Charming, coming-of-age musical

Leo, the iguana this animation film is named after, can talk. That’s both his secret and selling point. With his guttural, spirited and gentle Agony Uncle voice, Adam Sandler makes Leo the ‘most wanted’ class pet among fifth graders of a Florida school.

Not just talk, Leo can give life-changing advice, something he discovers when he tries to escape a terrarium he’s been inhabiting for 74 years with his BFF and co-talker, turtle Squirtle (Bill Burr). Look out for the scene when Leo grapples to calculate his age. Thinking he has only one year to live, he now wants to see the real world, catch flies in the wild, and smell the roses.

The chance to escape comes through a strict teacher, Ms Malkin. She asks the fifth graders to take home a class pet and, week after week, they choose Leo. In their home, Leo realises these kids are battling loneliness and insecurities and have nobody to talk to. He abandons his plan to escape and stays back to use his wisdom to help them — an overtalkative girl, a boy spooked by body hair, another boy who hates his voice, a student whose life is dictated by a drone, etc. These students develop confidence, get along with each other, and pamper Leo with mobile phones and manicures.

Soon, suspicion, jealousy and betrayal stack up against Leo and the story gets predictable, even drags a bit. Nonetheless, ‘Leo’ is a family-entertainer with quirky songs that score big on wordplay and satire that even adults will enjoy. Glad to see the representation of diverse kids, reminiscent of the ‘Recess’ cartoon series from the 90s.

I never knew I would say this. But I enjoyed watching a lizard for an hour and 42 minutes. Great animation, vivid voiceover and clever writing can do that.