- "Where are you, Thumbelina?"
- ―Leopold chasing Madeline and Pepito
Leopold the Tutor is the character from the movie Madeline. he's the true main antagonist. He is actually a criminal posing as a tutor of Pepito, the son of the Spanish ambassador, the latter of whose money he plans on getting and even insults Madeline calling her "Thumbelina". The character is Lawful Evil or Neutral Evil.
Leopold is first seen in the film spying on the Spanish Ambassadors and their son Pepito moving into the house next door to Miss Clavel's boarding school and sees his chance. He then offers to become the boy's tutor and the ambassadors accept.
Later, Miss Clavel arrives at the Ambassador's house and Leopold answers the door. Ms. Clavel tells him that she feels that Pepito "needs an outlet for his energy" and hands out a Toolbox for the boy. When Clavel states she is taking her girls to the museum tomorrow, Leopold flirts a bit asking what she does on her day off, to which she nervously responds that she prays, then leaves.
At the museum, Madeline walks out of the class to retrieve her notebook to find Pepito holding it. As she snatches it back from his hands, Leopold calls up from an upper floor demanding the kids to keep it down since "some of us are trying to sleep" (despite wearing his everyday suit and tie).
At Pepito's party, Madeline hears talking from behind a slightly opened closet door. She peeks inside and sees a most peculiar sight—Leopold having a discussion with a guy with clown makeup. Leopold then sees Madeline at the door and signals her to leave. As Leopold closes the door, Madeline thinks over what she just witnessed, but quickly shrugs it off.
Later that night, Covington confronts Pepito's parents stating that their son is a "menace". The ambassadors come up to Leopold and ask him about what Covington told them, Leopold states that Pepito is quite well-behaved. However, Leopold does state that Pepito does need a little diversion and proposes that he take him to the circus tomorrow. The ambassadors then ecstatically state that they'll all go. Leopold tries to insist that it's just for him and Pepito but the ambassadors are too excited to listen to him and Leopold irritably concedes.
At the carnival, everyone is having the time of their lives (especially Pepito watching the Idiots Popopov do their clown act). Madeline, still upset about losing Genevieve and her school's impending foreclosure, tells one of the other girls Aggie that she intends to run away with the circus and forces Aggie not to tell Ms. Clavel.
Back at the clown act, as the Idiots call up Pepito's parents up to the stage, Leopold suddenly grabs Pepito by the arm and drags him away. As Madeline prepares to join the circus she spots Leopold kidnapping a screaming Pepito over his shoulder. Madeline furiously confronts Leopold, confirming her suspicions that he is not a tutor. She then demands Leopold to release Pepito only for Leopold to grab her as well. He and his three Idiot clown henchmen then tie her and Pepito to the back of his truck and drive off just as a heavy rainstorm hits and the crowd hastily leaves the circus.
Meanwhile, in the back of Leopold's truck, Madeline and Pepito begin to lose hope when they spot the giant sharp knives the Idiots used for their circus act. The kids rub their bonds against the knives to free themselves. Madeline then spots the motorcycle the idiots also used for their circus act. They climb onto the bike with Pepito in front and Madeline clutching his chest. Madeline pulls out her hair pin into the ignition and the bike begins to stir. Just as Leopold prepares to drive off, the kids burst through the truck doors on the motorbike to escape. Enraged, Leopold orders the Idiots to climb aboard and they give chase (though inadvertently leave one of the henchmen behind).
Just Madeline and Pepito laugh at their victory, Leopold's truck comes up behind them, quickly gaining on them. The kids pick up speed but the truck remains on their tail. Just then, Ms Clavel drives up around the corner, heading straight for the truck. Leopold and the idiots quickly swerve to avoid a collision, only for the truck to splash into the lake. As the sputtering villains surface, Madeline and Pepito cheer with victory. As the kids and Ms. Clavel embrace each other, a police car then pulls up in front of the kidnappers, and Leopold and his henchmen are arrested.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Leopold is very similar to Dr. Herman Varnick from Beethoven. Both characters are criminals pretending to be professionals.
- While the film makes it seem like Lord Covington (also known as "Cucuface") is the main antagonist (with his intention of selling the boarding school being what drives the main plot), Leopold is revealed to be the true villain because he had bigger plans than Covington.
- Unlike this film, he does not appear in the book or the animated series.