‘Kid-Friendly’ LEO Achieves Biggest Debut Ever For Netflix Animated Movie

Published: December 15, 2023

‘Kid-Friendly’ LEO Achieves Biggest Debut Ever For Netflix Animated Movie

By Movieguide® Contributor

Adam Sandler’s latest project, LEO, just celebrated the biggest debut ever for a Netflix animated movie.

The movie follows Leo, a classroom pet lizard (Sandler), who decides to escape the school and see the world. A substitute teacher makes that plan possible by insisting a new member of the class take Leo home each weekend, where he dispenses advice and encouragement to the kids.

The Wrap reported that the movie received 34.6 million views within the first six days on Netflix.

“What makes LEO special are the kinds of lessons on offer,” The Hollywood Reporter wrote. “LEO encourages adults to let go and reminds kids that growing up doesn’t have to be so scary.”

Sandler spoke about LEO’s themes in an interview with King5, saying, “The fact that the thing you learn from the movie is it’s just good to listen to your kids, my wife has been telling me that for a long time. Sometimes I react quickly when the kids tell me something – I jump all over it, ‘Do this, do that.’ And then my wife’s like, ‘I don’t think you needed to say all that. I think they just wanted to be able to talk to you.’ Anyway, that’s what the movie teaches everybody, and hopefully I’ve learned from it.”

In addition to LEO’s record-breaking Netflix debut, the movie is also a big hit with critics who are praising it for its moral themes and family-friendly content.

NPR praised LEO for being “kid-friendly,” while also containing humor that “adults can appreciate.”

A portion of the Movieguide® review reads:

LEO is brilliantly conceived as a real gift to parents looking for clean entertainment with positive messages for their children in an often-destructive entertainment landscape. Sandler and his co-writers have perfectly chosen fifth-graders on the cusp of middle school. They spotlight the importance of innocence in children’s lives. Each main character gets a song (or two). With no objectionable content, LEO is a holiday treat that may prove to be timelessly popular.