Teacher's Pet (2004)

Director:

Timothy Björklund

Writers:

Gary Baseman (television series Teacher's Pet) and
Bill Steinkellner (television series Teacher's Pet) ...

Release Date:

16 January 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

Be careful what you wish for.

Plot:

Spot (Lane) is a dog who can talk and read. Posing as a human, he sneaks into school with his master Leonard (Flemming). Educational adventures ensue.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Mad Scientist | School | Teacher | Florida

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Nathan Lane	...	Spot Helperman / Scott Leadready II / Scott Manly-Manning (voice)
Kelsey Grammer	...	Dr. Ivan Krank (voice)
Shaun Fleming	...	Leonard Amadeus Helperman (voice)
Debra Jo Rupp	...	Mrs. Mary Lou Moira Angela Darling Helperman (voice)
David Ogden Stiers	...	Mr. Jolly (voice)
Jerry Stiller	...	Pretty Boy (voice)
Paul Reubens	...	Dennis (voice)
Megan Mullally	...	Adele (voice)
Rob Paulsen	...	Ian Wazselewski (voice)
Wallace Shawn	...	Principal Crosby Strickler (voice)
Jay Thomas	...	Barry Anger (voice)
Estelle Harris	...	Mrs. Boogin (voice)
Genie Francis	...	Marsha / Marcia (voice) (as Genie Ann Francis)
Anthony Geary	...	John / Juan (voice)
Rosalyn Landor	...	Blue Fairy (voice)

Also Known As:

Disney's Teacher's Pet (USA) (complete title)
Teacher's Pet: The Movie (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mildly crude humor.

Runtime:

USA:74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

New Zealand:G | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G | USA:PG | Singapore:G

Company:

Toon City Animation

Trivia:

The little girl voiced by Emma Steinkellner in the opening song first appeared in the "Teacher's Pet (2000/II)" episode "Never Take Candy From A Kindergardner", where she has a crush on Leonard and then moves onto Scott.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: At one point Spot breaks out in song and is joined by other animals in a forest. In one shot the sound of a dolphin is heard, although none are present because, again, the scene takes place in a forest.

Quotes:

Ivan Krank: It's alive. IT'S ALIVE. That's a good start.

Movie Connections:

References Peter Pan (1953)

Soundtrack:

I'm Moving On

Tons Of Gags, Many For Adults

"A nice surprise" is probably how I would best describe this animated film. The artwork on the cover makes it look as if it was made for four-year-old audiences but it is hardly that. It is very funny with so many gags I lost count. Those gags are both audio and visual.

Nathan Lane's New York City accent was funny as he voiced the lead character, "Spot," the dog who wanted to be changed into a little boy. Actually, all the characters are pretty funny and the songs aren't bad, either. I am not usually a fan of these kids' musicals but the songs were short and the lyrics were humorous. And - I didn't really view this as a kids movie since the vocabulary and the jokes were geared (in a non-offensive way) more toward adults.

I understand some parents, in fact, were upset at this movie for that very reason - the jokes go over the heads of most kids in here. Also, the references are not something kids would know. For an adult, this was a clever and big surprise. I would rent this, however, before considering buying it. On my second viewing, maybe it wasn't a surprise anymore, I found it only so-so for some strange reason.