Teacher's Pet
Series, 2000, One Saturday Morning, Set in Dog in a classroom
Teacher's Pet is #19 of 22 in release order and #19 of 22 in chronological order in the ABC Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
Tired of being a dog, Spot the Dog disguises himself as a boy named Scott and goes to school! With the help of his owner, Leonard, the duo try to keep his deception a secret.
Teacher's Pet recap
Teacher's Pet (2000) is about Spot, a dog who wants to be a boy so badly that he puts on clothes and enrolls in his owner's fourth-grade class. Gary Baseman, Bill Steinkellner and Cheri Steinkellner created it for Walt Disney Television Animation, and ABC aired two seasons and 39 episodes from September 9, 2000, before the run finished on Toon Disney in 2002. Nine-year-old Leonard Helperman (Shaun Fleming) is teased as a teacher's pet because his teacher is his mother, Mary Lou Helperman (Debra Jo Rupp). On the first day of school Spot (Nathan Lane) arrives disguised as Scott Leadready II and becomes the most popular kid in class; Leonard learns the secret and, after objecting, lets him keep going. At home, the neurotic cat Mr. Jolly (David Ogden Stiers) and the wisecracking canary Pretty Boy (Jerry Stiller) react to each scheme, while at school Principal Strickler (Wallace Shawn), who hates dogs, never catches on. Leslie Dunkling, the girl next door, is Leonard's crush, and the class weirdo Ian is always nearby. Spot often closes an episode by comparing its lesson to a moment in history. Lane won a Daytime Emmy in 2001 for the role, and the series won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program in 2002 and 2003.
Teacher's Pet ending explained
Teacher's Pet ends with "A Breed Apart," aired May 10, 2002, in which Spot drags Leonard to a dog show to find out what breed he is, while Mr. Jolly's father pays an unwelcome visit. The television series stops there, but the theatrical film Teacher's Pet, released January 16, 2004, serves as its finale: on summer vacation, Spot hopes to become a real boy with help from a mad scientist who claims he can turn animals human, while Leonard just wants him to act like a normal dog.
Where to watch Teacher's Pet
Teacher's Pet is streaming on Disney+ in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 6.2/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Weekenders, before Lloyd in Space.
- Chronological order: after The Weekenders, before Lloyd in Space.
Cast
- Nathan Lane as Spot Helperman / Scott Leadready II (voice)
- Cree Summer
- David Ogden Stiers as Mr. Jolly (voice)
- Debra Jo Rupp as Mrs. Mary Lou Helperman
- Jerry Stiller as Pretty Boy (voice)
- Kevin Schon
- Rob Paulsen
- Shaun Fleming as Leonard Helperman (voice)
- Wallace Shawn as Principal Strickler (voice)
- Mae Whitman as Girl #1, Girl #2, Girl #3 (voice)
- Bernadette Peters
- Patrick Warburton
Created by Gary Baseman, Bill Steinkellner, Cherie Steinkellner.