Leo Interview: Co-Writer & Co-Director Robert Smigel On Adam Sandler Collaboration In Netflix Comedy

Robert Smigel and Adam Sandler reunite for their 16th collaboration in the animated comedy Leo, which delivers both goofy humor and heartfelt storytelling. Leo features a star-studded ensemble cast including Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, Rob Schneider, and more, making it a treat for all ages. Smigel discusses the creative process behind Leo, including the initial concept and the balance between adult-oriented humor and kid-friendly jokes.
Robert Smigel and Adam Sandler are back together with Leo. Having first met each other during their Saturday Night Live days, the Netflix animated comedy marks the 16th major collaboration between Smigel and Sandler, with the former starring in everything from Billy Madison to Punch-Drunk Love while also co-writing Hotel Transylvania, You Don't Mess with the Zohan and directing The Week Of.
Alongside Sandler, who also co-wrote the movie, and Smigel, the ensemble Leo cast includes Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, Rob Schneider,...
Robert Smigel and Adam Sandler are back together with Leo. Having first met each other during their Saturday Night Live days, the Netflix animated comedy marks the 16th major collaboration between Smigel and Sandler, with the former starring in everything from Billy Madison to Punch-Drunk Love while also co-writing Hotel Transylvania, You Don't Mess with the Zohan and directing The Week Of.
Alongside Sandler, who also co-wrote the movie, and Smigel, the ensemble Leo cast includes Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, Rob Schneider,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Grant Hermanns
- ScreenRant

Adam Sandler assembles a talented cast of SNL veterans for the heartwarming and funny animated comedy musical, Leo. Cecily Strong talks about her experience voicing her character in Leo and how the writing helped shape her arc. The process of bringing the animated character to life through voice acting and collaborating with the animators was an interesting and fun experience for Strong.
Adam Sandler has once again assembled some Saturday Night Live veterans for Leo. The animated comedy musical centers on an elderly tuatara who attempts to escape his classroom home upon learning he's dying and wants to see the world. However, when he starts getting assigned to go home with some of the students on the weekends, he realizes his life experiences can help some of them with their problems.
Alongside Sandler, who also co-wrote the movie, the ensemble Leo cast includes Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, Rob Schneider,...
Adam Sandler has once again assembled some Saturday Night Live veterans for Leo. The animated comedy musical centers on an elderly tuatara who attempts to escape his classroom home upon learning he's dying and wants to see the world. However, when he starts getting assigned to go home with some of the students on the weekends, he realizes his life experiences can help some of them with their problems.
Alongside Sandler, who also co-wrote the movie, the ensemble Leo cast includes Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, Rob Schneider,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Grant Hermanns
- ScreenRant

Adam Sandler returns to animation in the heartwarming and funny Netflix comedy Leo. He plays Leo, a tuatara nearing the end of his life cycle who tries to break free from his classroom home. Leo features a talented ensemble cast including Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, and more. Directors Robert Marianetti and David Wachtenheim discuss their involvement in Leo and how they worked closely with Sandler and co-writer/co-director Robert Smigel. They aimed to elevate others' jokes and bring in heart and emotion to balance out the humor in the film.
Adam Sandler makes his triumphant return to animation in Leo. The iconic comedian stars in the Netflix comedy as the eponymous tuatara as he learns he's nearing the end of his life cycle and attempts to break free from his classroom home, only to find himself kept around to help with the students' personal problems.
Alongside Sandler, who also co-wrote the movie,...
Adam Sandler makes his triumphant return to animation in Leo. The iconic comedian stars in the Netflix comedy as the eponymous tuatara as he learns he's nearing the end of his life cycle and attempts to break free from his classroom home, only to find himself kept around to help with the students' personal problems.
Alongside Sandler, who also co-wrote the movie,...
- 11/26/2023
- by Grant Hermanns
- ScreenRant

The directors of Leo aimed to create a film that can be enjoyed by the whole family, with jokes and relatable moments for both kids and parents. Robert Smigel's favorite song from the film is "Don't Cry" and musically, he enjoys the pop song "When It's Us." Adam Sandler's strength as a writer is his observational and human understanding of people, according to Robert Smigel.
Adam Sandler’s latest collaboration with Netflix is Leo, an animated musical comedy about a 74-year-old class pet who has a mortality scare and decides he needs to break out of his terrarium. The film was co-written by Sandler, Paul Sado, and Robert Smigel and directed by Smigel, Robert Marianetti, and David Wachtenheim. Sandler and the film’s three directors all worked on Saturday Night Live, though not all together, eventually collaborating on Hotel Transylvania 2.
The cast of Leo is led by...
Adam Sandler’s latest collaboration with Netflix is Leo, an animated musical comedy about a 74-year-old class pet who has a mortality scare and decides he needs to break out of his terrarium. The film was co-written by Sandler, Paul Sado, and Robert Smigel and directed by Smigel, Robert Marianetti, and David Wachtenheim. Sandler and the film’s three directors all worked on Saturday Night Live, though not all together, eventually collaborating on Hotel Transylvania 2.
The cast of Leo is led by...
- 11/22/2023
- by Owen Danoff
- ScreenRant
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