Beethoven (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beethoven |
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Title card
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| Genre | Comedy |
| Based on | Beethoven, by Edmond Dantès and Amy Holden Jones |
| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Christopher Neal Nelson Keith Baxter |
| Opening theme | "Beethoven", performed by Geno Henderson |
| Composer(s) |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Paul Germain Roy Smith |
| Production company(s) | Northern Lights Entertainment Universal Cartoon Studios |
| Distributor | MCA TV |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Audio format | CBS Stereosound |
| Original release | September 10 – December 3, 1994 |
Beethoven is a fun American Saturday morning cartoon that first aired in 1994. This TV show is based on the popular 1992 movie of the same name. It was made by Northern Lights Entertainment and Universal Cartoon Studios.
The show ran for one season on the CBS channel. There were 13 episodes in total. Each episode had two shorter stories, each about 10 minutes long. Dean Jones, who played Dr. Varnick in the movie, voiced George Newton in the cartoon. Nicholle Tom, who played Ryce in the movies, was the only actor from the films to also be in the TV series.
Contents
Meet the Newton Family and Beethoven
The story is all about the Newton family and their giant, lovable St. Bernard dog, Beethoven. George Newton, the dad, often finds himself in funny situations because of Beethoven's antics. Even though Beethoven causes some mischief, the family loves him very much.
Beethoven's Secret Life
When Beethoven isn't with the Newton family, he hangs out with his dog friends. These friends include Sparky, a stray dog from the first movie, Ginger, and Caesar. What's cool about this cartoon is that Beethoven can actually talk! But only other animals can understand him. This is different from the movie, where he didn't speak. A similar idea was used in another cartoon called Free Willy, where the main character could also talk to other animals.
Who Voices the Characters?
Many talented actors lent their voices to the characters in Beethoven. Here are some of the main voice actors:
- Dean Jones – George Newton
- J.D. Daniels – Ted Newton
- Bill Fagerbakke – Caesar the Great Dane
- 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
Other Voices You Might Know
Many other actors provided voices for different characters in the show. These "additional voices" helped bring the world of Beethoven to life.
- René Auberjonois
- Hank Azaria – Killer the Poodle
- Gregg Berger – Mailman
- Dan Castellaneta – Blind Shep
- Christine Cavanaugh – Rosebud
- E.G. Daily – Peanut
- Paul Dooley
- David Doyle – Blind Shep
- Jess Harnell – Singing Donut
- Dana Hill - Timmy
- Tony Jay – Watson
- Maurice LaMarche
- John Schuck
- Pamela Segall
- Justin Shenkarow – Roger
Behind the Scenes: The Crew
Making a cartoon takes a lot of hard work! One important person behind Beethoven was Paul Germain. He was the producer, which means he helped manage the show. He also worked as the story editor, making sure the stories were good, and the voice director, guiding the actors.
Episodes of Beethoven
The Beethoven animated series had 13 episodes, each with two short stories. Here's a list of the episodes and when they first aired:
| No. | Title | Written by | Original air date |
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| 1 | "Good Old George/The Pound" | Joe Ansolabehere and Paul Germain | September 10, 1994 |
| 2 | "Dog Dreams/The Good, the Bad, and the Poodle" | Joe Ansolabehere | September 17, 1994 |
| 3 | "The Experiment/The Incredibly Pointless Journey" | Jonathan Greenberg | September 24, 1994 |
| 4 | "The Guard Dog/Mr. Huggs' Wild Ride" | Buddy Chuck | October 1, 1994 |
| 5 | "Cat Fight/The Kindergarten Caper" | Jonathan Greenberg | October 8, 1994 |
| 6 | "The Gopher Who Would Be King/Pet Psychiatrist" | Jim Bernstein and Michael Shipley | October 15, 1994 |
| 7 | "Cyrano de Beethoven/The Mailman Cometh" | Paul Germain | October 22, 1994 |
| 8 | "A Cat Named Rover/The Dog Must Diet" | Buddy Chuck | October 29, 1994 |
| 9 | "Car Trouble/The Mighty Cone-Dog" | Buddy Chuck | November 5, 1994 |
| 10 | "Puppy Time/The Morning Paper" | Jonathan Greenberg and Joe Ansolabehere | November 12, 1994 |
| 11 | "The Big One/Fleas!" | Joe Ansolabehere | November 19, 1994 |
| 12 | "Scent of a Mutt/Down on the Farm" | Jonathan Greenberg | November 26, 1994 |
| 13 | "Trash Island/Long Weekend" | Christian Fletcher | December 3, 1994 |
