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Courage the Cowardly Dog

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Courage the Cowardly Dog
File:Courage the Cowardly Dog intertitle.jpg
GenreHorror comedy
Surreal humour
Black comedy
Science fantasy
Supernatural
Created byJohn R. Dilworth
Written byJohn R. Dilworth
David Steven Cohen
Irvin S. Bauer
Billy Aronson
Craig Shemin
Bill Marsilii
Lory Lazarus
Directed byJohn R. Dilworth
Voices ofMarty Grabstein
Thea White
Lionel G. Wilson
Arthur Anderson
Simon Prebble
Paul Schoeffler
Billie Lou Watt
Arnold Stang
Opening theme"Courage the Cowardly Dog"
Ending theme"Courage the Cowardly Dog" (Instrumental)
ComposersJody Gray
Andy Ezrin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes52 (102 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerJohn R. Dilworth
ProducersRobert Winthrop (Season 1)
Winnie Chaffee (Season 2–4)
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesStretch Films
Cartoon Network
Hanna-Barbera (pilot only)
Original release
NetworkCartoon Network
ReleaseNovember 12, 1999 (1999-11-12) –
November 22, 2002 (2002-11-22)
Related
What a Cartoon!

Courage the Cowardly Dog is an American animated horror comedy television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network, and the sixth series to fall under the Cartoon Cartoons label. It follows an anthropomorphic dog named Courage who lives with his owners, Muriel and Eustace Bagge, an elderly, married farming couple in the "Middle of Nowhere" (the fictional town of Nowhere, Kansas). Courage and his owners are frequently thrown into bizarre misadventures, often involving the paranormal/supernatural and various villains. The show is known for its surreal, often disturbing humor and bizarre plot twists, dark and sometimes mature themes, and combines elements of horror, comedy, science fantasy, and drama.

The program originated from a short on Cartoon Network's animation showcase series created by Hanna-Barbera president Fred Seibert, What a Cartoon! titled "The Chicken from Outer Space".[1] The segment was nominated for an Academy Award in 1996 but lost to A Close Shave, and Cartoon Network commissioned a series based on the short. The series, which premiered on November 12, 1999, ran for four seasons, ending on November 22, 2002 with a total of 52 episodes produced. The series was the sixth and final series to be spun off from World Premiere Toons.

Plot

Main article: List of Courage the Cowardly Dog characters
File:Courage, Muriel and Eustace.jpg
From left to right: Courage, Muriel, and Eustace.

Courage the Cowardly Dog follows a dog named Courage, an easily frightened canine who lives in a farmhouse with Muriel and Eustace Bagge near the fictional town of Nowhere, Kansas. Abandoned as a puppy, Courage was found in an alleyway by Muriel, a sweet-natured Irish woman, who fell in love with the pink puppy, and her husband Eustace, a grouchy, selfish, greedy farmer who constantly harasses Courage.

Courage, Muriel, and Eustace frequently run into monsters, aliens, demons, mad scientists, zombies, and other supernatural perils from myths and legends that Courage must fend off to save his owners, unbeknownst to them. Although most of the creatures that the three face are frightening or disturbing, some turn out to be sweet and simply in distress. The plot generally uses horror conventions, common to horror films.

Although episodic in nature, there are a handful of recurring characters in the show's cast, including Courage's sarcastic, sentient computer, the family physician Dr. Vindaloo, the Gypsy fortune-telling chihuahua Shirley the Medium, Eustace's mother 'Ma', and recurring villains, such as Katz and Le Quack.

Production

Originally, Courage the Cowardly Dog was created as a seven-minute animated short, "The Chicken from Outer Space". Dilworth started the animated short with Hanna-Barbera, sponsored by Cartoon Network and introduced Courage.[2] Dilworth graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1985. He became an art director and founded his own animation studio, Stretch Films in 1991, and incorporated in 1994.[2] The animated short was shown as one of the episodes of Cartoon Network's World Premiere Toons in 1996, a Hanna-Barbera Cartoons innovation by then-president Fred Seibert. The short served as a de facto pilot for the future series.[3] The original animated short had no dialogue except for one line spoken by Courage, who had a more authoritative voice than in the series. It was uttered by voice actor Howard Hoffman who also provided all the other vocal sounds and effects for the short.[2] An alien chicken was the villain in this short, and it would later reappear in the series to seek its revenge.[4] The short was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 68th Academy Awards.[5]

Sound effects and theme music

When deciding on sound effects, Dilworth tried to avoid pre-made stock sounds.[2] He contributed a substantial amount of new material to sound designer Michael Geisler and only looked for sounds that made him laugh. The composition of the series' music relied on what was being portrayed: suspense, comedy, or action. The production crew worked together to come up with new music for the series that had not previously been used. There were a few sections on one particular piece that Dilworth exceptionally liked.[2] The production crew was able to isolate these sections and expand them into a usable theme.[2] Dilworth further complicated the crew's job by suggesting layering the theme with a variety of funny sounds, a strange tempo and a voice over of a crazed laugh or person singing to give the music and sound effects their own personality beyond anything else out there.[2]

Original music featured in Courage the Cowardly Dog was composed by Jody Gray[6] and Andy Ezrin.[7][8] Classical music can be heard at times, which pays homage to classic Warner Bros. animation and the scores of Carl Stalling.[9] In several episodes, Gray arranged various famous classical pieces and wrote up to 15 songs, such as Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries".[8]

In 1999, Cartoon Network gave Dilworth permission to turn the short into an animated series. Hanna-Barbera was responsible for the What a Cartoon anthology and intended on developing the series. However, Dilworth insisted on taking the production to his Stretch Films Studios. The stories' plots were written by the show's head writer, David Steven Cohen, in addition to Irv Bauer, Craig Shemin, Lory Lazarus, Bill Marsilii, Allan Neuwirth, Bill Aronson and Michelle Dilworth.

Broadcast history

Courage the Cowardly Dog premiered on November 12, 1999, and became the highest-rated premiere in Cartoon Network history at the time.[10] It last aired on November 22, 2002, with 52 episodes produced in four seasons.

On April 20, 2012, the series returned to Cartoon Network in re-runs on the revived block, "Cartoon Planet".[11] On July 22, 2013, the series began to air reruns on Mondays on Cartoon Network.

Episodes

Main article: List of Courage the Cowardly Dog episodes

In total, there were 52 episodes in four seasons produced, plus a pilot episode. The series ran from November 12, 1999, to November 22, 2002.

SeasonSegmentsEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotFebruary 18, 1996 (1996-02-18)[1]
12613November 12, 1999 (1999-11-12)July 14, 2000 (2000-07-14)
22513October 31, 2000 (2000-10-31)January 11, 2002 (2002-01-11)
32613November 16, 2001 (2001-11-16)August 9, 2002 (2002-08-09)
42513September 6, 2002 (2002-09-06)November 22, 2002 (2002-11-22)
SpecialOctober 31, 2014 (2014-10-31)
Crossover filmSeptember 14, 2021 (2021-09-14)

Reception

Courage the Cowardly Dog received critical acclaim. John G. Nettles of PopMatters reviewed the show and called it, "a fascinating and textured mixture of cartoon and horror-movie conventions, and a joy to watch."[12]

Alex Mastas of Lights Out Films reviewed the show gave it a grade "A-" and described it, "The backgrounds are rich and imaginative—they composite lot of the show over real photos and occasionally integrate CGI into cartoon. The look is weird and ethereal, just like the show itself."[13]

KJ Dell Antonia of Common Sense Media posted a review and gave three stars out of five and describes as "Cult fave 'toon plays over-the-top violence for laughs."[14] Antonia warned parents that the series contains graphic animated violence, including "exploding organs, growing extra limbs, turning inside out, you name it".[14] Antonia said shows aimed at younger audiences "usually don't go for thrills and chills, so it's good to see a genuinely surreal and slanted series develop a decent following."[15]

Jeff Swindoll of Monsters and Critics reviewed the first season DVD and felt a bit disappointed about its lack of the original Hanna-Barbera short "The Chicken from Outer Space."[16] Swindoll felt that the lack of special features still should not deter fans from buying the season since the other episodes have appeared on other releases of the series.[16]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
1995 Academy Awards Best Animated Short Film John R. Dilworth
For short film "The Chicken From Outer Space" 		Nominated
2000 Annie Awards Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television Production[17][18] John R. Dilworth
For episode "A Night at the Katz Motel"		 Won
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing — Television Animated Series — Sound[18] For episode "The Duck Brothers" Nominated
2001 Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing — Television Animated Series — Sound[18] For episode "Courage in the Big Stinkin' City" Won
2003 Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing — Television Animated Series — Sound[18] For episode "The Tower of Dr. Zalost" Nominated

Home media releases

A VHS tape of Courage the Cowardly Dog was released along with Mike, Lu & Og in 2000. The VHS tape is now out of print.[19]

VHS editions of Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost and Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders each include an episode as a bonus.

Courage the Cowardly Dog: Season One, a two-disc DVD set featuring all 13 episodes from the show's first season, was released in Australia (Region 4) on September 12, 2007, by Madman Entertainment.[20][21] On January 13, 2010, the complete second season was also released.[20][22]

A Region 1 release of the first season was done by Warner Home Video on July 20, 2010. The release is the second in an official release of several Cartoon Cartoons on DVD, under the "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame" name.[23] The second season was released on October 14, 2014 as the fourth in the "Hall of Fame" series.[24]

In addition, all four seasons of the series are available for download on iTunes.[25][26][27][28]

Title Release date Episodes Region Description
Season 1 September 12, 2007[20][21] List of Courage the Cowardly Dog Episodes 4 This two-disc release includes all 13 episodes from the first season.
Season 2 January 13, 2010[20][22] List of Courage the Cowardly Dog Episodes 4 This two-disc release includes all 13 episodes from the second season including the pilot episode "The Chicken from Outer Space".
Courage the Cowardly Dog: Season One July 20, 2010[23] List of Courage the Cowardly Dog Episodes 1 This two-disc release includes all 13 episodes from the first season.
Courage the Cowardly Dog: Season Two October 14, 2014[24] List of Courage the Cowardly Dog Episodes 1 This two-disc release includes all 13 episodes from the second season.

Select episodes from the series were also featured on several Cartoon Network compilation DVDs:

  • The Powerpuff Girls: Down 'n' Dirty - "Journey to the Center of Nowhere" - November 7, 2000
  • Scooby-Doo and the Toon Tour of Mysteries - "The Mask" - June 2004
  • Cartoon Network Halloween Volume 2: Grossest Halloween Ever - "Courage Meets the Mummy / Night of the Weremole" - August 9, 2004
  • Cartoon Network Christmas Volume 2: Christmas Rocks - "The Snowman Cometh" - October 4, 2005
  • Toon Foolery: Laugh Your 'Ed Off! - "The McPhearson Phantom"

References

  1. ^ a b Mendoza, N.F. (February 18, 1996). "SHOWS FOR YOUNGSTERS AND THEIR PARENTS TOO : Cartoon Network stars a hen from outer space; 'Human Animal' explores our needs on TLC". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 March 2012. Cite error: The named reference "outerspace" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Miller, Bob (November 1, 1999). "The Triumphant Independent — an interview with John R. Dilworth". Animation World Network. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  3. ^ Strike, Joe (July 15, 2003). "The Fred Seibert Interview — Part 1". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  4. ^ "The Revenge of the Chicken from Outer Space". Courage the Cowardly Dog. Season 1. Episode 12. 2000-06-09. Cartoon Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Academy Awards, USA (1996), Best Short Film, Animated". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
  6. ^ Chan, Darlene (November 14, 2002). "Creating Successful Music For Animation". Animation World Network. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  7. ^ Sporn, Michael (August 9, 2008). "Splog » Dil & Dali". Michael Sporn Animation. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  8. ^ a b Guerin, Ada (April 23, 2002). "Courage the Cowardly Dog — Cartoon Network". Jodygray.com. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  9. ^ Crisafull, Chuck (August 20, 2002). "Children's programming is pacing the field of TV music". Jodygray.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  10. ^ "Courage the Cowardly Dog Best Series Premiere in Cartoon Network History". Time Warner. November 16, 1999. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  11. ^ Walton, Zach (March 29, 2012). "Cartoon Network Brings Back The Classics With Cartoon Planet". WebProNews. iEntry Network. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  12. ^ Nettles, John G. (2001). "Courage the Cowardly Dog review". PopMatters. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  13. ^ Mastas, Alex (March 4, 2003). "TV Review: Courage the Cowardly Dog (2003)". Lights Out Films. Archived from the original on 2003-05-12. Retrieved 2011-07-14.
  14. ^ a b Antonia, KJ Dell. "Courage the Cowardly Dog — Television Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  15. ^ Miller III, Randy (July 21, 2010). "Courage the Cowardly Dog: Season One : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVDTalk.com. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Swindoll, Jeff (July 21, 2010). "Courage the Cowardly Dog: Season 1 - DVD review". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  17. ^ "28th Annual Annie Awards — Category # 15 - Outstanding Individual Achievement for Design In an Animated Television Production". Annie Awards. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  18. ^ a b c d "Awards for "Courage the Cowardly Dog" (1999)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  19. ^ "Courage".
  20. ^ a b c d "Courage the Cowardly Dog". Madman.com.au. Madman Entertainment (Australia). Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "Courage the Cowardly Dog Season 1". Madman.com.au. Madman Entertainment (Australia). Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  22. ^ a b "Courage the Cowardly Dog Season 2". Madman.com.au. Madman Entertainment (Australia). Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  23. ^ a b Lacey, Gord (June 29, 2010). "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame: Season 1 Press Release". TVShowsonDVD.com. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  24. ^ a b Wolfe, Jennifer (July 23, 2014). "Cartoon Network to Release Season 2 of 'Courage the Cowardly Dog'". AWN.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  25. ^ "Courage the Cowardly Dog, Season 1". iTunes.Apple.com. Apple. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  26. ^ "Courage the Cowardly Dog, Season 2". iTunes.Apple.com. Apple. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  27. ^ "Courage the Cowardly Dog, Season 3". iTunes.Apple.com. Apple. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  28. ^ "Courage the Cowardly Dog, Season 4". iTunes.Apple.com. Apple. Retrieved June 10, 2011.

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