Other Titles • Teacher's Pet (2004) • Disney's Teacher's Pet • Teacher's Pet: The Movie
Synopses for Teacher's Pet (2004)
1.
A high-energy and wildly comic reinterpretation of Pinocchio, Teacher's Pet: The Movie follows Spot (voiced by Nathan Lane), a dog who desperately wants to be a boy, much to the chagrin of his owner Leonard (Shaun Fleming), who just wants to play with his dog. Disguised as his human alter ego Scott, Spot heads down to Florida in the hopes of being transformed by a mad scientist (Kelsey Grammer)--but the transformation proves to be more complicated than Spot expects. Teacher's Pet almost looks like it was drawn in crayon--the unusual and dynamic visual style sets it apart from most Disney cartoons, and the witty dialogue and songs--voiced with zip and aplomb--make the movie hugely entertaining for kids and parents. Also featuring the voices of Jerry Stiller, Paul Reubens, Megan Mullaly, David Ogden Stiers, and Wallace Shawn. --Bret Fetzer
Jim Svejda, KNX/CBS Radio "...a charming, imaginative, laugh-out loud winner."
2.
Nathan Lane hams it up beautifully in this animated film version of the Disney/ABC TV series. He provides the voice for Spot, a talking dog who longs to be a boy so much that he even dresses up as one so he can accompany his owner Leonard (Shaun Fleming) to school, where he gets the best grades in the class. Fast-paced fun abounds here, with plenty of sly humor geared to the parents in the audience. The truly strange storyline follows Spot down to Florida where he gets himself genetically transformed into a human at the hands of controversial "wacko," Dr. Crank (Kelsey Grammar). The trouble is, he becomes a man, not a boy, and the lunacy reaches peak heights when Leonard's mom falls in love with the new dog-man. This creates all sorts of bizarre emotional havoc for Leonard, as he realizes his own pooch might become his step-dad. Meanwhile Dr. Crank is in hot pursuit, determined to take "Spot" with him on a world tour. There's plenty of zippy, irreverent musical numbers, and it all goes speeding by so fast and fresh it's nearly impossible to catch all the details in one viewing. The animation bursts off the screen in bright colors. Lane is consistently inventive and hilarious. And the supporting voices are all terrific--Paul Reubens plays one of Crank's earlier experiments gone wrong (a dim-witted alligator boy), and Barry Stiller plays a tough-talking parrot.
3.
Spot Helperman is a dog with a dream. From puppyhood, he has known that he was different from the other pets, destined for greater things. Last September, he proved it. He pushed away the kibble bowl, put down his leg, pulled on some pants, tucked his ears into a beanie, and followed his master, Leonard Helperman, to school. Spot became Scott, the newest, smartest, coolest kid in Mrs. Helperman’s fourth grade class.
It’s been a great nine months (that’s sixty-three in dog-months) and the school year is over, meaning the dog days of summer are about to begin – and Leonard has a dream of his own: He wants Spot to lose the pants and beanie, drop down on all fours, and chase a stick like a normal mutt again.
But Spot isn’t enthused with Leonard’s concept of fun. He prefers living a boy’s life to the mundane ranks of petdom with scaredy-housecat Mr. Jolly and loud-mouthed, seed-bell-pecking canary, Pretty Boy. The only thing Spot would like better would to someday actually become a real live boy himself … a dream too far-fetched to ever come true.
Further adding to Spot’s frustration is the impending departure of his best friend on a trip to Florida with his mother – Mrs. Helperman is a finalist in a national teacher’s award competition. So on the first day of summer vacation, Leonard and his mom pack up the Wentawaygo and speed away. Spot dejectedly wanders inside, circles his tail a few times, and plops down on the remote control, accidentally clicking off Mr. Jolly and Pretty Boy’s beloved soap opera, and clicking onto “The Barry Anger Show.” Today’s guest on the schlock talk show is Dr. Ivan Krank, a full-blown wacko genetic scientist from Florida who claims he can turn animals into human beings. So far, Dr Krank’s results have been decidedly mixed as evidenced by Dennis, a mutant alligator boy, and Adele, a half-mosquito/ half-girl. Unfazed by Dr. Krank’s lack of success, Spot is certain he would be the perfect subject, and the mad scientist could make his dream of becoming a real live boy finally come true. Now all he must do is get to Florida – the destination of the just-departed Leonard and Mrs. H. This is no mere coincidence – this is fate!
Spot, disguised as Scott, joins the Helperman road trip adventure, only to learn that the unconventional scientist’s weird genetic-type, DNA-altering experiments don’t always turn out as one might expect. Meanwhile, Pretty Boy forces poor Mr. Jolly to leave the comforts of home and, against all odds, rescue their friend, Spot; Mrs. Helperman finds love in exactly the wrong place; and Leonard loses a dog and almost gains a dad. Along the way, this unlikely combination of characters discovers that, ultimately, you must be happy with who you are … and that you should be careful what you wish for.
4.
From the directors of La Blue Girl and Midnight Panther! Love between a professor and a delectable coed deepens into a smoldering S&M scenario!
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