Animals show what it means to be human
A family film about tolerance to outsiders
Leo (PG, 102mins) Now streaming on Netflix Directed by Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel and David Wachtenheim Reviewed by Jen Shieff
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“A ll right, another year, another batch of fifth grade head cases,” grumbles Squirtle the turtle (voiced by Bill Burr) from his classroom terrarium.
“Let’s just get through it,” replies his roommate, the wise, life experienced Leo the lizard (voiced by Adam Sandler), but straight away a class member pipes up, “I’m not touching those things,” and another says, “Hey don’t they eat, sleep and poo in the same place?”
Squirtle retorts, “I poo where he sleeps”.
And immediately the stage is set for a story about smug people and their attitudes to outsiders, in which everybody, absolutely everybody, gets a good shake up and learns how to be tolerant.
As entertaining as the original Chicken Run, Leo is an animated musical comedy for all the family, particularly when any family member, old or young, wants to deal with whatever it is that makes others not like them, and whatever it is that makes them not like themselves.
It’s a film for teachers on holiday too, the ones who grab the hearts and minds of kids and can teach them anything, and those who only care about hearts and minds if their owners obey the rules.
The writing is the result of skilled observation of people, and deep understanding of them, by talented comedy writers Adam Sandler and Paul Sado, collaborating with one of the film’s directors, Robert Smigel.
It’s a family movie in another sense too, with Adam Sandler’s two daughters, Sadie (18) and Sunny (15), already well established actors, voicing Jayda and Summer, while Robert Smigel’s sons Ethan and Roey, just starting out in their careers, voice Anthony and Eli.
Aged 74, Leo, wise and quickwitted, feels his lizardy lifespan coming to an end and is in a hurry to make the most of what time he has left.
Squirtle wants to have fun too, but doesn’t know how, and early on in the film, when Leo decides it’s time to break out of the terrarium, all kinds of tensions are set up and a very good comedy begins.
Things seem to fall into place for Leo’s escape plans when each of the 10-year-old kids in the class is tasked with looking after Leo for a weekend, but fortunately or unfortunately, Leo finds he has skills as an agony uncle when, one after another, weekend after weekend, the kids start confiding in him about their problems, and Leo feels it is now his calling to stay, not go.
Emmy Award-winning composer Geoff Zanelli wrote the original musical comedy score, with lots of stand-out songs designed to tell the kids’ stories.
One of the best is sung by the kids, now aged 11 and looking back on their lives.
“When I was 10, I didn’t have a single care, and not a single body hair, and life was fine.”
Sesame Street, Busby Berkeley musicals and Mary Poppins are subtly in the background, to appeal to older viewers. Fun for the school holidays, with some very touching moments.
■ Highly recommended
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