In a spectacular debut week, Adam Sandler’s animated musical comedy film Leo has ascended to the top spot on Netflix’s global film chart.
Leo, released on November 21st, 2023, has garnered a staggering 61.7million hours of viewing in its inaugural week, securing its position in the top ten list in 93 countries, including the US, UK, India, Australia, and New Zealand.
Directed by the trio of David Wachtenheim, Robert Marianetti, and Robert Smigel, Leo marks the feature directorial debuts of Marianetti and Wachtenheim. The screenplay, a collaborative effort by Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Paul Sado, weaves a heartwarming tale that has clearly been beguiling audiences worldwide. Along with the voice acting and story, the film has also been praised for its slick animations.
Leo is the second animated feature from Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison Productions. The star-studded voice cast includes Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, Sadie and Sunny Sandler, among others. The plot mainly revolves around Leo’s longing for freedom, but his primary mission becomes playing therapist and imparting wisdom and support to his student companions.
The film introduces us to Leo, a tuatara voiced by Sandler, who, after living for over seven decades in a Florida school, discovers that he has just one more year left to live. Leo’s escape plan takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself leading a rescue mission to save his classmates from their notoriously mean substitute teacher. As he takes turns to help the others, they, too, come in with a helping hand for Leo.
As Leo continues to dominate the Netflix charts, it exemplifies the near-timeless charm that Adam Sandler has that manages to captivate audiences of all ages and maturity levels. In this regard, Sandler has always had a pulse on who he is catering to and what they want.
You can watch Leo on Netflix now and catch the trailer here:
