Five movies to stream that will delight the kids
Comedian Bill Burr as the voice of a jaded animated turtle in a kids’ movie may be enough to pique the curiosity of some parents. In “Leo,” Burr’s Squirtle is the grouchy sidekick to Leo, a septuagenarian lizard (voiced by Adam Sandler). They share a terrarium in a fifth grade classroom in Florida, and when Leo realizes he’s reaching the end of his reptilian life span, he has a sudden urge to escape and see the world.
When humorless substitute teacher Ms. Malkin (Cecily Strong) tells the students that they each have to take one of the two creatures home for the weekend to learn responsibility, Leo sees his chance. He goes home with chatty Summer (Sunny Sandler), and reveals that he can speak.
Once each kid stops freaking out about bringing home a talking lizard, Leo turns into a life coach/therapist for them. Through old-school wisdom, the children learn lessons about kindness, acceptance and confidence.
The script — by Sandler, Robert Smigel
(“Saturday Night Live,” “Hotel Transylvania”) and Paul Sado (“Sandy Wexler”) — doesn’t break any new ground, but there are enough cute jokes, so-so musical numbers and visual gags to hold the interest of preschool- and elementary-aged kids. Smigel directed the movie with “SNL” alums Robert Marianetti and David Wachtenheim.
(Watch it on Netflix.)
Take splashy heist movies such as “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Reservoir Dogs,” swap out the movie stars for animated wolves, sharks and tarantulas, and you have DreamWorks Animation’s “The Bad Guys.” Animation supervisor Pierre Perifel makes his feature directing debut here, and the voice cast is stellar: Sam Rockwell (as Wolf, the leader), Zazie Beetz (Gov. Diane Foxington), Awkwafi