| Teacher's Pet | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Timothy Björklund |
| Written by | |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | Stephen Swofford |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Nancy Frazen |
| Music by | Stephen James Taylor |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution[a] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 74 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million |
| Box office | $6.5 million[1] |
Teacher's Pet is a 2004 American animatedmusicalcomedy film, which serves as thefinale of the2000 television series of the same name created by artistGary Baseman. Produced byWalt Disney Television Animation and distributed byBuena Vista Pictures, the film was directed by series directorTimothy Björklund and written by series creatorsBill and Cheri Steinkellner. The film was released theatrically on January 16, 2004, to mostly positive reviews. It was abox office failure, grossing $6.5 million on a $10 million budget.[2]
The film is dedicated to Baseman's dog, Hubcaps, who died while the film was in production.[citation needed]
For the past year, a dog namedSpot has impersonated a boy named Scott and attended school with his master, fourth-graderLeonard Helperman. Spot desperately wants to become a real human boy, much to the chagrin of Leonard, who just wants a normal dog. Leonard's motherMary Lou is invited to compete in the "Teacher of the Year" finals in SunnySouthern Florida, and granted use of the principal'sRV to travel there under the condition that no dogs are allowed. Leonard sadly bids farewell to Spot as they leave him with a pet sitter.
Watching a television talk show, Spot discovers a scientist named Dr. Ivan Krank who claims he can turn animals into human beings and who lives in Southern Florida. Determined to meet Krank and become a boy, Spot chases down the RV, disguises himself as Scott, and convinces Mrs. Helperman to allow him to travel with them.
Back at home, the Helpermans' birdPretty Boy and catMr. Jolly learn from a follow-up episode of the talk show that Krank cannot actually turn animals into people, but rather into awkward and grotesque hybrid creatures. Pretty Boy decides they must follow after Spot to warn him, assuring Mr. Jolly that they can be tough despite their size.
Arriving in Florida, Mrs. Helperman heads directly to the Teacher of the Year finals, leaving the boys alone, and Spot convinces Leonard to go with him to Krank's lab. Despite Leonard's apprehensions, Krank agrees to turn Spot human, gleefully anticipating the respect the scientific community has always denied him.
Spot wakes up to find that he is indeed human, but becausedogs age faster than humans, he is a fully grown man rather than a boy. Krank wants to capture and exhibit the "dog-man" around the world, but they break free. In need of a new wardrobe, "Scott" uses his dog senses to locate a lost dog and claim a cash reward, and he and Leonard enjoy a day on the town.
Scott and Leonard return to the RV to meet Mrs. Helperman, making up a story to explain the disappearance of Scott-the-boy and the appearance of Scott-the-man. Mrs. Helperman invites Scott in for coffee and soon begins to fall for him. Scott considers marrying Leonard's mother so they can all stay together, but Leonard refuses to allow it. Scott angrily states that he is no longer Leonard's dog, and leaves as Leonard takes back his tags and collar.
The other pets arrive in Florida and help Leonard realize that he should support Scott's dream. Leonard concludes that the only way they can all be together is for him to become Scott's dog, and leaves for Krank's lab. A regretful Scott returns to reconcile with Leonard and follows him.
Krank plans to turn Leonard into a dog and capture Scott to exhibit both of them. Scott arrives at the lab and destroys Krank's machine. In the ensuing chaos, the machine turns Krank into a mouse and Scott back to his original dog form. Leonard and Spot reunite, and Spot decides that he is proud to be a dog.
Returning voice actors from the series includeMae Whitman andLauren Tom as studentsLeslie Dunkling andYounghee Mandlebom andPamela S. Adlon as studentsTyler, Taylor and Trevor.
Genie Ann Francis andAnthony Geary voicesoap opera charactersMarsha and John, as well as theirtelenovela equivalents Marcia and Juan.Rosalyn Landor voicesThe Blue Fairy in the opening sequence and writer David Maples voices Beefeater.
Timothy Stack portrays the owner of a dog Spot rescues and Emma Steinkellner plays his daughter, whileKen Swofford voices Officer White andKevin M. Richardson voices a conductor.
The film was animated byWalt Disney Television Animation andToon City. On its story, instead of telling the originalPinocchio story, the filmmakers thought of putting a twist on the tale, which relates to the theme of the movie: "Be careful what you wish for." Nathan Lane returned to reprise his role as Spot Helperman/Scott Leadready II after working on the musicalThe Producers. The movie itself serves as theseries finale to the television series.
Original songs performed in the film include:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Wanna Be a Boy" | Brian Woodburry &Peter Lurye | Nathan Lane,Shaun Fleming & Chorus | |
| 2. | "A Boy Needs a Dog" | Randy Petersen & Kevin Quinn | Fleming & Lane | |
| 3. | "A Whole Bunch of World" | Cheri Steinkellner, Petersen & Quinn | Debra Jo Rupp, Lane & Fleming | |
| 4. | "Small But Mighty" | Petersen & Quinn | Jerry Stiller &David Ogden Stiers | |
| 5. | "I, Ivan Krank" | Steinkellner, Petersen & Quinn | Kelsey Grammer | |
| 6. | "Take the Money and Run" | Steinkellner, Petersen & Quinn | Jack Sheldon | |
| 7. | "I'm Moving On" | Steinkellner, Petersen & Quinn | Rupp, Lane, Fleming, Grammer,Paul Reubens,Megan Mullally, Stiller, Stiers & Chorus | |
| 8. | "A Boy Needs a Dog (Reprise)" | Petersen & Quinn | Lane & Fleming | |
| 9. | "Proud to Be a Dog" | Woodburry, Lurye, Steinkellner, Petersen & Quinn | Lane, Fleming & Chorus | |
| 10. | "Teacher's Pet" | Joe Lubin | Christy Carlson Romano |
Teacher's Pet was originally planned for a September 5, 2003 release before getting rescheduled for February 2004. The film was then moved up to January 16, 2004.
About a week before release,Toon Disney aired a four-hour marathon of episodes for viewers to catch up on the series.[3][4]
Over its four-day opening weekend, the film made $3.6 million in 2,027 theaters, $1,777 per theater, making it one of the lowest openings in history.[5] By the end of its run, the film had grossed $6.5 million.[1]
OnRotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Despite its short running time,Teacher's Pet is a witty and irreverent family film."[6] OnMetacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film has a score of 74 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.[8]
Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B−.[9] Common Sense Media gave the film four out of five stars, claiming it to be "Fast, fresh, funny and entertaining for all", but they also give warnings for minor potty humor and violence.[10]
Teacher's Pet was released June 15, 2004, onVHS andDVD.
The deleted scenes are inanimatic form as they were either incomplete in time for the film or replaced with a different scene.
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