Teacher's Pet
Tags: psychedelic

Plot synopsis:
Spot is a dog who wants nothing more than to be a boy, a fantasy he has been fulfilling for one year, dressing as a boy named Scott Leadready II, and going to school with his master Leonard Helperman. Leonard is looking forward to spending the summer with his dog, but Spot proudly declares "I Wanna Be a Boy". Mary Lou Helperman, the fourth grade teacher and Leonard's mother, is nominated for a "Teacher of the Year" award, and given use of Principal Strickler's Wentawaygo to travel to the finals in Sunny Southern Florida, under the condition that no dogs are allowed in the RV. Leonard sadly bids farewell to Spot ("A Boy Needs a Dog") as he and his mother depart.
Spot, along with the Helpermans' other pets, Pretty Boy and Mr. Jolly, are left with a pet-sitter when Spot accidentally sits on the remote and changes the channel to The Barry Anger Show. Anger's special guest is a "wacko" named Dr. Ivan Krank, who claims he can turn animals into human beings, who happens to be located in Sunny Southern Florida. Believing it to be fate, Spot chases down the RV. Spot and Leonard meet up at a gas station. Through many quick costume changes, Spot fools Mrs. Helperman into believing that he is Scott Leadready II and that his family, en route to Sunny Southern Florida, had to return home, but he could still go with the Helpermans. Spot, Leonard, and Mrs. Helperman continue on their way to Florida, singing through all fifty states ("A Whole Bunch of World").
Meanwhile, Pretty Boy and Mr. Jolly, back at home, see another episode of Barry Anger in which Anger reveals that Krank cannot turn animals into people, but rather into terrifying mutant creatures. They decide that they must track down Spot and stop him from being turned into a monster, but Mr. Jolly is afraid to leave the house. Pretty Boy assures him that they can be tough despite their size ("Small But Mighty")
Upon arriving in Florida, Mrs. Helperman goes directly to the Teacher of the Year finals, and Leonard is all ready to play fetch, but Spot has other ideas. He reveals to Leonard the real reason he came to Florida, to become a real boy. Leonard is skeptical, but accompanies Spot to Krank's lab, where Krank has just unsuccessfully tried to turn a frog human. He is ready to destroy his machine when Spot and Leonard show up. Spot tells him that his machine can't work with a frog because it's a lower life form, like his other two creatures, Dennis (an alligator-man) and Adele (a mosquito-girl), and that he needs a mammal, like a dog. Krank agrees to turn Spot human, and gives him a nickel as payment for being his test subject. Krank explains that, throughout his entire life, people have mocked his ideas ("I, Ivan Krank") and turns the machine on Spot.
Spot wakes up to find that he is indeed human—but not a boy as he expected, but rather a fully-grown man (he had forgotten to factor in dog time). Still, he is happy to be human, but the happiness quickly fades when Krank tells him that he will have to travel around with him forever to prove that Krank is not a wacko. Krank locks Leonard and "Scott" up, and hope seems lost until Ian, Krank's nephew and Leonard and Spot's classmate, shows up and sets them free. Krank grounds Ian and sends Dennis and Adele off to find his "dog-man". Leonard and Scott, meanwhile, are hungry, and Scott's clothes from when he was a dog disguised as a boy do not fit his adult body. They see a sign advertising a $100 reward for a lost dog. Scott uses the Twilight Bark to locate the lost dog, along with her four puppies that had been born while she was lost. This prompts the dog's owner to give them $500, as they brought back five dogs. Now rolling in money, Leonard and Scott enjoy a day on the town.
The two lose track of time, but manage to make it back to the Wentawaygo just in time for dinner, forgetting that in place of Scott Leadready II is a stranger who Mrs. Helperman will not recognize. Scott and Leonard quickly make up a story that this new person is Scott Manly-Manning, Scott Leadready II had to go home, and he helped him out. Mrs. Helperman invites Scott in for coffee and soon begins to fall for him. Scott presents an idea to Leonard as to how they can stay together: he will marry Leonard's mother and they'll all be able to live together. Leonard is not okay with this; Scott is his dog, not his dad. Scott tells him he's not his dog anymore. Finally fed up with Scott's stubbornness, Leonard disowns Scott as his Dog and he confiscates Scott's collar and tells Scott to leave him and his mother alone. Scott storms off, leaving everyone else lamenting the loss: Mary Lou of her "Manly-Manning Man", Leonard of his dog, Krank of his creation, and Dennis and Adele, along with Pretty Boy and Jolly, search for Spot ("I'm Moving On"). Pretty Boy and Jolly finally make it to Florida, and Leonard tells them the whole story. He comes to the conclusion that the only way he and Scott can be together is for him to go to Krank and have him turn him into a dog. ("A Boy Needs a Dog (Reprise)"). Scott arrives moments after Leonard leaves, and after getting over the shock of seeing Spot as a human, Pretty Boy and Jolly tell him that Leonard has gone to Krank's lab.
Krank plans to turn Leonard into a dog and use him as bait to get Scott back, and then he will have both the boy-dog and the dog-man. Scott arrives at the lab just as Leonard is being strapped to the table. Dennis detains Scott, Pretty Boy and Jolly, but they escape by tickling him. Scott unties Leonard and destroys Krank's machine by inserting the nickel that Krank had given him earlier into a slot on the machine marked "Quarters Only". The machine starts firing at random, turning Krank into a mouse and seemingly killing Scott, turning him into a pile of blue dust. Leonard angrily beats the machine and it fires at the blue dust and turns Scott back into his original dog form. Leonard and Spot reunite, and Spot decides that he is "Proud to Be a Dog".

Review: Deserves a Daytime Emmy!.
The coolest cartoon of the new millennium!
I like Nathan Lane voicing the hammy dog (Spot/Scott) as well as Debra Jo Rupp doing double duty on a prime time show & a cartoon (That 70's Show).But my favorite character is Mr. Jolly (David Odgen Stiers)!
The sensative orange cat who's kind hearted.
Whether Mr. Jolly laughs over Pretty Boy's pratfalls or dehydrates himself by crying too much, Mr. Jolly's the secret star of the show (being I'm a cat lover myself).This cartoon deserves a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Animated Series &/or Best Performer in a Children's Series..
One of the better shows in TV..
Nathan Lane has the perfect voice for animation.
It's energetic, yet childish!
And this vehicle is perfect for him.
And to be honest, I'm not even a Nathan Lane fan.Don't waste your time with Digimon.
"Teacher's Pet" is great for you who are still young at heart.And the bird (Pretty Boy) and the depressing cat "Mr. Jolly" are wonderful!
Not to mention the Opera music they play now and again....
Way to go Disney!.
Once again Disney gives us another winner on its One Saturday Morning block.
I think Nathan Lane is the perfect choice as the voice of Spot (aka Scott when he's in school), as is Jerry Stiller, and David Ogden Stiers as the voices of Pretty Boy, and Mr. Jolly.
And yes, Wallace Shawn is good for the principal's voice too.
But enough of the great voice talents.
This show is good, and I hope it stays on for a long time!.
The only great Saturday morning cartoon.
I haven't been a kid for too many years to count.
Generally speaking, Saturday morning is my least favorite time to watch the tube.
I like to laze around on weekends; and I have no interest in modern cartoons.
Usually, there's a choice between boring cartoons and infomercials.Now sneak 'Teacher's Pet' into the mix.
I'm entranced by a likeable dog who turns into the 4th grade class genius the moment he's on his way to school.
The excellent Nathan Lane does the voice for Spot/Scott, the budding dog/boy genius, and he is superb.
The mark of any great kid's entertainment is how well it holds up over time, and how well it plays to different levels.
That's why The Rocky and Bullwinkle show was so beloved by younger views and the adults who care for them.
This is a great cartoon, great entertainment, and great fun.
I predict a long, successful run on Saturday morning.
I'll make sure I watch!.
I love this show..
I love Teacher's Pet with a passion.
It's a show with wit, intelligence, humor and cute animals!
This show is just worth watching alone for the voices.
My favorite character is Spot.
He is a good role model.
He is who he wants to be and not what others tell him to be.
(Nathan Lane is perfect as Spot.)Bye now,.
Worth waking up for!.
Teacher's Pet is the best cartoon I have watched in a long time.
There's no defeating evil monsters, no tired storylines, and no predictable or just plain bad scripts.
This show makes me laugh out loud.
The Cast.
Nathan Lane definitely deserved the Daytime Emmy he won for lending his voice to Spot/Scot, a dog who desperately wants to be a boy and go to school.
Nathan Lane has also done other Disney characters (The Lion King's Timon) but he makes Spot a whole new zany, hilarious character.
David Ogden Stiers is the lovable Mr. Jolly, a neurotic housecat, and Jerry Stiller is extremely funny as Pretty Boy, the pet bird.
Shaun Fleming is Leonard Helperman, Spot's owner and best friend.
You can also hear Debra Jo Rupp (of That 70's Show fame) as Mrs. Helperman, mother and teacher.
Wallace Shawn, permanently attached to his cat Tallulah, is Principal Strickler.What I like about Teacher's Pet: it's never been done before!
It's a creative new idea with a great cast and a great script.
Even adults will like this one- some of the humor probably goes right over kids' heads.
Check out Teacher's Pet on Disney's One Saturday Morning..
very cool.
TEACHER'S PET is a surprising choice for an ABC Saturday morning cartoon, especially as part of One Saturday Morning.
It can be very trippy at times.
But it's pretty zany, which makes it a cool cartoon.
Nathan Lane is the (oddly) perfect choice for the voice of Spot/Scott.
Debra Jo Rupp (THAT 70'S SHOW) adds her usual charm to the voice of Mrs. Helperman.
Jerry Stiller and David Ogden Stiers also give amusing relief to the voices of Pretty Boy and Mr. Jolly.The show is on ABC Saturday mornings at around 9:00 A.M..
little in attention, but big in taste.
This show, this show.......it makes me wonder what my pets are thinking, and that's what it does, it shows a point of view of a dog who doesn't want to be a dog, and that's creative and something Gary Baseman would actually do, and he did it.
The cast contains Nathan Lane,David Ogden Stiers,Mae Whiteman,Jerry Stiller, and Wallace Shawn, hell even Pamela Adlon and Rob Paulsen voices characters, and there performances are astounding, including rob, it was his time to just goof off as Ian Wazselewski and act so retardly hilarious.
The only problem i have with the show is that, it barely has any attention.
Back then people from miles began watching stuff like Recess, Pepper Ann,Teamo Supremo,Mickey Mouse works, and Disney's Doug, it just makes me cringe that not that much people even watched Teachers pet, and this was Gary Baseman's magnum opus, hell it even got a successful movie that still people haven't even seen it due to that there currently either watching Rugrats or Ren and Stimpy or any other 90's cheese, this was just underrated yet it was good, hell i can consider Nathan lane was jumping around at Disney when they made it, so it has lots of consideration in the show,which is good.
Personally, I suggest you watch it if you haven't heard of Gary Baseman.
It's a shame Disney unceremoniously took the show off the air.
When I was in vacation somewhere last year, my dad showed me this good ABC cartoon called Teacher's Pet. It's about a dog, Spot, longing to live in the human world, disguising as a human student, Scott Leadready II (Spot thought up the "Leadready II" part after seeing a pencil with "Lead Ready #2" on it) and attending school.
The owner, Mrs. Helperman is the teacher while her son and Spot's/Scott's human companion, Leonard Helperman, is a student in Mrs. Helperman's fourth grade class with Spot/Scott (well, DUH?!).
Spot/Scott is very smart and full of wisdom at the school.
The school is called Fala D.
Roosevelt Elementary School (named after President Franklin D.
Roosevelt's dog).
Other character's are Leslie (Leonard's love interest), Ian Wazzol...err..Woszel...
oh what the hell...Waszelewski (another student, who is gross), The 5th Graders (bullies), Principal Strickler (who loves cats and has a very strong grudge against dogs, and also has a menacing cat named Tallulah), The Helperman's pet cat Mr. Jolly (for someone named Jolly, he is paranoid and reclusive [afraid of the outside world and spending his life in his house]), and the Helperman's pet bird Pretty Boy (who is a wiseguy who is friends with Mr. Jolly).
The show is fresh and original.
I loved the writing, the animation, the classical/opera music playing in the background, and the casting (Nathan Lane is a pretty good voice for Spot/Scott).
However, Disney was mistreating the show, like having new episodes on Toon Disney, which is a digital/satellite channel (even though I have a sattelite dish, I think half of the population has digital/sattelite while the other half has basic 99-channel cable).
The show was on a supposed long 5-month hiatus with the last episode airing in March 2002.
However, in the beginning of the 2002-2003 season, Disney ended up taking TP off the ABC schedule and hauling reruns to Toon Disney, when they decided to retire the One Saturday Morning concept in favor of ABC Kids.
Of the whole new ABC Kids (which turned out to be a couple of show out of the Disney Channel [like Kim Possible and Lizzie McGuire], Recess [though already cancelled], Fillmore [the new show on the block], an NBA show, and another cheap-ass [sorry] Power Rangers show [which was already overexposed enough]), Teacher's Pet wasn't one of the shows on the block.
However, all hope is not lost.
Fillmore, the show that's taking TP's 9:30 AM timeslot, is so good it makes up for Disney for canceling TP.
There's talk of a TP movie coming out in 2004 and a new season (both are not very likely, since the show is already taken off the ABC schedule and reruns hauled into Toon Disney, and it's ridiculous to first dump a show off the schedule of a channel and bring it back on out of regret [in Rugrat's case, after 1995, Nick did not dump Rugrats off the schedule the way TP was by Disney]), the haven of Disney's other cartoons, which were canceled by Disney due to either Disney not caring, or that damned (sorry, again) 65-episode limit.
Horrible!.
This movie is so crappy!
It took us everything we had to not sleep.
At one point I was watching the ceiling tiles more than the movie.
My son (4) was not into it either and before we all went nuts we were able to get out!
Save your money!
Dont waste your time or money on this one.
Disney would be pi$$ed if he were still alive to see his name on this one.
If there were in need of sitting in a theater and didnt care what was on then this is the movie for you!
If you have to much money and want to waste a little this the movie for you.
It was really that bad!
As we were leaving with others that were getting out-many comments the same as ours-it SUCKED!
There are not to many other films that are this bad.