Teacher's Pet (2004) User Reviews

Tons Of Gags, Many For Adults

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 22 August 2006]

"A nice surprise" is probably how I would best describe this animated film. The artwork on the cover makes it look as if it was made for four-year-old audiences but it is hardly that. It is very funny with so many gags I lost count. Those gags are both audio and visual.

Nathan Lane's New York City accent was funny as he voiced the lead character, "Spot," the dog who wanted to be changed into a little boy. Actually, all the characters are pretty funny and the songs aren't bad, either. I am not usually a fan of these kids' musicals but the songs were short and the lyrics were humorous. And - I didn't really view this as a kids movie since the vocabulary and the jokes were geared (in a non-offensive way) more toward adults.

I understand some parents, in fact, were upset at this movie for that very reason - the jokes go over the heads of most kids in here. Also, the references are not something kids would know. For an adult, this was a clever and big surprise. I would rent this, however, before considering buying it. On my second viewing, maybe it wasn't a surprise anymore, I found it only so-so for some strange reason.

Possibly the most under-rated Disney movie,

[dr_mario_rules · 7/10 · 19 January 2008]

Timothy Björklund gives us a complete box-office flop of a Disney movie.

Our story follows Spot the dog on his adventure to become a boy. This time, in feature-length form, he travels to California to visit the sane (he swears) Dr. Ivan Krank, who says he can turn any animal human.

Nathan Lane plays Spot Helperman or Scott Leadready II when he dresses up like a boy. I love Nathan Lane's voice acting, he was great in the Lion King, and is great in this, no complaints.

Shaun Flemming plays Leonard Amadeus Helperman, Spot's owner and best friend. His voice acting is done well enough, not as great as Nathan Lane's, but nothing terrible.

Kelsey Grammar plays the SANE Dr. Ivan Krank, a scientist who has developed a very inept way of transforming animals to humans. Kelsey Grammar has fine voice acting, probably from his experience as Sideshow Bob on the hit series The Simpsons.

I have no complaints about this movie, it was well crafted, pretty well drawn, and I don't see why it wasn't a hit. Two big things kind of bothered me though, for one I hate Debra Jo Rupp's voice, I find her annoying! Second, the way the animators drew people kind of make them look creepy.

A nice alternative to the standard Disney output

[Chuck-156 · 7/10 · 16 January 2004]

If you like your animation over-the-top and the jokes at a breakneck pace, then this one's for you. Nathan Lane does a great job as Spot the dog who wants to be a boy, along with fellow voices Kelsey Grammar, Paul Ruebens and Jerry Stiller.

The animation is unusual (imagine the drawings on the board game Cranium coming to life), but a nice break from the perfect Pixar flicks. The songs leave something to be desired, but most are brief and then its back to the jokes.

A nice alternative to the standard Disney output: 7 out of 10.

Teacher's Pet, Film of the Year!

[DaleandChip · 20 February 2004]

I personally feel the the Teacher's Pet to me is film of the year. It is bright, funny, musical, and very different from the normal Disney we usually see. I have been a fan of the TV series ever since 2002 and when I saw that there was a movie coming out I thought I had died and gone to heaven, and it turned out the movie was exactly what I thought it would be (Very Entertaining). Sure the animation was strange, but thats the way Gary Baseman draws, what where you expecting? The music is very unique and many of the songs are quite toe-tapers. The voices are one of the best parts of the whole movie, Nathan Lane really does an awesome job as Spot, Scott Leadready, Scott "Manly" Manning. Also, the jokes are not stupid, they are very comical, sure they are not Adam Sandler type jokes but they are very funny none the less. Personally, I would take Teacher's Pet over any of those other movies that came out around that time Barbershop II, Calendar Girl, Along Came Polly etc. If you ask me the money that a movie brings in doesn't make the movie great it is how much a person enjoyed the movie that makes it great. I have seen this movie about five times so far and play to buy it the day it comes out on DVD just because it is so enjoyable. I hope to hear many other good reports for Teacher's Pet in the future.

Colourful Crazy Entertainment

[kingkasaduo · 7/10 · 21 September 2018]

Teacher's Pet has always been a familiar title for me, going back to my youth. I never grew up with show, nor did I know it had even had been based on a show until a fair amount of time had passed from the film's first and subsequent viewings. Now as an adult with a fresh perspective on the film that held such a dear place for a childhood, I can confirm that, while by no means a masterpiece, does the film still manage to be a cute and funny, albeit strange, film that is highly entertaining for kids that even some adults may get a chuckle out of. The animation style is distinctively different to the traditional style of Disney animation, but still has a vibrancy and often times insane nature to it that works well to the film's advantage, and moves in such a fast paced manner that helps to compliment the film's humour which, though does consist of it's moments of eye rollers, is decent at keeping a wit to it that slides in, at the very least, some jokes that are clever enough to warrant a smirk. The song numbers are one of the film's core strength, all of which provide such memorable and catchy tunes that, with such a variety, viewers will not be able to get out of their heads for hours, especially the film's title number which sticks out in particular as the highlight. The story serves as kind of a modernized twist on the story of "Pinocchio" which can be considered one of the film's strengths while also one of its weaknesses. When the story is kept focused on the main plot line of Spot and his quest to become a boy, it's quite well done and actually does a good job at discussing themes of science vs nature, and the dangers of unrealistic goals. However, and admittedly makes more sense knowing it's based on a television show, seems more fittingly as an episode of the show rather than a feature film because the film also spends a lot of time on unneeded filler that departs too deeply from the main story, and feels added simply to make it the length of a standard feature film, and the film's incredibly short running time can support this claim strongly. Filler is not necessarily a bad thing, and even here it isn't horrible, but it distracts too much from the main story and allows less time to focus on the ultimately more interesting concepts that the main plot represents. Another issue is with the film's characters who ultimately seem to be either forgettable, somewhat annoying, or relatively pointless in the overall course of the film. The exceptions to this are protagonist, Spot, played by Nathan Lane who does carry some charm and likability to make the audience interested in seeing him progress and grow as an individual, and the film's villain, played by the amazingly talented Kelsey Grammer, who has this unexpected nature to him that makes him quite a lot of fun to watch. I also do have to give some credit to David Ogden Stiers whose voice is almost completely unrecognizable in this, albeit as kind of annoying as it can be.

Final Thoughts: As a film I grew up with, it's easy to get held up on the nostalgia factor of it and talk about how strongly it meant to me as a kid and such. But looking at it now through the eyes of an adult, it does still manage to work quite well on its own. Though the story easily gets sidetracked and it is quite a short watch, the animation is still smooth and popping with colour, carrying a share of decent visual elements, has a variety of song numbers, all that are energized and fun to listen to, and some well written jokes, all of which ultimately help prevent it from being insufferable to view. If your looking for a good film to show children, this may be an amusing choice that you yourself may even find yourself sitting along with. It's zany, and crazy for all the right reasons...

But you may just want to make sure you have another movie prepared when this one inevitably ends rather quickly.

Rating: 7 Pretty Boys That Want To Be A Rooster In A Henhouse Out Of 10

Who's Laughing Now? Nobody if you've just seen Teacher's Pet.

[canisminor_ · 4/10 · 28 May 2005]

Sometimes people irk me. More specifically are those people who, when in reference to some of the recent animated features, say things like "Oh it's such a great film, because, not only do the kids love it, it's funny for adults as well! (yay for us!)" This irks me because adults and kids alike have always been able to appreciate a well-made animated feature. So while I do hate this growing trend -one that has seen studios offering "condolences" to parents who drag concession-hungry children to see their movies by using two-tiered, age-discriminating humor (I guess so parents can nod knowingly to each other over the heads of their kids, while receiving these studio "winks", as if to say " They didn't get that one, but we sure did -it's because we're OLDER.")- I do feel the need to point out that Nemo is not the first fish to reference popular culture to adults.

Enter Teacher's Pet, Disney's hand-animated feature (released on the heels of the announcement that it is shutting down its Florida animation studio) based on the popular kids series about a dog named Spot (Nathan Lane) who wants nothing more then to become a boy. With its skewed color pallet, course lines and surrealistic characters and environments, creator Gary Baseman offers us a visually stimulating experience –one that provides a refreshing (if not nostalgic) breather to a genre on the verge of becoming sterilized by computers.

However, it takes a lot more then just strong visuals to form a well-crafted animated feature –and Teacher's Pet is a prime example of why. Written by former Cheers scribers Bill and Cheri Steinkellner and directed by first-timer Timothy Bjorklund, the humor in Teacher's Pet falls almost completely flat. By attempting to appeal simultaneously to adults and kids alike, they have taken a potentially strong premise for either audience and turned it into a convoluted mess that succeeds only in its ability to bring generations together through boredom. This is supposed to be a kids film -I don't need to explain to my four-year old niece why Spot is now a middle–aged man hitting on moms and shacked up in some sleazy motel- if they wanted "edgy" then they should have pitched it to Matt Stone. Sh*t or get off the pot I say.

Reviewed by Shaun English

The Moose Hole - Review of Teacher's Pet

[JAKastner · 6/10 · 17 January 2004]

No one ever said that January was a pleasant month at the box office. Anybody who has is a flat-out liar. And any movie critic around the country will tell you the exact same thing. For years, American movie-goers have been subjected to such train-wreck disasters as Kangaroo Jack, Snow Dogs, A Walk to Remember, and The Wedding Planner. Sorry to say, this year appears to be no different. This is why many of the less contemptible movie-goers tend to check-out films in Oscar contention rather then the pathetic trash cluttering the local Cineplex. Unfortunately for families with little children, other then staying at home, they will just have to grin and bare with what is given to them One feature this year, Teacher's Pet, should be familiar to someone as it was once a highly praised (and lowly rated) cartoon series on ABC's One Saturday Morning lineup. Since its cancellation, it has made many lucrative appearances on the Disney Company's Toon Disney cable network, which should make it all the more commercially success for its distributor. But in January, as with any season of the year at the box office, there is never such a thing as a `sure thing'.

The story follows an ambitious talking dog as he yearns to become a real human boy. Scott Leadready II has perfect attendance at school, extraordinary grades, and pleasant manners; all in all he is the perfect boy that any mother wishes she had. The only problem is that Scott is actually a dog named Spot. For almost everyday of his life, Spot has wished to become a real human boy like his owner Leonard, so much so that he has disguised himself as Scott Leadready II and attended the fourth grade for the past year. Now that the school year is over, Spot is left home for two weeks while Leonard and his mother travel to Florida to attend an award ceremony for teachers. The emulous pup ends up tagging along when he sees a wack-o scientist from Florida on television claiming to be able to change animals into humans. Now there is nothing in the way of Spot and his ultimate goal of becoming a real boy! Unfortunately, he learns that changing species isn't all it's cracked up to be. The story for Teacher's Pet is pretty straight forward, simple and predictable. Basically it is everything one expects from a low-budgeted winter family animated film, which makes it all the more disappointing. The big problem for Pet is that it never maintains a level consistency. The film ranges from being surprisingly amusing to harrowingly dull and anything in-between as well.

Teacher's Pet has a surprisingly decent amount of recognizable names behind the voices of the characters, which makes it all the more baffling at why this film wasn't more entertaining for adults. Nathan Lane, who also brought life to Timon in The Lion King, voices the audacious Spot. Lane presents a voice-over performance that was worth a chuckle here and there but nothing that was extraordinarily funny. Kelsey Grammer gives a slightly accented voice-over performance as Dr. Ivan Krank that results in more awkward facial gestures from audience members then amusing glances. The only performer within the cast that even manages to make the more adult audience laugh is Jerry Stiller, who voices a bird named Pretty Boy. He gives a gruff voice-over that just cracks a smile on anybody's face at all the appropriate moments within the feature film. The reason behind this may be the fact that most older movie-goers may already know who Jerry Stiller is, which may or may not make this role all the more amusing than for those who don't know who he is.

Overall, younger audience members will enjoy this heralding story about a dog wishing to be a boy while younger adults will be wishing for the quickest exit out of the theater. Teacher's Pet borders on the line of moderate animated family entertainment and Ren & Stimpy-like weirdness. The film is filled with plenty moments where parents will be questioning what they want their kids to see or not, depending how young they are. One such moment would include a moment where Spot (as a human) suggests marrying Leonard's mom so he can be with his human owner without being a dog. This type of situation seems to cross the line of perversion but luckily it quickly crosses back to normality. The film-makers dash in several awkward song and dance performances that aren't remarkable or even memorable long after the credits have rolled. The biggest problem with Teacher's Pet is that it is nothing more then one expects going into this feature and, though it appeals to the younger crowd, doesn't present a level of maturity that many adults, parents or not, would be able to tolerate for over a hour. Luckily the time over that one hour is only an additional fifteen minutes.

My Rating: *** out of 5 (Grade: C)

It's no Pinocchio...

[cohete · 4/10 · 17 January 2004]

Woe is me... I wasted $7 and saw one of the stupidest movies of the year: DISNEY'S TEACHER'S PET, a concept by Gary Baseman. You'd think that with a cast of: Nathan Lane, Kelsey Grammer, Jerry Stiller, Estelle Harris, Wallace Shawn, and a whole lot more... You'd think this would be a really fun movie!

It's not. It's a complete drag. It's something that if you saw it on tv, you'd flip the channel after a few seconds if you even have THAT much patience.

Really quickly, the movie is about a talking dog named Spot who wants to be a real boy. His best friend/master Leonard, in contrast, hopes his dog will act like a real dog. Spot finds a wacko scientist to do the trick and anyway... you can all guess how the movie ends.

This is the first Disney movie I've seen in the theaters done by the Television Animation department and it will definitely be the last. The executives think we can't tell the difference.. I beg to differ. This movie SUCKS.

The vocal performances are all fun (especially David Odgen Stiers and Jerry Stiller) but it doesn't make this annoying movie any better.

Grade: 4/5...oh wait... did I say 5? I meant 4/10

"Teacher's Pet" gets high marks

[Bondorf39 · 9/10 · 18 January 2004]

I went to see this film on its opening weekend for three reasons. Firstly, I felt like seeing a movie that day. Secondly, I am a fan of the TV series "Teacher's Pet" which concerns the exploits of a dog named Spot who dresses up as a boy because he wants to go to school. And thirdly, I wanted to do my part to pad the opening weekend box office of a Disney traditional animation film.

This comes about a week after the news that the company was shutting down their Orlando animation department, where the bulk of traditional animation is done for Disney, because they wanted to focus on computer-animated films. It is worth noting that, without Pixar (whose contract with Disney expires after two more films) Disney has yet to make ONE CG movie.

But, this film is not only a hilarious and enchanting story to entertain children of all ages (19, since you asked), it is a love letter to the rich legacy of Disney animation. Full to bursting with affectionate jabs at such classics as "101 Dalmatians," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and "Pinocchio."

Indeed, the film opens with a parody of this last film, in which Spot finds himself wishing he could be a real boy, and the motif continues throughout. Simply pretending to be a boy isn't enough for him, he wants the real deal. He sees his chance with Ivan Krank (voiced over the top and beyond by `Frasier' star Kelsey Grammer) a `wacko' scientist who claims he can turn animals into humans. Spot travels to Florida and undergoes the procedure, only to become a full-grown MAN, not a boy! This is a momentous day for Spot (or `Scott' as he disconcertingly calls himself when he's in human garb) but not so for his nine-year-old master, Leonard Helperman, who just wants a dog to play with.

Needless to say, but I will anyway, Leonard and Spot become a boy and his dog again and everyone gets what they deserve, all the ingredients for a happy ending. And indeed you would have to look far and wide for a family film more bright and joyful. The songs are beautifully written with clever lyrics and, again in the Disney tradition, exist to move the story along, as it should be for all musical comedies.

I would, however, use discretion in taking my family to this film. Though it's PG rated and definitely suitable for children, those with weaker constitutions (or more protective parents.I won't name names, you know who you are) might not be ready to see the results of Spot's transformation. It gets a little dark by the third act, but certainly no darker than any other animated film of late. And, ideally, there would be more in Act One to help those unfamiliar with the dynamic of the TV series, though you'll definitely enjoy it anyway.

The real strength of this film is in the voice cast, including series regulars Nathan Lane (as the super-intelligent dog himself), Jerry Stiller (as the bird), David Ogden Stiers (as the cat) and Shaun Fleming and Debra Jo Rup (as Leonard and his mother, who also happens to be his teacher. Unfortunate, no?) and new comedic talents such as Paul Ruebens, Megan Mullay and `Seinfeld's' Estelle Harris.

In conclusion, though it's nowhere near as good as the best of Disney, it's still better than anything Dreamworks has ever done.except maybe for `Chicken Run,' but come on! That's stiff competition that is.

"Teacher's pet (pa dum pa dum pa dum),I wanna be teacher's pet (pa dum pa dum),I wanna be huddled and cuddled as close to you as I can get."

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 28 March 2018]

In the run-up to Christmas 2017 I started looking for an animated movie that I could send a family friend. Ordering this rarely-discussed Disney film,I had to quickly change plans,when I opened the case and found the Doris Day movie with the same title inside! Making a note of actually getting hold of the movie,I decided that this Easter I would call out the teacher's pet.

View on the film:

Appearing to be inspired by the Cartoon Network shows of the late 90's/early 2000's, director Timothy Björklund draws the most un-Disney designs,with the animation having a rough & ready quality of thickly black drawn lined characters,and the colours having a drained appearance. Playing as a feature film and as a final to the series, the screenplay by Bill Steinkellner & Cheri Steinkellner take Spot the Dog (who is nothing like the British carton dog of the same name) in an intriguingly grotesque direction,as Spot (voiced by a very good Nathan Lane) gets involved with a Dr. Frankenstein-style scientist (voiced in full Sideshow Bob-mode by Kelsey Grammer) to become a human,and then tries to get together with his owners mum. When the movie aims for Disney slickness in the flat songs and Spot's friendship with owner Leonard plays out of tune with what the pet has been taught.

Novelty very quickly wears off

[r96sk · 5/10 · 31 July 2020]

Starts off amusing and quirky, but the novelty very quickly wears off.

If you enjoy the television series then I'd imagine you'll connect with this. I haven't seen the aforementioned so wouldn't know, but as a standalone film it's pretty bad.

As noted, it does start off weird - in a positive sense - with Nathan Lane pleasing as Spot, even if it's just him playing Timon from 'The Lion King' let's be honest. If you take out Lane it's an irritating set of characters/voices. Away from that, you have the practically nonexistent plot which loses interest with every minute.

It would've, at least in my opinion, worked better if they began in the same odd way but then developed an actual plot that's worth following. Unfortunately, they chose the easy way by, I assume, relying heavily on the TV episodes.

'Teacher's Pet' is not for me, despite the very short run time. I did appreciate the references to other Disney films, though.

Amazing and wonderful film!

[beaniebfan · 10/10 · 19 January 2004]

Gary Baseman does it again! This movie is an amazing piece of film artistry based on the insanely brilliant tv series of the same name. Unfortunately, this show was really never given its due and suffers from limited viewing opportunities (right now it can be seen daily on Toon Disney). This movie offers a wider audience the chance to see what makes the show so fun to watch.

The story involves Spot/Scott (voiced brilliantly by the always-great Nathan Lane) in his quest to fulfill his dream of becoming a boy. When Mrs. Helperman and Leonard go to Florida for the NEATO Teacher's convention, Spot tags along to seek out the evil scientist Dr. Ivan Krank who is currently doing animal-to-human experiments. Hilarity ensues of course.

Baseman's unique animation style is a feast for the eyes with its constantly surprising and exciting twists. Watch for spoofs on classic Disney films, especially Pinocchio. While this film is a bit on the short side, the story is well told and fully developed (remember that other great movies of the past like Dumbo, Bambi, and Lilo and Stitch all had similar running times). It just goes to show that you don't need a 3+ hour movie and technology to make a heart-warming and hilarious film.

Children and adults alike will love it - there's something for everyone. And even if you're not familiar with the show, the writers have included enough background that you will be able to keep up with what is going on.

I give it a 9.5/10 and highly recommend it for everyone! A friend needs a friend, a boy needs a dog, and Disney needs to let Gary Baseman make more Teacher's Pet!

Straight to video

[pliable3 · 1/10 · 26 January 2004]

My 10 year old daughter and I both nodded off during this movie. My 8 year old liked it, though. Awful dialog, awful story, awful animation. . . Just awful. I thought it couldn't get much worse than The Cat in the Hat. I was wrong - very wrong. Straight to video would have been too lenient. It should have gone straight to the garbage dump.

Disney's Latest Excuse For Family Entertainment

[Pasafist · 24 January 2004]

The term "family film" really gets me angry. Why? Because for every film that is out there that is good enough to be for the entire family, there are at least 50 others that are not only wasting their parent's time, but they are not respecting their intended audience. Disney's new animated film TEACHER'S PET is both patronizing and extremely sloppy.

Spot Helperman(Voiced by Nathan Lane, The Lion King) is a dog who longs to be a real boy. He dresses up like a little boy and goes to school with his master Leonard (Shaun Fleming, Jeepers Creepers 2), and for some odd reason Leonard's mother (Debra Joy Rupp, TV's That 70's Show) is their teacher. When Leonard's mother wins a trip to Florida, Leonard longs to have fun on the beach with his dog. Spot wants to go to Florida to meet a wacko doctor (Kelsey Grammer) who can turn animals into humans.

As I sat through this supposed "musical comedy" I asked myself, Why? Who in their right mind said this film was worthy enough to make? Who said "hey the script is ready, let's make this movie?" The simple answer is money. But let's be honest, this turkey is not going to make any money. This is not the film that is going to be locked in the Disney Vault for ten years, to be released with much fanfare.

This is a shoddy movie that aspires to be HEY ARNOLD, THE MOVIE. Its script is not technically a story, it is bad jokes designed to stretch running time. TEACHER'S PET is a 15 minute animated short with over an hour of bad jokes designed to stretch the running time.

Most would probably say, "why are you being so hard on this movie? It's designed for little kids not a 24 year old male." I say if you are going to spend large amounts of money on a film and you expect parents to bring their little tykes, and you create a film that makes even a toddler bored, I cannot go easy on it.

This film has no charm. The jokes are too abrasive, and there are far too many things going on. It also features this really odd subplot involving Spot and Leonard's mother that made me feel really, really uncomfortable. Its inclusion was both unnecessary and hard to explain without making it sound sicker than it really is.

Finally I muse about the PG rating for this film. Why? It will play well only to four or five year olds. When I think of a PG movie I think of kids between 8-10. Why create a film geared at toddlers and market it to seven-year olds? You got me. I don't know why this film is PG. It contains no bad language, no sex, and no real violence. It's not even scary. If anyone can figure this out, I will give you a hearty handshake.

If you are looking to waste a child's time, stay at home and rent ET. They'll love it. TEACHER'S PET on the other hand is a vapid mess. If you want my advice, instead of dropping forty bucks to take the brood to see this film, spend that money on a really big cardboard box. Your kids will have far more fun with that.

One of Disney's worst

[abrahamdavidcalderon · 1/10 · 22 January 2024]

The film is painfully dreadful with it being more focused on the mediocre visuals than on the plot. Speaking of the plot it's about this egotistical dog who for some reason wants to be a boy (I don't know why, they never explain it) and hitches a ride with his bratty little owner and his mom to meet with this scientist who can apparently turn animals into humans (but only mammals), and wacky mind-numbing hijinks ensue. My problems with the film are that like I said, the film wants you to look at it's visuals that (look more like they were from a Direct-To-Video film as opposed to theatrically) than for you to focus on it's plot, making it a sloppy mess with no charm whatsoever, the film pretty much just throws pretty dumb writing at you and expects you to buy it. For example the film explains that the machine that the scientist guy built can only turn mammals into humans, but later on the bird character turns into a human, birds are not mammals, so clearly why put this in if you already established it, another example is that the scientist can easily buy a normal dog instead of going after the protagonist (making him a pretty dumb antagonist). Another problem I have with the film is that the characters are not at all likable, most of them range from being annoying, to incredibly mean spirited and unlikable. The protagonist is a great example of this, because he gets an entire school to like him for no reason, and says in the beginning of the film that being a boy is the most important thing to him in the world, making him selfish and unlikable. The protagonist's owner (like I said earlier) is a huge brat that doesn't appreciate what he has in life, and constantly goes on and on about how the protagonist is supposed to be his dog, and also establishes that his dream is to just play with his dog, being another prime example of being selfish and unlikable. The mom is incredibly dumb and airheaded and doesn't realize that there are way too much blue over-dressed dogs in the world lately, DESPITE BEING A TEACHER, ONE OF THE SMARTEST KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, which in my opinion furthers how dumb she is. The antagonist (like I said earlier) is pretty dumb, not only that but he also feels unnecessary given the fact that we already have an antagonistic character in the film that only appears once, but doesn't appear again until the credits, that being the principal, who for some reason hates dogs, that could've been a better potential antagonist, not at all a good one, but marginally more effective. There are also these two characters, who I kind of find okay, because they're not mean-spirited and selfish, or dumb and idiotic. AND THE SONGS, the songs have got to be the worst part of the film, the songs are not only pointless filler, but are also grating and obnoxious, they pretty much annoyed the skin off of me, they're not fun, they're not entertaining, they're not engaging, they're just annoying. And the comedy was pretty weak, not once did I laugh nor chuckle, or even giggle. I'm sorry Disney, but this has got to be one of your worst films, I'd skip this one if you don't like what I mentioned above This film became something alright, but it didn't become a boy.

Don't be surprised if Disney+ gains this thing a cult following.

[matthewssilverhammer · 4/10 · 4 July 2020]

An anarchic version of Pinocchio, with Cranium-esque animation, set within a Rocko's-Modern-Life-style universe, in which a disembodied Nathan Lane hams it up so thoroughly he renders any other character completely invisible. A movie this weird shouldn't be so forgotten. Not that it's great, or even that good, but the fact that Disney released such an odd musical comedy cartoon seems like enough reason for it to be at least somewhat in the zeitgeist.

Good Family Movie

[Sheryl97 · 10/10 · 17 January 2004]

This was a VERY funny movie. I took my 11 year-old (did I mention she's pre-adolescent?) daughter and didn't know what to expect. We both laughed SO hard throughout the whole movie! There's a lot of humor both for adults AND kids, so everyone has lots to laugh about. There are subtle and not-so-subtle references to old gag-lines from old movies (well, not SO old), but, most adults will recognize one of the running gag lines in this movie as reminiscent of the first "Airplane!" film. I was VERY pleased there was no bad language or inappropriate stuff. I'm pretty conservative and I got a kick out of all of it. Loved the house number of the Mad Scientist's house!! (I'm not telling!) This movie is played like a Broadway musical -- lots of "let's stop a minute and do a musical number" kind of stuff. It was a hoot, frankly. And VERY well done, I might add! Kudos to the creative team that put this one together. Might we see another soon? Hope so!

The ultimate worst Disney movie ever

[arielsiere · 5/10 · 23 September 2023]

Man i don't get the idea of making a movie based on a tv show that Disney Television Animation created since 2000 and 2002 plus we already had a movie based on a tv show called Ducktales The Movie Treasure Of The Lost Lamp back in 1990 and it was based on 1987 cartoon show named Ducktales one of the shows from the Disney Afternoon but in my opinion this is the worst Disney movie ever from 2004 next to Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas and we have better movies based on tv shows like Recess which got four movies between 2001 and 2003 and it doesn't stay true to the original show it's better stick to the show better.

A new twist on the Pinocchio tale.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 5 January 2019]

"Teacher's Pet" is a full-length movie based on the television show of the same name. I have never seen the show, though after watching the movie, I wouldn't mind seeing more.

The story begins with a parody of Pinocchio and the scene where the Blue Fairy brings him to life. Apparently, Spot the dog longs to become a real boy as well and this dream illustrates his odd desire. But, considering the dog can talk AND has been attending school disguised as a boy, this isn't a very surprising dream. What IS surprising is that eventually Spot learns about a mad scientist who claims he can turn dogs into people...and Spot soon learns that wanting something and having it aren't exactly the same!

The art style of the film is a radical departure for Disney...and I appreciate how Gary Baseman's art style is realized in the movie. As for the story, it's rather simple but also quite enjoyable. Well made and well worth seeing.

Talks down to kids while also being cynical and mean-spirited. Boring.

[allison-75 · 2/10 · 8 September 2006]

A disappointment. No, there is no bad language, no sex, no violence. Yes, it's animated and has some good music. But that's not all you need for a good family movie. How about a script? Narrative flow? The story was boring and the action was dragged out as filler. The real problem is that there just wasn't much of a story here. I was also bothered by the cynicism and irony. The movie is ostensibly meant for young kids (bright colors, simple story) but has the mean spirit of a movie made by (and for) a much older audience. The musical numbers were nice and the voice talent was top-notch, yet there was no there there. One more gripe: the stylized animation, although meant to be hip (I think) just seemed unappealing.

Teachers pet the movie is one of my favourite film of all time

[Ebesok1010 · 9/10 · 8 October 2022]

Teachers pet the movie is is based off of the Disney channel tv show teacher's pet and I would like to say that this movie is one of the best movies of all time the plot is that the mane character from the show spot who is a dog wants to be a boy so he dressed up like one and goes to school with his owner when he here's on the tv about a scientist who claims he can turn animals into human beings he goes to Florida to get him to change him into a boy this movie is the funniest movie I've ever seen but also a tale of friendship dreams and in my opinion it doesn't deserve a 5.7 it is on Disney plus so watch it.

Such a great movie!

[bcroker · 10/10 · 17 June 2014]

Teacher's Pet has an energy that makes it completely different from every animated film ever! The music matches the great Broadway feel of The Producers and the story is as zany as a Saturday morning cartoon. The cast and writing also helps capture the strangeness and bizarre nature as any painting its creator Gary Baseman has ever made! Highly Recommended to anyone looking for a different film experience! As someone once said, "If ever there were a dark, twisted, crazier, wackier, happier, sadder, madder, badder, better, lovely, scary, freakier, musically, crazily, psychotic, robotic, phonic, larger, smaller, lefter, righter, worser, greater, monster-filled, pun-filled, reference-filled, song-filled, awesome, cooler, jazzier, and just all around interesting film ever made, this would be that film." Oh wait, I said that. Well, anyway.

Will people stop hating the movie just because of it's animation?

[abrown975 · 8/10 · 16 July 2010]

I honestly don't know how people can judge a movie just based on its animation. "Triplets of Belleville" is one of my favorite animated films, even though all the people are drawn ugly and the animation can get annoying at times. "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is also one of my favorite animated movies, even though the animation (especially the digging scenes) seem very cheesy. And what about "The Secret of Kells"? That's a great movie, even though the animation looks more like a Saturday morning cartoon. And ALL of them were Oscar nominated! If the Academy only based their judgments on the animation, well we'd be seeing more nominations for movies like "Space Chimps" and "Delgo", now wouldn't we? Which brings me to "Teacher's Pet".

I like this movie, regardless of animation! It's animated by the same guy who does the "Cranium" board games, and you wouldn't stop playing that game because of the graphics on the box, now would you? It's about a dog named Spot, voiced flawlessly by Nathan Lane (the KING of voice-overs, in my opinion), who only wants to be a boy. Then he hears of a crazy doctor in Florida, played by Kelsey Grammar, who has a machine that can turn animals into humans. So Spot and his owner, Leonard, go to Florida to seek out this doctor. The jokes always made me laugh, the songs were either funny or touching, the actors/actresses were matched perfectly with their characters, and the story is very creative! And you know what? The animation is great! I don't care what everyone else says about how the animation is sickening, I like it! I think that if you haven't seen the movie, you should rent it. The TV show that the movie is based on isn't bad either. And one more thing: Adults will see a child's movie and say it's horrible if it's not funny or has a bad story to it. But here's the thing: It's made for kids. It's not always going to be made for adults. Therefore, it's the kid's opinion that really matters on this subject, not the adult's. If the kid watches the movie and likes it, laughing the whole way, then it's a good movie. If the kid watches it and gets bored, then it's not a good movie. So the adult's opinion is not always valid for movies like this (However, if the child is laughing the whole way at fart and poop jokes, the adult's opinion is what matters most.). And when I saw this movie in theaters, everyone, including the children, laughed (no farts or poops, or at least I don't remember any). So the bottom line is go see this movie! It's great family fun!

A Challenging Movie

[Jiro-2 · 9/10 · 25 September 2004]

Reading these comments has been very interesting. This seems to be a film that you either love or you hate. To some, that itself is testimony to the movie's faults, but to other's, it is a sign of a risqué flick that is worth close viewing, if not cult status. I tend to be of the latter persuasion. I can certainly imagine how those who expect wholesome Disney family entertainment would object to disturbingly transgressive moments as when it seems your dog might marry your mom (and then Oedipus enters the messy picture), but those who hate the stultifying pap that Disney is known for might love this work's challenges. This is more Ren and Stimpy than Little Mermaid. My 6-year-old son liked it and laughed hysterically many times (but he likes Ren and Stimpy, which we have on tape). But in the end he'd probably give it a 7 or 8 out of 10, because there was a lot of humor here that went above his head. It is also a very fast and busy film that can lose you (and bore you) if you don't grab on and pay attention. Multiple viewings might be necessary. Baseman's world is also a challenge, although I found it wonderfully imaginative. There are, I think, a few too many songs, although many are well-written in terms of lyrics. Having said all this, however, I was disappointed at the film's "be yourself" (which means "be a slave to your master") ending, which might be satisfying for the kids, but undermined the film's own playful transgressions.

"Teacher's Pet" is fun throughout

[DirectorsCut19 · 10/10 · 7 May 2005]

Based on the Emmy-winning, yet unfortunately short-lived TV show, "Teacher's Pet" is a colorful, witty animated family comedy that would amuse even those who never heard of the series.

The story starts off at summer vacation (Which is weird, since this film was released in January), with super-perky mother/teacher Mrs. Helperman taking her son, Leonard, to Florida("Jersey with palm trees") when she is nominated for a N.E.A.T.O. (an award for teachers). When Spot is abandoned at home, he's sad, until he discovers a crazy scientist who thinks he can turn animals into people.

Disguising as his school alter-ego Scott Leadready II, Spot hitches a ride to Florida with Leonard and Mrs. Helperman and finds the scientist, Dr. Ivan Krank.

...And the fun continues.

"Teacher's Pet" is a really good film, filled with the wild and weird animation of popular artist Gary Baseman. There are also many tuneful songs and funny jokes and gags, including the "Pinocchio" parody in the film's opening. The voice cast, which includes Nathan Lane, Kelsey Grammar, Mary Jo Rupp, and Jerry Stiller, does very good vocal talents here.

Unfortunately, Disney treated this film like trash; they didn't give it a big ad campaign nor a good film release, which led this film to flop at the box office. Despite this, "Teacher's Pet" is an enjoyable yet sadly underrated film.