Teacher's Pet (TV series)
| Teacher's Pet | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's television series, Adventure, Comedy |
| Created by | Gary Baseman Bill Steinkellner Cheri Steinkellner |
| Written by | Gary Baseman Bill Steinkellner Cheri Steinkellner Ford Riley Laura McCreary Michael Price |
| Directed by | Timothy Bjorklund |
| Voices of | Shaun Fleming Nathan Lane Debra Jo Rupp Wallace Shawn Mae Whitman Jerry Stiller David Ogden Stiers |
| Composer | Stephen James Taylor |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 39 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Gary Baseman Bill Steinkellner Cheri Steinkellner Jess Winfield |
| Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
| Production companies | Walt Disney Television Disney Television Animation |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC (2000-2002) Toon Disney (2002) |
| Release | September 9, 2000 – May 10, 2002 |
Teacher's Pet (also known as Disney's Teacher's Pet) is an American Disney animated television series about a 11 year old boy and his dog who dresses up as a boy.[1] Created by Gary Baseman, Bill Steinkellner and Cheri Steinkellner and directed by Timothy Björklund, it was broadcast on Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC and later Toon Disney. A feature film version was released in 2004 (with most of the cast from the show reprising their roles). The show ran from 2000 to 2002. The show was influenced by Gary Baseman's dog, Hubcaps. He would wonder what the dog would do while he was gone. He made this show in honor of him, with Spot portraying Hubcaps.
Main plot
Leonard Helperman, your average 11 year old 4th grade nerd, has lived in fear because his mom, Mary Helperman, is his teacher. Oh the teasing, the torments, the insults, the beatings, the taunts of "teacher's pet" that are showered and haunt this poor kid who wants to be normal. One day, a kid named Scott Leadready II arrives at school and becomes the newset coolest, dreamiest, kid in school. Everyone loves this kid, but Leonard is envious. And then no sooner or later, he finds out- aaahhhhh! The kid is really his dog.
Characters
- Leonard Helperman
The main character. When your mom is the teacher and your dog is your arch-nemeses, forget about being normal! Leonard is a great scout and horrible at sports, he is madly in love with the girl next door but can hardly say anything except "hi" to her. Life is a drag, Scott's going to beat Leonard in everything. Everyday, all the other kids will beat him up, insult him, or torment him. He is hated and mistreated because he's a nerd and his mom is the teacher. He is hated, unloved, and mistreated because he's a nerd and his mom is the teacher.
- Spot Helperman/Scott Leadready II
The second main character. Scott loves school- he loves everything when it comes to popularity, awards, contests, or school. He is able to quote every historic figure or celebrity. He always comes up with amazing plans which'll get Leonard punished, sent to detention, or pounded. Spot uses his dog qualities to impress everyone and beat Leonard at everything. Their rivalry gets bigger and bigger all the time. He is very loyal to Leonard and will sometimes help him in his time of needs. However mostly, Spot/Scott will try and make Leonard look like a fool in front of his peers and sometimes in front of the whole town.
- Pretty Boy
Pretty Boy is a bossy big-mouthed canary and yells at everyone. He has a Napoleon complex. His arrogance is matched by his love for seedbells and soaps. He yells at everyone for everything. When he's not hollering, he has a lovely singing voice.
- Mr. Jolly
a big blobby romantic cat that smells like tuna fish and is afraid of the outside. He will never in his 9 lives, understand why Spot would wanna leave the comfort of home, go to school, and be rivals with his master, and go "out there" with crazy drivers, animal control cops, and coyotes. He has a crush on Tallulah Strickler but his cowardice and her evilness prevents romance.
- Ian Wazselewski
The class weirdo. But he's the smartest kid in school. Well, he was, until Scott showed up. His mom is the school nurse, so he thinks he has a bond with Leonard. He's a guy with a chronic upper-respiratory infection...a guy who keeps his scab collection in his desk. Everyone calls him "Eww-an". He also wrote a speech about his head lice in kindergarten. He has a secondary role in the show, but he has a fairly large role in the movie.
- Leslie Dunkling
Leonard's crush and former playmate. Leslie and Leonard have been best friends since they were both babies, until fourth grade when she decided to stop hanging out with him because he's unpopular. Leslie is unafraid and outspoken and not afraid of anything daring or challenging, she doesn't know Leonard likes her secretly. She does however, adore Spot and is hitting on Scott like the rest of the girls. Unlike the other kids, she treats Leonard nicely and cares deeply for him. In fact, she once admitted she thinks he's cute.
- Mrs. Mary Lou Helperman
Leonard's mother and teacher. Mary Lou is the teacher you'd love to have in your class. She's all sweet, loving, kind, and hilarious. She's coming up with these weird ideas including, Pet Parades and Dress up as your favorite author. She has a New York accent. She's a great teacher and mom and makes you care even though you don't want to. She treats Leonard like a baby.
- Principal Strickler
Principal Strickler's is strict, bow-tied, and by-the-book. He's a neat freak, a control freak and a freak in general. He's hated dogs ever since he was a fourth grader after one bit off half of his thumb. He does however, love his (secretly evil) cat Tallulah. He wont rest until he's made Fala D. Roosevelt the best school in East/Westland. He is a strict but fair administrator and runs a tight ship.
Cast
- Shaun Fleming as Leonard Helperman
- Nathan Lane as Spot/Scott Leadready II
- Debra Jo Rupp as Mary Helperman
- Mae Whitman as Leslie Dunkling
- Wallace Shawn as Principal Strickler
- David Ogden Stiers as Mr. Jolly
- Jerry Stiller as Pretty Boy
Scheduling history
The first episode aired on ABC's "One Saturday Morning" on Saturday, September 9, 2000, and remained on ABC until 2002. In January 2002, the show also began airing in Toon Disney, and they used that channel to air new episodes every Friday. While still airing on ABC, it was eventually removed from ABC on September 14, 2002 due to a new Saturday morning block called "ABC Kids." As of 2006, it vanished from Toon Disney as well and is nowhere to be found. In Australia, it aired on Disney Channel from 2001 to 2005 where it was pushed back to the mornings and late night spots on Disney Channel. The show's spot was then replaced in 2006 by 101 Dalmatians and finally Recess which currently is the only One Saturday Morning cartoon now airing on Disney Australia. Recess airs on Family Channel in Canada.
Worldwide release
Episodes
| Season | Network | Episodes | First airdate | Last airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ABC | 13 | September 9, 2000 | January 13, 2001 |
| 2 | ABC, Toon Disney | 26 | September 22, 2001 | May 10, 2002 |
Awards
- Won Emmy: Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Special Class Animated Program 2002 and 2003
- Won Emmy: Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program: Nathan Lane 2001
- British Emmy (BAFTA): Best International Children's Programming.
- Baseman also won for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for Production Design on this animated series.
Film
In 2004, Walt Disney Pictures produced a full-length animated feature film of the show in theaters. It was titled " Teacher's Pet: The Movie" and it's the shows series finale. Unlike the show, Spot/Scott is the star and Leonard is the co-star. Spot is sick of pretending to be a boy and wants to be the real thing. When summer arrives, Spot finds out that a mad scientist can make his wish come true, and he, Leonard, Mr Jolly, Pretty Boy, and Ian are off on a cross-country trek. Spot becomes a man, but he realizes it's not what he thought after all. So he and Leonard must right this wrong. Find out in Leonard and Spot's greatest adventure ever. Nathan Lane returns as Spot and Shaun Fleming returns as Leonard. While, Debra Jo Rupp, Jerry Stiller, David Ogden Stiers, Wallace Shawn, Mae Whitman, Rob Paulsen, Cree Summer, Lauren Tom, Pamela Adlon, and Tress MacNeille also reprise their roles as Mary, Pretty Boy, Jolly, Principal Strickler, Leslie, Ian, Chelsey, Kelsey, Younghee, Tyler, Trevor, Taylor, and Tallulah.
References
- ^ "A New Neighborhood for Animated Series". LA Times. September 9, 2000. Retrieved 2010-09-03.