Teacher's Pet (2004)

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.

Director:

Timothy Björklund

Writers:

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

Stars:

Nathan Lane, Kelsey Grammer, Shaun Fleming

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

Leonard is a 4th grader; his mother, Mrs. Mary Lou Helperman, is his teacher, and has been nominated for a teaching award. They plan a trip to Florida for the finals, but need to leave their dog, Spot, behind. Unknown to Mrs. Helperman, Spot has been masquerading as a boy, Scott, who is her star pupil. Spot wants nothing more than to be a real boy, and sees a way to this when mad scientist Ivan Krank appears on the Barry Anger show. Krank thinks he can turn animals into humans. Conveniently, his lab is right down the street from where the Helpermans are staying, so Spot, as Scott (and the rest of his family) convinces Mary Lou to take him along. Spot becomes a man, but discovers it's not everything he ever dreamed of after all.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | school | teacher | florida | mad scientist | 

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Taglines:

A musical tail about one dog's dream of becoming a boy.

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mildly crude humor

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Disney's Teacher's Pet

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,602,245 (USA) (16 January 2004)

Gross:

$6,491,350 (USA) (2 April 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toon City Animation, Toon City, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

The first time the crocodile-boy's eye falls out, it's his left eye. All other times, it's his right.

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Quotes

Pretty Boy: Well, I wanna be a rooster in a hen house, but I just don't see it happening. Isn't that right, Mr. Jolly?
Mr. Jolly: It's too early in the morning for hypothetical discussion, but since you brought it up... you? A rooster?

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Crazy Credits

The opening and closing Disney credits have been redrawn to match the animation style of the film.

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Connections

Spoofs The Jetsons (1962)

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Soundtracks

"Hot Diggity Dog"
Music and Lyrics by Stephen James Taylor

User Reviews

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.