January
16, 2004 | OK, I'll admit it: When I received the invitation to
an advance screening of Disney's Teacher's Pet - a spin-off from
a TV cartoon show I'd never watched, or even heard much about - my first
impulse was to devise excuses for not attending. There were dishes to
wash, carpets to vacuum, cats to neuter, a sock drawer to rearrange…
Fortunately,
my sense of professionalism triumphed over my knee-jerk snobbery. Gratefully,
I can report that Teacher's Pet is doggone hilarious. Every bit
as clever and accomplished as the more heavily hyped Finding Nemo,
it virtually bursts at the seams while containing a super-sized abundance
of witty wordplay, silly songs and inspired sight gags. Traditionalists
will be particularly pleased by its bountiful delights, since the movie
works its magic the old-fashioned way, with hand-drawn, 2-D animation
of a kind that's becoming increasingly rare in this age of 3-D computer-generated
graphics.
The
warp-speed feature (67 minutes of action, plus a six-minute credit roll)
reunites major creative forces behind the TV series: illustrator Gary
Baseman, writers Bill and Cheri Steinkellner and director Tim Bjorklund.
Just as important, the movie also retains series vet Nathan Lane to
voice the title character: Spot, a turquoise-blue talking dog who's
determined to become "a real boy," or a reasonable facsimile
thereof.
For
the benefit of those who tuned in late, Teacher's Pet begins
with a recap of the TV show's premise: Spot dons eyeglasses and a beanie
cap to assume the role of Scott, a model student who attends fourth
grade alongside Leonard Helperman (Shaun Fleming), his nominal master.
No one - not even Leonard's schoolteacher mom (Debra Jo Rupp) - can
see through Spot/Scott's disguise. Which, truth to tell, is a mixed
blessing for Leonard, who'd much rather have a playful dog than a competitive
classmate.
As
Scott, Spot is nothing if not an overachiever: On the final day of class
before summer, he earns more academic honors than any human student.
But when Leonard and his mother drive off in a borrowed "Wentawaygo"
to attend a national teachers' conference in Florida, Spot is left behind
with two other pets - Pretty Boy (Jerry Stiller), a belligerent canary,
and Mr. Jolly (David Ogden Stiers), a fraidy-cat feline - in the care
of a near-senile sitter.
Fate
moves its huge paw when Spot spots a TV interview with Dr. Ivan Krank
(Kelsey Grammer), a ranting-and-raving wacko who claims that, through
the modern miracle of DNA manipulation, he can transform any beast into
a human. To be sure, Dr. Krank's first subjects - a mosquito girl (Megan
Mullally) and an alligator boy (Paul Reubens) - haven't been stunning
successes. But never mind: Spot is sufficiently encouraged to don his
Scott disguise, catch a ride with Leonard and his mother - and make
his way to the swampy domain of Dr. Krank.
The
good news: Dr. Krank does indeed manage to effect a miraculous transformation.
The bad news: No one takes into account the "dog years" phenomenon.
Instead of becoming a "real boy," Spot evolves into - well,
would you believe an animated grown-up who looks a lot like Nathan Lane?
Zippily
paced and prodigiously inventive, Teacher's Pet spins into dizzying
curlicues of breakneck zaniness. Indeed, there's something almost exhausting
- and yet, at the same time, exhilarating - about the movie's scattershot
wisecracks and kaleidoscopic imagery. Credit Gary Baseman and Toon City
Animation, Inc. for an overall visual design that suggests a crazy-salad
mix of Tex Avery and Zap Comix, Dr. Seuss and Bob Clampett, with dashes
of exuberant surrealism - singing houses, smiling suns, undulating U.S.
maps - and wink-wink references to Disney animated classics. Some individual
frames are so crammed with comical signage and wacky marginalia, you
may find yourself reflexively reaching for a remote-control pause button
to fully savor the spectacle.