A talking lizard that sounds a lot like Adam Sandler teaches life lessons to schoolchildren in the adorably funny Leo, an animated comedy that is unlikely to garner any awards but that is worth a family viewing nonetheless.
Leo is about what you’d expect for a straight-to-streaming animated film starring Adam Sandler–it’s sort of funny, has some heart, and is most certainly rough around the edges. The animation isn’t anything to write home about, but kids won’t care. The story and script aren’t super polished, but kids won’t care. Sandler as a voice actor is similar to Sandler as an actor (in his comedies, at least)–straightforward and lacking nuance–but kids won’t care.
Why do I know this? Because my five-year-old has watched Leo multiple times over the last two weeks because she enjoyed it so much.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t too. Leo has plenty to like, even if it doesn’t evoke love. There’s some biting, on-the-nose humor. The story is silly and the characters sillier. The villain is amusing. At just over an hour and a half, it’s fast-paced and briskly told. There’s little to hate.
Leo isn’t your next great animated classic, but sometimes that’s OK. Sometimes an animated Adam Sandler movie is enough.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.