Toon Talk: Teacher's Pet - Jan 23, 2004

Toon Talk: Teacher's Pet
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Alas, even with all the clever asides to the grown-ups and one of the most fun song scores in memory (by Randy Petersen and Kevin Quinn; like South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut without the bitter aftertaste, it takes playful jabs at such animated musical mainstays as the “I want�? song (“I Wanna Be a Boy�?) and the villain number (“I, Ivan Krank�?), among others), Teacher’s Pet has such an extreme visual style that, blown-up for the big screen, it is at times unnervingly grotesque, a kiddified Ren and Stimpy without the irony.

Yet the film moves along at such a quick pace, and the vocal characterizations (especially Lane) so sharp, it’s easy to throw this little doggie a bone.

Toon Talk Rating: B -


(c) Disney
The Toon Talk Top 10 - Man’s Best Friends:

Leonard isn’t the only Disney character to have an unusual pet; the following is a list of favorites, in chronological order:

  1. The only lady allowed aboard Captain Nemo’s Nautilus in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was the seaweed cigar-eating seal Esmeralda.
  2. A Great Dane raised in a litter of dachshund puppies, Brutus, a.k.a. The Ugly Dachshund, caused hysterical mishaps for his owners, played by Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette.
  3. Among the many eccentricities attributed to Anthony J. Drexel Biddle (Fred MacMurray), a.k.a. The Happiest Millionaire, was a parlor-full of pet alligators.
  4. Aspiring television programmer Steven Post (Kurt Russell) takes advantage of the unusual talents of his girlfriend’s pet chimp, turning him into The Barefoot Executive.
  5. The tattered tabby Winky helps young Tony and Tia Malone (Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards) Escape to Witch Mountain.
  6. Not every boy has a pig for a pet, but Taran’s mystical swine Hen Wen is extra unusual: the evil Horned King knows the pig can lead him to The Black Cauldron.
  7. Even a Pumpkin King can have a dog … although Jack Skellington’s loyal pup Zero in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is a little … ghostly.
  8. George of the Jungle had a dog too … although Shep is actually an elephant who just thinks he’s a dog. Down boy!
  9. Another imposter: the rascally alien fugitive Stitch (voiced by Lilo and Stitch’s director Chris Sanders) poses as an orphaned mutt to get Lilo to save him from the dog pound.
  10. Although Silver is his true master, the shape-shifting Morph takes quite a shine to young Jim Hawkins as well in Treasure Planet.

Coming Soon in Toon Talk:

  • Kurt Russell returns to Disney with the true-life story of the champion 1980 US Olympic hockey team in Miracle, in theaters February 6.
  • Timon and Pumbaa tell “their side of the story�? in The Lion King ½, available February 10 in a two-disc DVD Special Edition.
  • Disney fave Lindsay Lohan stars in the new comedy Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, premiering February 20th.

And Coming Soon from Buena Vista Home Video:

  • ABC Soaps presents Daytime’s Greatest Weddings, featuring favorites from General Hospital, One Life to Live and All My Children, available January 27th. Also released that day will be the special two-disc DVD debut feature Comic Book: The Movie, directed by and starring Mark Hamill, with special appearances by Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Hugh Hefner and Bruce Campbell.
  • In honor of Black History month, three Disney catalog titles will be released on DVD for the first time February 3rd: Perfect Harmony, Ruby Bridges and Selma, Lord, Selma. Several other catalog titles will also be available that day, including Midnight Madness, Return to Oz, Bon Voyage!, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, Those Calloways and Follow Me, Boys!
  • Available February 17th: James Coburn (Monsters, Inc.) stars in the intriguing drama American Gun as a grieving father who tracks down his daughter’s killer by tracing the murder weapon cross-country, and the acclaimed Brazilian film City of God, which tells the story of two friends growing up in a violent neighborhood in Rio de Janiero.

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-- Kirby C. Holt

Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ...

Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.

The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.

-- Posted January 23, 2004

 

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