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 song that Christy Romano sings is a cover of the song Doris Day sang in Teacher's Pet, but the 1958 film has no other connection to this film or the Teacher's Pet cartoon show.

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Goofs

When Leonard is searching for Spot around the trailer, the "No Dogs" tire cover is scratched and ruined. In a later scene, it's fine.

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Quotes

Mr. Jolly: Outside? But I'm an indoor cat. I'm afraid of the outside.
[whimpers]

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits or title cards except the Walt Disney Pictures logo.

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Connections

Spoofs Pinocchio (1940)

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Soundtracks

"I Wanna Be A Boy"
Music and Lyrics by Brian Woodbury and Peter Lurye
Performed by Nathan Lane, Shaun Fleming and chorus

User Reviews

A nice alternative to the standard Disney output

If you like your animation over-the-top and the jokes at a breakneck pace, then this one's for you. Nathan Lane does a great job as Spot the dog who wants to be a boy, along with fellow voices Kelsey Grammar, Paul Ruebens and Jerry Stiller.

The animation is unusual (imagine the drawings on the board game Cranium coming to life), but a nice break from the perfect Pixar flicks. The songs leave something to be desired, but most are brief and then its back to the jokes.

A nice alternative to the standard Disney output: 7 out of 10.