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''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' is an American
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
comedy horror television series created by John R. Dilworth for
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. It was produced by Dilworth's animation studio, Stretch Films, and originally aired from 1999 to 2002. The title character is a dog who lives with an elderly couple in a farmhouse in the middle of "Nowhere". In each episode, the trio is thrown into bizarre, frequently disturbing, and often paranormal or supernatural adventures. The series is known for its dark, surreal humor and atmosphere. Dilworth pitched the series to
Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
's animated shorts showcase ''
What a Cartoon! ''What a Cartoon!'' (later known as ''The What a Cartoon! Show'' and ''The Cartoon Cartoon Show'') is an American animated anthology series created by Fred Seibert for Cartoon Network. The shorts were produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions; by the ...
'' and a pilot titled "The Chicken from Outer Space" aired on Cartoon Network on February 18, 1996. The segment was nominated for an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, but lost to the
Wallace and Gromit ''Wallace & Gromit'' is a British stop-motion comedy franchise created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations. The series consists of four short films and one feature-length film, and has spawned numerous spin-offs and TV adaptations. The series c ...
short film ''
A Close Shave ''Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave'' is a 1995 British stop-motion animated short film co-written and directed by Nick Park and produced by Aardman Animations with Wallace and Gromit Ltd., BBC Bristol and BBC Children's International. It is ...
''. The short was greenlit to become a series, which premiered on November 12, 1999, and ended on November 22, 2002, with 4 seasons each consisting of 13 episodes. During its run, it was nominated for three Golden Reel Awards and won one
Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desi ...
.


Premise

''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' follows Courage ( Marty Grabstein), a kind yet easily frightened troublesome dog. He was abandoned as a puppy after his parents were sent into outer space by a crazed veterinarian. Soon after, he was found in an alleyway by Muriel Bagge (
Thea White Thea Ruth White ( Zitzner; June 16, 1940 – July 30, 2021) was an American voice actress best known for her work as Muriel Bagge in the animated TV show ''Courage the Cowardly Dog''. Early life White was born in Newark, New Jersey on June 16, 1 ...
), a friendly Scottish woman who decided to take Courage in as her own, and was inspired by the nature of this first meeting to give him his name. In the present, he lives with the now elderly Muriel and her husband Eustace Bagge ( Lionel Wilson in episodes 1–33, Arthur Anderson in episodes 34–52), a grumpy and greedy American man who regularly mistreats Courage out of jealousy and refers to him as "stupid dog", and frequently scares him with a mask in an isolated farmhouse: the nearest town to the farmhouse is a town called Nowhere. Courage and his owners frequently encounter monsters, aliens, zombies, and other paranormal or supernatural creatures that are attracted to Nowhere. The plot generally uses conventions common to
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
s. Although most of the creatures the three face are hostile, some only appear that way, but are simply suffering from distress, anger, and/or acting in desperation, and sometimes because they are depressed, but they can turn out to be friendly to them. The task of protecting Muriel and Eustace from such dangers falls on Courage, who endeavors to thwart or reconcile with the
monster of the week "Villain of the week" (or, depending on genre, "monster of the week", "freak of the week" or "alien of the week") is an antagonist that only appears in one episode of a multi-episode work of fiction. A villain of the week is commonly seen in Brit ...
and remedy or repair any damages done. Although Courage is occasionally aided with that task, the full extent of his efforts is usually performed unbeknownst to Muriel and Eustace. Ironically, given his name, Courage may be considered a genuine hero who often goes to great lengths to protect his owners, and a genuine coward who still expresses much of his distress with over-the-top, piercing shrieks. Although episodic in nature, there are a handful of recurring characters in the show's cast, including Courage's sarcastic, sentient computer (
Simon Prebble Simon Micawber Prebble (born 13 February 1942) is an English–American narrator. Initially a stage actor, he has a wide-ranging career in television drama, was a game show announcer in Britain, and a voice-over narrator for television, and film ...
); the family physician Dr. Vindaloo (
Paul Schoeffler Paul Schoeffler (born November 21, 1958) is a Canadian stage, film, television, and voice actor Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice a ...
); a fortune-telling chihuahua named Shirley the Medium (
Mary Testa Mary Testa (born June 4, 1955) is an American stage and film actress. She is a three-time Tony Award nominee, for performances in revivals of Leonard Bernstein's '' On the Town'' (1998), '' 42nd Street'' (2001) and'' Oklahoma'' (2019). Early life ...
); Eustace's mother "Ma" (
Billie Lou Watt Billie Lou Watt (June 20, 1924 – September 7, 2001) was an American actress. She was best known as the original English dub voice of the title characters of the 1960s anime series ''Astro Boy'' and ''Kimba the White Lion'', the character Elsi ...
); villains Katz and Le Quack (both voiced by Schoeffler), and the antagonistic Di Lung.


Production


Creation

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 Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
and introduced Courage. Dilworth graduated with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...
from the
School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...
in New York in 1985. He became an art director and founded his own animation studio, Stretch Films in 1991, and incorporated in 1994. The character of Courage grew out of an earlier character of Dilworth's called Hamilton, who appeared in ''Smart Talk with Raisin'', a pilot Dilworth created for MTV. The animated short was shown as one of the episodes of Cartoon Network's ''World Premiere Toons'' in 1996, a
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
innovation by then-president
Fred Seibert Frederick (Fred) Seibert (born September 15, 1951) is an American television producer, co-founder of MTV and the CEO of FredFilms, an animation production company based in Burbank, California. His official biography states he has led five (working ...
. The short served as a ''de facto'' pilot for the future series. The original animated short had no dialogue except for one line spoken by Courage, who had a more authoritative voice akin to
Jackie Mason Jackie Mason (born Yacov Moshe Maza; yi, יעקב משה מזא; June 9, 1928 – July 24, 2021) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. His 1986 one-man show ''The World According to Me!'' won a Special Tony Award, an Outer Critics Cir ...
than in the series. It was uttered by voice actor
Howard Hoffman Howard Hoffman (born October 6, 1954) is an American voice actor and a broadcast branding producer in New York, NY. He also operates the internet radio statio''Great Big Radio'' He was also a presenter of Contemporary Hit Radio shows in New Yo ...
who also provided all the other vocal sounds and effects for the short. An alien chicken was the villain in this short, who later reappears in the series to seek revenge. His sons also attempt to seek revenge in a later episode. The short was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year ...
at the
68th Academy Awards The 68th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1995 in the United States and took place on March 25, 1996, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles begi ...
, but lost to the
Wallace and Gromit ''Wallace & Gromit'' is a British stop-motion comedy franchise created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations. The series consists of four short films and one feature-length film, and has spawned numerous spin-offs and TV adaptations. The series c ...
short film ''
A Close Shave ''Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave'' is a 1995 British stop-motion animated short film co-written and directed by Nick Park and produced by Aardman Animations with Wallace and Gromit Ltd., BBC Bristol and BBC Children's International. It is ...
''.


Sound design

When deciding on sound effects, Dilworth tried to avoid pre-made stock sounds. 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 Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
. 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. The production crew was able to isolate these sections and expand them into a usable theme. Original music featured in ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' was composed by Jody Gray and Andy Ezrin. Classical music can be heard at times, which pays homage to classic
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
animation and the scores of
Carl Stalling Carl William Stalling (November 10, 1891 – November 29, 1972) was an American composer, voice actor and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts produced by War ...
. In several episodes, Gray arranged various famous classical pieces, such as
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
's "
Ride of the Valkyries The "Ride of the Valkyries" (german: Walkürenritt Ritt der Walküren, links=no) refers to the beginning of act 3 of ''Die Walküre'', the second of the four operas constituting Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen''. As a separate piece ...
", and wrote up to 15 songs.


Broadcast history

''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' originally was premiered as a short on February 18, 1996. The show premiered on November 12, 1999, and became the highest-rated premiere in Cartoon Network history at the time. It last aired on November 22, 2002, with 52 episodes produced in four seasons.


Episodes

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


Reception

John G. Nettles of
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
reviewed the show and called it, "a fascinating and textured mixture of cartoon and horror-movie conventions, and a joy to watch." 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 a lot of the show over real photos and occasionally integrate CGI into the cartoon. The look is weird and ethereal, just like the show itself." KJ Dell Antonia of
Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.
gave three stars out of five with the summary, "Cult fave 'toon plays over-the-top violence for laughs." Antonia warned parents that the series contains graphic animated violence, including "exploding organs, growing extra limbs, turning inside out, you name it". Randy Miller III of
DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
said that 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." Jeff Swindoll of ''
Monsters and Critics Monsters and Critics is an online entertainment news website focusing on TV, movies and celebrities. It publishes news, reviews, recaps, interviews, feature articles, explainers, blogs and commentary. The website has been owned by Digital Minefi ...
'' reviewed the first season DVD and felt a bit disappointed about its lack of the original Hanna-Barbera short ''The Chicken from Outer Space''. Swindoll felt that the lack of special features should still not deter fans from buying the season since the other episodes have only appeared piecemeal on other releases of the series.


Awards and nominations

, - ! style="background:#bfd7ff;" colspan="4", Academy Awards , - , 1995 , John R. Dilworth
For short film "The Chicken From Outer Space" ,
Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year ...
, , - ! style="background:#bfd7ff;" colspan="4", Annie Awards , - , 2000 , John R. Dilworth
For episode "A Night at the Katz Motel" , Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television Production , , - ! style="background:#bfd7ff;" colspan="4", Golden Reel Awards , - , 2000 , For episode "The Duck Brothers" , Best Sound Editing—Television Animated Series—Sound , , - , 2001 , For episode "Courage in the Big Stinkin' City" , Best Sound Editing—Television Animated Series—Sound , , - , 2003 , For episode "The Tower of Dr. Zalost" , Best Sound Editing—Television Animated Series—Sound ,


Merchandise


Home media

VHS editions of ''
Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost ''Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost'' is a 1999 American direct-to-video animated supernatural horror comedy film, and the second of the direct-to-video films based upon Hanna-Barbera's ''Scooby-Doo'' Saturday morning cartoons. It was produced b ...
'' and ''
Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders ''Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders'' is a 2000 American direct-to-video animated science fiction romantic comedy mystery film. It is the third direct-to-video film based on ''Scooby-Doo'' Saturday morning cartoons. The film was produced by Hanna ...
'' each include an episode of ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' 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 Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatri ...
. On January 13, 2010, the complete second season was also released. A Region 1 release of the first season was done by
Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...
(via
Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...
) on July 20, 2010. The release is the second in an official release of several
Cartoon Cartoons Cartoon Cartoons is a collective name used by Cartoon Network for their original animated television series originally aired between 1995 and 2003 and produced in majority by Hanna-Barbera and/or Cartoon Network Studios. Beginning with its incepti ...
on DVD, under the "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame" name. The second season was released on October 14, 2014 as the fourth in the "Hall of Fame" series. The third season was originally supposed to be released on DVD in Region 1 on February 2, 2016, but it was delayed to (and was released on) March 22, 2016. It is the fifth title in the Cartoon Network Hall of Fame series. The fourth and final season was released on September 27, 2016. ''Courage '' is one of the few Cartoon Network shows to be available in its entirety on DVD. In addition, all four seasons of the series are available for download on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
. The PlayStation 2 version of the video game ''
Cartoon Network Racing ''Cartoon Network Racing'' is a racing video game developed by Eutechnyx for PlayStation 2 and Firebrand Games for Nintendo DS, published by Danish video game developer The Game Factory, and released on December 4, 2006, in North America, and on ...
'' contains the episodes "Robot Randy" and "The Magic Tree of Nowhere" as unlockable extras. As of January 1, 2021, all 52 episodes (seasons 1–4) of the series are available to stream on
HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
.


Video games

Though the series has no official video games, characters from ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' appear in the Cartoon Network games '' Cartoon Network: Block Party'', ''
Cartoon Network Racing ''Cartoon Network Racing'' is a racing video game developed by Eutechnyx for PlayStation 2 and Firebrand Games for Nintendo DS, published by Danish video game developer The Game Factory, and released on December 4, 2006, in North America, and on ...
'', ''
Cartoon Network Speedway ''Cartoon Network Speedway'' is a kart racing video game released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. Published by Majesco Entertainment and developed by DC Studios, the game features characters from Cartoon Network's original animated television s ...
'', and '' Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall''.


Possible revivals

In February 2012,
BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
reported that a CGI special of ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' was in development. The special, titled "The Fog of Courage", aired in 2014. In October 2018, Dilworth commented on a Facebook post that he was in negotiations with
Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
for a prequel to the series under the working title ''Before Courage.'' However, in May 2020, when asked about the project, Dilworth responded that it had been "transformed into another thing". In June 2021, Dilworth revealed that the project was on turnaround as Cartoon Network's management is prioritizing their focus on other projects. However, in January 2022, Dilworth revealed that the project has already been dropped and fell through for the same reason.


Crossover film

On June 22, 2021,
Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1 ...
announced an animated direct-to-video crossover film with ''
Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animation, animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative List of Scooby-Doo media, media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the orig ...
'' called '' Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog''. The film follows Scooby-Doo and his friends finding a suspicious object in Nowhere, Kansas where Courage and his owners reside. Marty Grabstein and
Thea White Thea Ruth White ( Zitzner; June 16, 1940 – July 30, 2021) was an American voice actress best known for her work as Muriel Bagge in the animated TV show ''Courage the Cowardly Dog''. Early life White was born in Newark, New Jersey on June 16, 1 ...
reprise their roles as Courage and Muriel, while Eustace is voiced by
Jeff Bergman Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with ''Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera. Bergman was the first to repla ...
due to the deaths of the character's former voice casts Lionel Wilson and Arthur Anderson in 2003 and 2016, respectively. The film was released on DVD and digital on September 14, 2021. The film also serves as a posthumous role for Thea White, who died in July 2021, around two months before the film's release date. Series creator John R. Dilworth did not have any involvement in the crossover. According to animator and artist Tracy Mark Lee, the film's original premise was originally pitched as an episode of ''
Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? ''Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation and the thirteenth television series in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. The series is produced by Chris Bailey. The show first premiered on ...
''.


References


External links


''Courage the Cowardly Dog''
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
Department of Cartoons (Archive) * * * {{Portal bar, Cartoon Network, Animation, United States, Television, Speculative fiction/Horror, 1990s 1990s American animated television series 1990s American horror comedy television series 1999 American television series debuts 2000s American animated television series 2000s American horror comedy television series 2002 American television series endings American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated fantasy television series American children's animated horror television series Animated television series about dogs Annie Award winners Cartoon Cartoons Cartoon Network original programming English-language television shows Television characters introduced in 1996 Television shows set in Kansas