Leo is an animated movie streaming on Netflix. directed by Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel and David Wachtenheim (in Marianetti and Wachtenheim’s feature directorial debuts), written by Smigel, Adam Sandler, and Paul Sado, and produced by Sandler and Mireille Soria.
Leo is the Lizard and Squirtle the turtle are the pets who lives in the fifth – grade classroom in a school. They always live in their small tank house in the school. Leo speaks like a human which none of the students know. One fine day in the parents’ meeting Mrs. Salina the teacher announces her maternity lives so she can introduce the substitute teacher Ms. Malkin. Leo overhears one of the parents saying that Lizard lives to be 75 years old and despairs when he realizes he is 74 and has not accomplished his dreams of going to The Everglades.
Ms. Malkin is very old and seems always strict. Kids are very scared of her way of teaching. Kids complain to their parents to ask for a replacement for their class. However, the principal asks for a chance to allow the substitute teacher to teach them for a few more days so they can decide on the performance.
The teacher asks everyone to take one of the pets to their house every weekend. But all the students choose only Leo not a single person wants to take Squirtle.
This movie shows how Leo understands the problem of each student’s emotions and problems. He tries to make friends with them helps them to solve their problems and teaches them to tackle their difficulties.
Slowly gradually, Leo becomes their best friend. However, none of the students disclosed Leo’s speaking ability. His friend Squirtle becomes jealous that none of the children take him to their house. He discloses the secret of Leo and students disregard the Leo. Leo felt very bad and tried to convince all the students. While this happens Ms. Malkin gets to know about Leo’s secret and she gets to know what the students are doing because of Leo’s advice and helping them to solve their problems.
Ms. Malkin speaks out with Leo and shares her feelings about how she remained a substitute teacher for many years. To get rewards for the student’s performance she encourages the students with the help of Leo in the History Fair and the class students win and all credit goes to Ms. Malkin.
After that, she becomes the permanent teacher and leaves Leo from the city to the Everglades Forest so she doesn’t want Leo to interact with the students and she gets insecure of Leo’s ability to make students understand.
As the students travel to Magic Land, a guilt-ridden Squirtle uses Eli’s drone to catch up with them and reveals that Ms. Malkin lied, to which she confesses. The students and Ms. Malkin hijack the bus so they can find Leo. Meanwhile, Leo learns from wild Lizards that he can live to be over 100 years old, reinvigorating him. Leo is threatened by a congregation of alligators but is rescued by the students.
On the final day of the school year, Leo tells the class to look out for one another as they enter middle school. Ms. Malkin is given a full-time job as a teacher by the principal and is promptly assigned to the kindergarteners, with Leo and Squirtle as the class pets.
