What happens at the end of Netflix's Leo?
Netflix's Leo was released today and judging from Twitter and TikTok people are scratching their heads about what happened at the end. So, we're here to help everybody who might be a little bit confused.
Spoilers for the entire movie are ahead so beware, make sure to watch it first if you don't want the film completely ruined. Let's dive right in.
Who is Leo the Lizard?
Leo, the reptile voiced by Adam Sandler has lived in a classroom for 80 years but everything changes with one student. Leo hears a man say that he is old and coming to the end of his life. Leo then becomes obsessed with making the most of his life, considering it's coming to a supposed end. He wants to be free from the cage, he doesn't want to just be a classroom pet anymore.
Leo, importantly, has also taken the role of a therapist to the students who are finding it hard to cope with life. It's an endearing tale that viewers can learn from, too. The anxieties that both children and adults go through - teaching everybody to let go, make the most of their lives, and not be so scared about growing older.
Leo, wanting to find out his exact age, purposefully rang the fire alarm and escaped from his cage. He asked Cinnabun, a rabbit, how old he was and it was revealed Leo was an impressive 75 years old. He decides that he can't go back to his cage and plans a great escape - when one of the students takes him home he will escape then.
How was Leo a therapist?
Leo would speak to the children (obviously shocking the kids at first), but after that, he would offer advice to them. He would advise the cartoon children but, importantly, the viewer could also take some learning lessons from Leos's advice. This is what makes this movie so great.
Every single time he tried to escape, he felt indebted to helping the kids out. All of them were dealing with their issues. As a wise Lizard, he knew he could help and felt like he couldn't leave them.
There is a cardinal rule in this animated animal kingdom - never speak to humans. So, Leo always tells the children not to tell anybody that he can speak and that they are just the special ones. It is this that ends up coming back to bite him.
Who is Squirtle?
Squirtle is a turtle who ends up getting jealous of how popular and beloved Leo is. The kids love Leo and none of them want to take Squirtle home anymore. Squirtle even tried to do some counselling himself but it failed miserably - he is much younger and less knowledgable than Leo.
So, Squirtle made a plan to expose Leo to the students, specifically with him saying that they all were special. The children were incredibly hurt by this when they saw it and decided to boycott him.This scene is so upsetting, of course, we as the viewers know that Leo was not doing this maliciously, but the children were still upset.
Why did Ms Malkin abandon Leo in the National Park?
Ms Malkin was not liked by the students - she was almost dealing with the same issues as Squirtle. She was never as popular as the other teachers and the children never liked her as much, this is mainly because she was always just a substitute.
When she found out about Leo being a mentor to the children, she became enraged and blamed him for the fact the kids did not like her. She also became paranoid that, if people found out Leo had been a better teacher than her, she would be in trouble. So, when she found out her class was going on a school trip to the Magic Land National Park, she decided that she would abandon Leo in the National Park. Whilst she did feel guilt about this, she couldn't bear being an unsuccessful teacher anymore.
How did Leo end?
The children came to find out that Ms Malkin had left Leo in the National Park, and they decided to save him.
Leo, whilst in the park, talked to other Lizards and found out that he had a long time left on planet Earth - lizards can live over 100 years old.
Of course, as a kid's film, everything ended positively. The children loved both Leo and Squirtle, Leo was happy to be in the classroom, and Ms Malkin finally became a permanent teacher.
What did you think of Netflix's Leo? If you want more movie summaries, make sure to keep checking back on our site.
