Klassenhund: Der Film

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 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

"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.

This movie was hard to watch, and gave me a stomach ache. The fast moving visuals & dialogue, combined with the over the top eccentricity of plot line, made me glad for only one thing: that it was a short film.

Nathan Lane voices a little blue dog who dresses up as a boy so he can go to school in this, the latest big screen version of a Disney Channel animated series (like their wonderful "Recess" film... uh, never mind...). The voice cast also boasts Jerry Stiller (in full-on shout mode, God bless him) and David Ogden Stiers (in perhaps his funniest voice performance). This one works as a witty and daring stylistic departure from Disney norm, perhaps outdoing even the much lauded "Lilo and Stitch" in that regard. Visual gags abound, taking several stylized shots at fellow "Disney icons" (i.e., Pinocchio, the Seven Dwarfs). In the big film story, Spot a.k.a. Scot follows his master and his master's clueless mom to Florida in his search for a mad scientist (voice of Kelsey Grammar) who has been trying to transform animals into people. Yup, that's right. He's no longer just going to dress the part. He's getting the operation! And transsexual/ gay subtexting? Fuhgeddaboutit.