role that is mature but not to the extent of being overbearing. The movie effectively addresses this point of contention, linking the issues of the elderly with those of the children towards the end of the story.

In the movie’s final act, problems arise as it is primarily a children’s film. The antagonist initially appears as an elderly substitute teacher who teaches. This character bullies the children throughout the story. The film, however, provides an opportunity for the chameleon to engage in a conversation and teach her, much like it does with the children. The outcome is positive, revealing that she was not always like this but changed over time due to aging. The movie handles this aspect very well, but due to the need for an antagonist, the narrative shifts the role to a teacher who becomes the villain, engaging in malicious acts against the chameleon. This forces him to confront a different reality outside the glass cabinet before the story leads to a culmination of the children’s collective strength, making the teacher reconsider in a simplistic ending. with children driving a bus, wild animals coming to aid the gecko, and the simple resolution of the gecko’s lifespan,at a happy ending. It is undoubtedly entertaining for children, catering to their preferences, but there is a sense of regret that the film deviates too much from reality. Despite this, the movie, for the most part, imparts valuable life lessons in a charming animated format, making it genuinely engaging for kids.

In the section of animation, it falls within Netflix’s standard norms and may not stand out prominently. However, it is good at a satisfactory level. The humorous and mischievous antics of the chameleon , using his tongue in various situations, are well-executed and quite amusing. As for the turtle, it hardly does anything in the story and doesn’t have a significant role to be memorable.

The musical aspect of the story, which seemed to be a selling point initially, doesn’t reach the extent of featuring many songs or elaborate dance sequences. It’s short musical elements, except for the longer sequence in the beginning. Despite this, it is well-executed and makes the narrative more easily understandable than attempting to present it as a full-musical.

Overall, this is an animated children’s film that tells the story of an elderly chameleon, similar parallels to an elderly person coming in to mentor and guide young children facing life challenges and lacking support from parents and adults who may not make an effort to understand different perspectives. The film introduces the chameleon’s end-of-life experiences as a reasonable catalyst for his actions, portraying the chameleon as a better mentor to the children than the actual teacher. However, the realism in this aspect drops in the end when an attempt is made to insert a elderly teacher as the antagonist, making everything seem very childlike and deviating from the real issues. The film concludes in a simple and happy ending that appears entertaining for children but leaves a sense of disappointment as the expectation was for the movie to delve deeper into life lessons than it actually did.

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