Beethoven (TV series)
Beethoven is a 1994 American animated television series loosely based on the 1992 motion picture of the same name.[1] The series was produced by Northern Lights Entertainment, Universal Cartoon Studios and Universal Television, and aired for one season on CBS, with 26 fifteen-minute episodes produced. Dean Jones, who played Dr. Varnick in the movie, voiced the role of George Newton; Nicholle Tom, who played teenage daughter Ryce in the movie and Beethoven's 2nd, was the only cast member from the films to reprise her role in the series.[2]
| Beethoven | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Based on | Beethoven, by Edmond Dantès and Amy Holden Jones |
| Voices of |
|
| Theme music composer | Christopher Neal Nelson Keith Baxter |
| Opening theme | "Beethoven", performed by Geno Henderson |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Paul Germain Roy Smith |
| Production company(s) | Northern Lights Entertainment Universal Cartoon Studios |
| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Audio format | CBS Stereosound |
| Original release | September 10 – December 3, 1994 |
Premise
The Newton family love Beethoven, their St. Bernard dog. But the father, George, has his moments with Beethoven, who gets in different mishaps time after time. When not with the Newton family, Beethoven spends time with three other dogs, Sparky (the stray from the first film), Ginger, and Caesar.
Unlike the movie, Beethoven has a speaking voice, at least among the other animals.[3] The same plot was used in another animated series Free Willy, where the main character also could talk. Some of the music was used for the DIC cartoon, What-a-Mess.
Voice cast
- Dean Jones – George Newton
- J.D. Daniels – Ted Newton
- Bill Fagerbakke – Caesar the Great Dane
- Brian George – Mr. Huggs
- Tress MacNeille – Ginger the Collie
- Joel Murray – Beethoven
- Joe Pantoliano – Sparky the Jack Russel Terrier
- Francesca Marie Smith – Emily Newton
- Kath Soucie – Alice Newton
- Nicholle Tom – Ryce Newton
- Maurice LaMarche –
Additional voices
- René Auberjonois –
- Hank Azaria – Killer the Poodle
- Gregg Berger – Mailman
- Mark Campbell –
- Dan Castellaneta – Blind Shep (in "Scent of a Mutt")
- Christine Cavanaugh – Rosebud (in "Cyrano de Beethoven")
- Brian Cummings –
- E.G. Daily – Peanut (in "Puppy Time")
- Stephen DeStefano –
- Paul Dooley –
- David Doyle – Blind Shep (episode "The Mighty Cone-Dog")
- Jess Harnell – Singing Donut (in "The Big One")
- Bill Henderson –
- Dana Hill - Timmy (in "The Kindergarten Caper")
- Tony Jay – Watson (in "Scent of a Mutt")
- Scott Menville -
- Art Metrano -
- Tim Neil -
- John Schuck -
- Pamela Segall –
- Justin Shenkarow – Roger (in "Mr. Huggs Wild Ride")
Crew
- Paul Germain - Producer, Story Editor and Voice Director
Episodes
| No. | Title | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Good Old George" | Joe Ansolabehere and Paul Germain | September 10, 1994 |
| 2 | "The Pound" | Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere | September 10, 1994 |
| 3 | "Dog Dreams" | Joe Ansolabehere | September 17, 1994 |
| 4 | "The Good, the Bad, and the Poodle" | Jonathan Greenberg | September 17, 1994 |
| 5 | "The Experiment" | Jonathan Greenberg | September 24, 1994 |
| 6 | "The Incredibly Pointless Journey" | Michael Ferris | September 24, 1994 |
| 7 | "The Guard Dog" | Buddy Chuck | October 1, 1994 |
| 8 | "Mr. Huggs Wild Ride" | Peter Gaffney | October 1, 1994 |
| 9 | "Cat Fight" | Jonathan Greenberg | October 8, 1994 |
| 10 | "The Kindergarten Caper" | Peter Gaffney | October 8, 1994 |
| 11 | "The Gopher Who Would Be King" | Jim Bernstein and Michael Shipley | October 15, 1994 |
| 12 | "Pet Psychiatrist" | Buddy Chuck | October 15, 1994 |
| 13 | "Cyrano de Beethoven" | Paul Germain | October 22, 1994 |
| 14 | "The Mailman Cometh" | Jonathan Greenberg and Joe Ansolabehere | October 22, 1994 |
| 15 | "A Cat Named Rover" | Buddy Chuck | October 29, 1994 |
| 16 | "The Dog Must Diet" | Jonathan Greenberg | October 29, 1994 |
| 17 | "The Mighty Cone-Dog" | Buddy Chuck | November 5, 1994 |
| 18 | "Car Trouble" | Joe Ansolabehere | November 5, 1994 |
| 19 | "Puppy Time" | Jonathan Greenberg and Joe Ansolabehere | November 12, 1994 |
| 20 | "The Morning Paper" | Michael Ferris | November 12, 1994 |
| 21 | "The Big One" | Joe Ansolabehere | November 19, 1994 |
| 22 | "Fleas!" | Jeff Lowell | November 19, 1994 |
| 23 | "Scent of a Mutt" | Jonathan Greenberg | November 26, 1994 |
| 24 | "Down on the Farm" | Michael Ferris | November 26, 1994 |
| 25 | "Trash Island" | Christian Fletcher | December 3, 1994 |
| 26 | "The Long Weekend" | Joe Ansolabehere and Jonathan Greenberg | December 3, 1994 |
Home video releases
Universal and Goodtimes released episodes of the show on VHS. Universal has not yet announced any plans to release the show on DVD, although the episodes are currently available to view on YouTube. On July 15, 2020, the series became available on the Peacock streaming service.
References
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 74. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 55. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 131. ISBN 978-1476665993.