7.2 /10 1 Votes7.2
7.9/10 TV | 6.6/10 IMDb Final episode date 10 May 2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Genre Children's television seriesadventurecomedyslapstick Created by Gary BasemanBill SteinkellnerCheri Steinkellner Written by Gary BasemanBill SteinkellnerCheri SteinkellnerFord RileyLaura McCrearyMichael Price Directed by Timothy BjorklundAlfred GimenoDonald V. MackinnonEnnio Torresan Jr. Voices of Shaun FlemingNathan LaneDebra Jo RuppWallace ShawnMae WhitmanJerry StillerDavid Ogden StiersKevin Schon (Season Two) Opening theme Disney's Teacher's Pet Theme Cast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teacher's Pet (also known as Disney's Teacher's Pet) is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and directed by Timothy Björklund. The series follows a 9-year-old boy and his dog who dresses up as a boy. Created by Gary Baseman, Bill Steinkellner and Cheri Steinkellner, it was broadcast on Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC and later Toon Disney, from 2000 to 2002.
Contents
Premise
The series follows Leonard Helperman (voiced by future singer Shaun Fleming of the indy rock bands Diane Coffee and Foxygen), a 9-year-old stereotypical nerd in the 4th grade, who has lived in fear because his mother, Mary Helperman, is his teacher. Because of this, he is often teased and called "teacher's pet", but he wants to be normal. Meanwhile, his dog Spot (voiced by Nathan Lane) misses Leonard while he's at school, and yearns to be a human boy. So on the first day of the school year, he decides to come to class disguised as a new student named Scott Leadready II. Almost instantly, he becomes the coolest, dreamiest kid in school. However, Leonard eventually finds out his secret. Although Leonard disapproves, he allows Spot to come to school.
Airing history
The show aired on ABC's "One Saturday Morning" on Saturday, September 9, 2000, and remained on ABC until September 7, 2002 due to a new Saturday morning block called "ABC Kids". In January 2002, the show began airing reruns on Toon Disney, and they used the channel to air the remaining Season Two episodes every Friday beginning January 11, 2002 (Although new episodes were aired on ABC until February 9). As of 2006, it vanished from Toon Disney all together and hasn't been put into reruns in America since then.
There are rumors that if "Teacher's Pet" had stayed on ABC, there would have been a third & fourth season, leading up the 65 episode limit. Other rumors claim that Season 2 and Season 3 were merged into one season, hence why there is a Thanksgiving and Christmas episode in the second season despite it being aired in the spring time and why the second season has 26 (It would have split the 26 episodes in half, saving the other 13 episodes for the 2002-2003 season had ABC not created ABC Kids).
International broadcast
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.
As of January 5, 2017, reruns of the second season are currently airing on TV3 in Malaysia in its original English Dub.
Reception
TV.com gave the show a 7.9 out of 10 and IMDB gave it a 6.5/10.
Film
On January 16, 2004, Walt Disney Pictures produced a full-length animated feature film of the show in theaters, titled Teacher's Pet: The Movie. Originally planned to be released in September 2003, it serves as the show's series finale. When Spot sees a mad scientist on TV who can turn animals into humans, he sees this as a chance to become an actual boy. However, when Spot becomes human, he soon realizes the experience isn't what he thought after all. Most of the actors from the series reprised their roles for the movie. The movie was a box office failure, only making over half of its budget back. Despite this, the critical reviews were mainly positive.