Teacher's Pet

Eric D. Snider started his review by saying, “Though it comes to us from Disney, “Teacher’s Pet” bears more resemblance to the frenetic, loose-limbed anarchy of the old Warner Bros. cartoons than to the slick, genteel productions usually associated with the Mouse House. The protagonist is a brash Bugs Bunny figure, while his sidekick is a good-natured Porky Pig type. The villain has the bombastic ravings of Yosemite Sam, mixed with the far-out ideas of Marvin the Martian. The plot is absolute screwball — and when I say that, I’m holding up a drawing of a screw and a ball.”

Snider continued, “This is a thoroughly delightful, giggle-inducing movie that will amuse kids with its quirky drawing style and outlandish action, while entertaining their parents with fast-paced dialogue and clever songs. It lacks the weight and overall polish to become a “Disney classic,” but it certainly deserves a spot on the list of family cult classics.”

Based on the ABC cartoon show and casting a lot of the same people, “Teacher’s Pet,” released in 2004, is about a dog and his boy. The dog, Spot, voiced by Nathan Lane, wants to be a human boy so bad that he dresses up in human clothes and disguises himself as a student, attending the same school as his owner, fourth-grader Leonard Halperman, voiced by Shaun Fleming.

Leonard’s mom, voiced by Debra Jo Rupp, is the teacher, which is great, and in the movie, she is nominated for a Teacher of the Year award and sent to southern Florida to compete. Principal Strickler, voiced by Wallace Shawn, lets her borrow his RV for the trip, but says to her that no dogs are allowed in his RV.

However, Spot feels like he needs to go with them, because he wants to find a South Florida scientist he saw on TV, Dr. Ivan Krank, voiced by Kelsey Grammer, who claims he can turn animals into people. A scam is made, and Spot joins, and there is a lot of trouble that goes with the journey.

Snider commented, “Nathan Lane is an inspired choice to play Spot, a resourceful, wise-cracking character whose streetwise optimism makes him a true descendant of the aforementioned wabbit. He dons costumes as often as necessary to fool the gullible, does pratfalls to make a point, and occasionally bursts into song. He’s a funny, dynamic character, and great fun to watch.”

The supporting cast is full of eccentric characters, like Megan Mullally and Paul Reubens as a malformed mosquito and alligator, respectively, failed animal-to-human subjects in Dr. Krank’s laboratory. Jerry Stiller and David Ogden Stiers are hilarious as Leonard’s other pets, a bird and a cat, and Estelle Harris plays an unconscious petsitter.

Snider ended his review by saying, “The theme of conflicting dreams (Spot wants to be a boy, Leonard wants a faithful dog) is dealt with just seriously enough to warrant making a feature-length film. The main priority is jokes, and lots of ’em, flying at you visually and aurally, in the landscapes, the one-liners and the whacked-out drawings. Maybe the best compliment I can pay the movie is that it makes me want to seek out the TV show it’s based on.”

I have to admit, seeing a movie based on a show that I never saw and maybe never heard of, I actually was thoroughly entertained by. See this because you will also have a laughing time watching this and if you want to check out the show after watching this, go right ahead. I think I will do the same, but I don’t know as of right now.

Tomorrow I will start looking at some Disney movies that were released this year in “Disney Month 2020.”