Visually, the Emmy-winning Disney television series Teacher's Pet looks like an attempt to horn in on the ugly-but-meant-to-be-cute animation style of production company Klasky-Csupo (Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys). Like Klasky-Csupo's work, Teacher's Pet compensates for its garish visual distortions with smart scripting and stabs at authentic emotion. In the theatrical-feature musical spin-off Teacher's Pet, visual gags and references to other animated Disney movies flash by at near-subliminal speed, and a trendy self-referentialism leads characters to groan about the singing even as they burst into song. But while the self-aware playfulness and wink-wink in-jokes are a bonus, Teacher's Pet gets most of its mileage out of its characters' mutual love and respect. Like the TV show that spawned it, Teacher's Pet centers on a child (voiced by Shaun Fleming) whose talking pet dog (voiced by Nathan Lane) wants so much to be human that he dresses up as a boy and goes to school with his master. Pinocchio references abound as Lane joins the family vacation to Florida in order to meet a creepy mad scientist (voiced by Kelsey Grammer) who claims to be able to change animals into humans. Tension abounds, longing songs about how much a boy and a dog need each other are endlessly reprised, Lane finds that becoming human isn't necessarily the panacea he thought it would be, and happily ever after is achieved, all at breakneck speed over the course of 68 rushed minutes. Teacher's Pet could stand to slow down the pace–even the voice actors often sound like they're trying to race through their lines while being forcibly ejected from the recording studio. During the songs, the animation zips by as if trying to disguise its bizarre associations and visual puns instead of reveling in them. Still, impatient adult escorts ought to appreciate the brevity, and their kids should find plenty of good-natured diversion in the film's generally charming story. Teacher's Pet is frequently gross, and its big-headed, toothy characters are frequently grotesque. But there's nothing ugly or malicious about its values, which foster loyalty, love, and friendship, no matter the personal cost.