| Courage the Cowardly Dog | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | John R. Dilworth |
| Directed by | John R. Dilworth |
| Voices of | |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52 (102 segments)(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | John R. Dilworth |
| Producers |
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| Running time | 22 minutes[a] |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Cartoon Network |
| Release | November 12, 1999 (1999-11-12) – November 22, 2002 (2002-11-22) |
| Related | |
| What a Cartoon! | |
Courage the Cowardly Dog is an American animatedcomedy horror television series created byJohn R. Dilworth forCartoon Network. It follows theanthropomorphictitle character, Courage, who lives with an elderly couple, Muriel and Eustace Bagge, in the middle of Nowhere, a fictional town inKansas. In each episode, Courage and his owners are thrown intoparanormal orsupernatural adventures. The series is known for itsdark,surreal humor and atmosphere.[1]
Dilworth pitched the series toHanna-Barbera's animated shorts showcaseWhat a Cartoon! and a pilot titled "The Chicken from Outer Space" aired on Cartoon Network on February 18, 1996.[2] The segment was nominated for anAcademy Award but lost toWallace & Gromit: A Close Shave. The short was greenlit to become a series, which premiered on November 12, 1999, and ended on November 22, 2002, with four seasons consisting of 13 episodes each. It was nominated for threeGolden Reel Awards and won oneAnnie Award.
Courage the Cowardly Dog follows Courage (Marty Grabstein), a kind but easily frightenedanthropomorphic dog. He was abandoned as a puppy after his parents were forcibly sent into outer space by a crazy veterinarian.[3] Soon after, he was found in an alleyway by Muriel Bagge (Thea White), a caring woman who decided to take Courage in as her own; the nature of this first meeting inspired her to give him his name. In the present, Courage lives in an isolated farmhouse in Kansas with Muriel and her husband Eustace Bagge (Lionel Wilson in episodes 1–33,Arthur Anderson in episodes 34–52), a cranky and greedy man who is jealous of Courage,regularly mistreats him, refers to him as "stupid dog", and uses the "Ooga Booga" mask to scare him. The nearest town to the farmhouse is called Nowhere.
Courage and his owners frequently encounter monsters, aliens, zombies, and other paranormal or supernatural creatures that are attracted to Nowhere. Plots generally use conventions common tohorror films. Although most of the creatures the three face are hostile, others suffer from distress, anger, and/or desperation, and sometimes are friendly. On occasion, some are even false antagonists.
The task of protecting Muriel and Eustace from such dangers falls on Courage, who endeavors to thwart or reconcile with themonster of the week and remedy or repair any damages done. Although Courage is occasionally aided with that task, the full extent of his efforts is usually performed unbeknownst to Muriel and Eustace. Ironically, given his name and expressing much of his distress with over-the-top, piercing shrieks, Courage may be considered a genuine hero who goes to great lengths to protect his owners.
Although episodic in nature, there are a handful of recurring characters in the show's cast, including Courage's sarcastic, sentient computer (Simon Prebble); the family physician Dr. Vindaloo (Paul Schoeffler); a fortune-tellingchihuahua named Shirley the Medium (Mary Testa); Eustace's mother "Ma" (Billie Lou Watt); some of the villains including Katz, Le Quack, Snowman (all three also voiced by Schoeffler), and the antagonistic Di Lung (Tim Chi Ly).
Originally,Courage the Cowardly Dog was created as a seven-minute animated short, "The Chicken from Outer Space". Dilworth started the animated short with Hanna-Barbera, sponsored byCartoon Network and introduced Courage.[4] Dilworth graduated with aBachelor of Fine Arts from theSchool of Visual Arts in New York in 1985. He became an art director and founded his own animation studio, Stretch Films, in 1991, and incorporated in 1994.[4] The character of Courage grew out of an earlier character of Dilworth's called Hamilton, who appeared inSmart Talk with Raisin, a pilot Dilworth created for MTV.
The animated short was shown as one of the episodes of Cartoon Network'sWorld Premiere Toons in 1996, aHanna-Barbera Cartoons innovation by then-presidentFred Seibert. The short served as ade facto pilot for the future series.[5] The original animated short had no dialogue except for one line spoken by Courage, who had a more authoritative voice akin toJackie Mason than in the series. It was uttered by voice actorHoward Hoffman who also provided all the other vocal sounds and effects for the short.[4] An alien chicken was the villain in this short, who later reappears in the series to seek revenge. His sons also attempt to seek revenge in an even later episode.[6] The short was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the68th Academy Awards, but lost to theWallace and Gromit short filmA Close Shave.[7]
When deciding on sound effects, Dilworth tried to avoid pre-made stock sounds.[4] He contributed a substantial amount of new material to sound designer Michael Geisler[8] and only looked for sounds that made him laugh. The composition of the series' music relied on what was being portrayed: suspense, comedy, oraction. The production crew worked together to come up with new music for the series that had not previously been used. There were a few sections on one particular piece that Dilworth exceptionally liked.[4] The production crew was able to isolate these sections and expand them into a usable theme.[4]
Original music featured inCourage the Cowardly Dog was composed by Jody Gray[9] and Andy Ezrin.[10][11] Classical music can be heard at times, which pays homage to classicWarner Bros. animation and the scores ofCarl Stalling.[12] In several episodes, Gray arranged various famous classical pieces, such asWagner's "Ride of the Valkyries", and wrote up to 15 songs.[11]
Courage the Cowardly Dog originally was premiered as a short on February 18, 1996. The show premiered on November 12, 1999, and became the highest-rated premiere in Cartoon Network history at the time.[13] Previews forCourage the Cowardly Dog were shown in American movie theaters beforePokémon: The First Movie.[14] It ended on November 22, 2002, with 52 episodes produced in four seasons.
In total, there were 52 episodes in four seasons produced, plus a pilot episode and a special episode. The series ran from November 12, 1999, to November 22, 2002.
| Season | Segments | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | ||||
| Pilot | February 18, 1996 (1996-02-18)[2] | ||||
| 1 | 26 | 13 | November 12, 1999 (1999-11-12) | July 14, 2000 (2000-07-14) | |
| 2 | 25 | 13 | October 31, 2000 (2000-10-31) | November 16, 2001 (2001-11-16) | |
| 3 | 26 | 13 | January 11, 2002 (2002-01-11) | August 9, 2002 (2002-08-09) | |
| 4 | 25 | 13 | September 6, 2002 (2002-09-06) | November 22, 2002 (2002-11-22) | |
| Special | October 31, 2014 (2014-10-31) | ||||
| Crossover film | September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14) | ||||
John G. Nettles ofPopMatters reviewed the show and called it "a fascinating and textured mixture of cartoon and horror-movie conventions, and a joy to watch."[15]
Alex Mastas ofLights Out Films reviewed the show, gave it a grade "A−" and described it: "The backgrounds are rich and imaginative—they composite a lot of the show over real photos and occasionally integrateCGI into the cartoon. The look is weird and ethereal, just like the show itself."[16]
KJ Dell Antonia ofCommon Sense Media gave the show three stars out of five, with the summary "Cult fave 'toon plays over-the-top violence for laughs."[17] Antonia warned parents that the series contains graphic animated violence, including "exploding organs, growing extra limbs, turning inside out, you name it".[17] Randy Miller III ofDVD Talk said that shows aimed at younger audiences "usually don't go for thrills and chills, so it's good to see a genuinely surreal and slanted series develop a decent following."[18]
Jeff Swindoll ofMonsters and Critics reviewed the first season DVD and praised all the episodes featured in the first season and encouraged fans to buy the season's DVD, but also noted the exclusion of the original Hanna-Barbera shortThe Chicken from Outer Space on the DVD.[19]Courage the Cowardly Dog was ranked number five inEntertainment Weekly's 2012 list of "10 Best Cartoon Network Shows".[20] In 2023, Indian entertainment journalPinkvilla ranked the show no. 1 of their list of top 10 1990s cartoons and gave special praise to the episode "Courage in the Big Stinkin' City", stating that the show remains enjoyable in present times.[1]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1995 | John R. Dilworth (for "The Chicken from Outer Space") | Best Animated Short Film | Nominated |
| Annie Awards | |||
| 2000 | John R. Dilworth (for "A Night at the Katz Motel") | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television Production[21][22] | Won |
| Golden Reel Awards | |||
| 2000 | For "The Duck Brothers" | Best Sound Editing—Television Animated Series—Sound[22] | Nominated |
| 2001 | For "Courage in the Big Stinkin' City" | Best Sound Editing—Television Animated Series—Sound[22] | Won |
| 2003 | For "The Tower of Dr. Zalost" | Best Sound Editing—Television Animated Series—Sound[22] | Nominated |
VHS editions ofScooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost andScooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders each include an episode ofCourage the Cowardly Dog as a bonus.
Courage the Cowardly Dog: Season One, a two-disc DVD set featuring all 13 episodes from the show's first season, was released in Australia (Region 4) on September 12, 2007, byMadman Entertainment.[23][24] On January 13, 2010, the complete second season was also released, which as of 2023, is the only DVD release of "The Chicken from Outer Space".[23][25]
A Region 1 release of the first season was done byWarner Home Video (viaWarner Archive) on July 20, 2010. The release is the second in an official release of severalCartoon Cartoons on DVD, under the "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame" name.[26] The second season was released on October 14, 2014, as the fourth in the "Hall of Fame" series.[27] The third season was originally supposed to be released on DVD in Region 1 on February 2, 2016,[28] but it was delayed to (and was released on) March 22, 2016.[29] It is the fifth title in the Cartoon Network Hall of Fame series. The fourth and final season was released on September 27, 2016.Courage is one of the few Cartoon Network shows to be available as separate season sets in its entirety on DVD.
In addition, all four seasons of the series are available for download oniTunes.[30][31][32][33] The PlayStation 2 version of the video gameCartoon Network Racing contains the episodes "Robot Randy" and "The Magic Tree of Nowhere" as unlockable extras.
| Season | Episodes | Release dates | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Australia | ||||
| 1 | 1999–2000 | 13 | The Powerpuff Girls: Birthday Bash (VHS): November 7, 2000 Episode(s): "Journey to the Center of Nowhere" Cartoon Network Halloween: 9 Creepy Cartoon Capers: August 10, 2004 Episode(s): "The Demon in the Mattress" - "Courage Meets Bigfoot" Cartoon Network Halloween 2: Grossest Halloween Ever: August 9, 2005 Episode(s): "Night of the Weremole" The Complete First Season: July 20, 2010 4 Kid Favorites: The Hall of Fame Collection: March 13, 2012 Episode(s): "A Night at the Katz Motel" – "The Gods Must Be Goosey" 4 Kid Favorites: The Hall of Fame Collection Vol. 2: March 12, 2013 Episode(s): "Queen of the Black Puddle" – "The Great Fusilli" The Complete Series: October 2, 2018 Episode(s): Entire season featured | September 12, 2007[23][24] | |
| 2 | 2000–01 | Cartoon Network Halloween 2: Grossest Halloween Ever: August 9, 2005 Episode(s): "Courage Meets the Mummy" The Complete Second Season: October 14, 2014[27] The Complete Series: October 2, 2018 Episode(s): Entire season featured | January 13, 2010[23][25] | ||
| 3 | 2002 | The Complete Third Season: March 22, 2016[28] The Complete Series: October 2, 2018 Episode(s): Entire season featured | N/a | ||
| 4 | Cartoon Network Christmas: Yuletide Follies: October 5, 2004 Episode(s): "The Nutcracker" The Complete Fourth Season: September 27, 2016[34] The Complete Series: October 2, 2018 Episode(s): Entire season featured | N/a | |||
Though the series has no official video games, characters fromCourage the Cowardly Dog appear in the Cartoon Network gamesCartoon Network Speedway,Cartoon Network: Block Party,Cartoon Network Racing, andCartoon Network Universe: FusionFall.
In February 2012,BuzzFeed reported that a CGI special ofCourage the Cowardly Dog was in development.[35] The seven-minute special, titledThe Fog of Courage, aired in 2014. Dilworth uploaded the special on his StretchFilms YouTube channel on March 14, 2024.[36]
In October 2018, Dilworth commented on a Facebook post that he was in negotiations withBoomerang for a prequel to the series under the working titleBefore Courage.[37] However, in May 2020, when asked about the project, Dilworth responded that it had been "transformed into another thing".[38] In June 2021, Dilworth revealed that the project was on turnaround as Cartoon Network's management is prioritizing their focus on other projects.[39] However, in January 2022, Dilworth revealed that the project has already been dropped and fell through for the same reason.[40][41] On February 1, 2024, Dilworth uploaded the animatic pilot titledGoblins of Litter on his StretchFilms YouTube channel[42] and on February 23, 2024, uploaded the same pilot with music and sound effects added.[43]
On June 22, 2021,Warner Bros. Animation announced an animated direct-to-video crossover film withScooby-Doo calledStraight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog. The film follows Scooby-Doo and his friends finding a suspicious object in Nowhere, Kansas, where Courage and his owners reside.[44]
Marty Grabstein and Thea White reprise their roles as Courage and Muriel, while Eustace is voiced byJeff Bergman because of the deaths of the character's former voice castsLionel Wilson andArthur Anderson in 2003 and 2016, respectively. The film was released on DVD and digital on September 14, 2021.[44] The film also serves as a posthumous role for Thea White, who died in July 2021, around two months before the film's release date.[45] Series creator John R. Dilworth did not have any involvement in the crossover.[46] According to animator and artist Tracy Mark Lee, the film's original premise was originally pitched as an episode ofScooby-Doo and Guess Who?[47]
