Leader Dog (TV series)

Last updated
Leader Dog
Genre Science Fiction
Comedy
Created by Larry Schwarz
Written byNick Mallis
Directed bySergei Anskov
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersLarry Schwarz
Sergei Anskov
AnimatorDargian Moriaty
Running time3 minutes
Production company Animation Collective
Original release
Network Nicktoons
ReleaseApril 18, 2004 (2004-04-18) 
2008 (2008)

Leader Dog is a flash-animated science-fiction comedy series created by Larry Schwarz (who is best known for Kappa Mikey), and his production company, Animation Collective.

Contents

The series premiered on the Nicktoons channel on April 18, 2004 (along with other series, Tortellini Western), with reruns airing on Nicktoons Network until 2008. 13 episodes were produced.

Premise

The series centers around a spunky junkyard dog from Earth who is mistakenly abducted by aliens from Planet Zmed. The aliens, named Dave and Blark, are sent by their King Adrian to find Earth's "leader" – the one everyone follows. When they see a dog being chased by many dogcatchers, they wrongly conclude that this dog must be Earth's most important leader because so many people are "following" him. They beam him up and he becomes the "Leader Dog" of Planet Zmed.

Development

The animation was used via Flash, and the majority of the characters are voiced by animators. Schwarz wanted to base the animation on Hanna-Barbera cartoons.

Like many Nicktoons short series, Leader Dog has fallen into obscurity due to its sporadic air times and general lack of exposure. Schwarz mentioned that he wanted to inspire animators and have an impact on animation themselves. [1]

Schwarz stated:

“We really wanted to create something totally original, yet familiar–the kind of shows we grew up with and watched on Saturday mornings. We wanted to tell funny stories with memorable characters–the kind that will become classics,”

The series was also directed by Sergei Aniskov. [2]

Characters

Episodes

Episode Number (#)TitleAir date
1Eau de ToiletApril 18, 2004
2The Postman Never Rings Twice2004
3Nobody's Drool
4Who Buried the Bone?
5Fetch Lives
6Worst in Show
7A Poop By Any Other Name
8Life's an Itch
9TV or Not TV?
10Planet of the Chimps
11Howl-O-Ween
12Play Dead
13Dog Food

References

  1. "Nicktoons Serves Up Traditional Style Toons Leader Dog & Tortellini Western". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  2. Ball, Ryan (2004-04-14). "Nicktoons Runs with Leader Dog, Tortellini Western". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-23.