Watch My Chops

Last updated

Watch My Chops
Corneilandbernietitlecard.png
UK Title card
Also known asCorneil & Bernie (outside of the UK)
Genre Animated series
Cartoon
Created by
Developed by
  • Marie-Caroline Villard
  • Fethi Nedjari
  • Isabeau Merle (S2)
Written byIsabeau Merle
Directed byAlbert Pereira Lazaro (season 1)
Paul Guidal (season 2)
Voices of Keith Wickham
Ben Small
Dan Russell
Laurence Bouvard
Dian Perry
Bob Saker
Composers
Country of originFrance
Original languagesFrench
English
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes104 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Roch Lener
  • Jonathan Peel
ProducerMarie-Caroline Villard (S2)
Animators
  • Borisfen-Lutece (S1)
  • Millimages (S2)
  • Animation Services (S2)
  • Feitong Cartoon (S2)
Running time13 minutes
Production company Millimages
Original release
Network France 3 (season 1)
Gulli (season 2)
Release21 February 2003 (2003-02-21) 
19 August 2006 (2006-08-19)

Watch My Chops is a French animated series about an intelligent talking dog, Corneil, and his "dog sitter", Bernie Barges. It starred Keith Wickham, Ben Small, Dian Perry, Dan Russell, Becca Stewart, Laurence Bouvard and more recently Mark Laidman. The series originally aired from 2003 to 2004 for 52 episodes [1] and was revived from 2014 to 2016 for an additional 52 episodes, bringing the total to 104.

Contents

The original French title is Corneil et Bernie. In the UK, the show is called Watch My Chops, named after Corneil's catchphrase. In the United States and Australia, the show was titled Corneil & Bernie.

Plot summary

Corneil is an intelligent dog: not only can he read and write perfect English, but he is much smarter than most people. Since he is so smart, he knows that life does not get any better than being a pampered pet, and so he does anything he can to keep his owners John and Beth from realizing his phenomenal skills. This plan begins to go awry when they hire the pinheaded Bernie Barges to "dog-sit", and Bernie learns about Corneil's secret. Though the two frequently bicker, they form an uneasy friendship, and Corneil finds himself using his brainy powers to bail Bernie out of various scrapes.

Most episodes are driven by Corneil's reluctance to let anyone know that he is intelligent and capable of human speech. The only person who does know is dogsitter Bernie, whose Uncle Rico minds John and Beth's apartment. Bernie discovered Corneil's speaking abilities by accident, and unfortunately he is somewhat lacking in intelligence and mostly devoid of morals. All this puts Corneil in an uncomfortable position, as Bernie often takes it upon himself to be 'the voice' of Corneil, capitalising on Corneil's reluctance to communicate and ignoring Corneil's requests.

In the 2014 retool of the series, Corneil and Bernie start to get into more bizarre adventures such as hunting for a legendary monster, battling a computer virus, or trying to face the apocalypse. Most of the supporting characters are reduced to background roles and a few minor ones get more focus. This adaptation also features more humans who find out about Corneil’s secret, and he begins to worry less about being exposed.

Characters

Main

Supporting and minor

Episodes

Broadcast & home media

Watch My Chops premiered in France in December 2003, where it aired on France 3 for its first season, and on Gulli for its second. The series has since aired in the United States on Nicktoons from 2004 to 2008, in the UK on CBBC from 2003 to 2011 , and in Australia on ABC Me as of 2016.

Mill Creek Entertainment released the complete first season on DVD in Region 1 on 18 March 2008. [2] This release has since been discontinued and is now out of print.

Production

This show is animated, produced, written and directed in Paris by Millimages, and the English dialogue is recorded in London at The Sound Company studios. The first season was animated with digital ink and paint, whereas the 2014 revival was animated in flash.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duane Chapman</span> American bounty hunter and TV personality

Duane Chapman, also known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, is an American television personality, bounty hunter, and former bail bondsman.

<i>Back to the Future</i> (TV series) American animated television series (1991–1992)

Back to the Future is an animated science-fiction comedy adventure television series for television based on the live-action Back to the Future film trilogy. The show lasted two seasons, each featuring 13 episodes, and ran on CBS from September 14, 1991, to December 26, 1992, with reruns until August 14, 1993. Citing low ratings, CBS cancelled the show after two seasons. It was later rerun on Fox as a part of the FoxBox block from March 22 to August 30, 2003.

<i>64 Zoo Lane</i> Childrens television series

64 Zoo Lane is a children's animated series created by Belgian-born English author An Vrombaut. The series is co-produced by French animation studio Millimages and British-based Zoo Lane Productions in association with ZDF and ZDF Enterprises. La Cinquième, The Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Co., Sofica Cofanim and CBeebies, with the participation of France 5 /France Televisions.

Robotboy is an animated television series produced by Alphanim for France 3 and Cartoon Network Europe, in association with studios LuxAnimation and Cofinova 1 for Series 1. In a total of 52 23-minute episodes with 104 segments produced, it was created and designed by Jan Van Rijsselberge.

<i>Bratz</i> (TV series) Computer-animated television series, based on a line of toy dolls of the same name

Bratz is an American CGI animated series based on the toy dolls of the same name. Produced by Mike Young Productions and MGA Entertainment, it aired on Fox's 4Kids TV from September 10, 2005 to October 14, 2006. In 2008, after a hiatus, it was renewed for season 2. It focuses on four female teens who run their own magazine. In 2021, a web series titled "Talkin' Bratz" that featured a similar CGI animation style to the original series, aired on the official Bratz TikTok page. Set in the same world as the original series, it saw cast members Olivia Hack and Ogie Banks reprise their roles as Cloe and Dylan, respectively. The voice actresses are an all-star cast featuring Hack, Soleil Moon Frye, Tia Mowry, Dionne Quan, Wendie Malick, Lacey Chabert, and Kaley Cuoco. From 2018-2020, the series' episodes were uploaded to the Bratz YouTube channel.

<i>The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs</i> American animated series

The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs is an American children's animated series, produced by Saban Entertainment, that aired on Fox Kids from 1998 to 1999.

<i>Stickin Around</i> Canadian TV series or program

Stickin' Around is a Canadian animated children's television series produced by Nelvana and created by Robin Steele and Brianne Leary. The series originally aired from August 14, 1996, until April 13, 1998. Stickin' Around, originating as a series of one-minute interstitials on CBS in 1994, centered on two best friends named Stacy and Bradley; their hand-drawn adventures with their friends and family; and their fantasies, both encountering many problems they must face as they continue to grow up – with school, bullies, friends, and parents – and always coming up with imaginative ideas to eliminate these obstacles, such as becoming a superhero and putting themselves in a different environment where they have no trouble in defeating their enemies.

<i>Titeuf</i> Comic book series

Titeuf is a French comic series created by Swiss comic book creator Zep in 1992, which was adapted into a 2001 animated TV series and a 2011 film of the same name. It also appears in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Tchô!.

<i>The Off-Beats</i> American TV series or program

The Off-Beats is an American slapstick comedy animated television series that was created by Mo Willems. The first episodes were produced as standalone short animated films for Nickelodeon; but after the series was nominated for a CableACE Award, more segments were produced for Kablam!. The series was initially called The Misfits, but Nickelodeon had Willems change the series' title at the last moment before its television debut. The series was the first to end on KaBlam! after Willems moved to Cartoon Network to create Sheep in the Big City; it too was cancelled after two years on the air.

Archibald the Koala is a 1998-2000 British-French animated children's television series produced by Millimages in association with HiT Entertainment. The show began in September, 1998 premiering on ITV through its children's block CITV in the UK and on Cartoon Network through its international preschool showcase program, Small World in the United States. The show itself is based on the books written by Paul Cox. The show was made in both French and English versions.

Nico is a 2001 Spanish animated television series produced by BRB Internacional, Televisión Española and the National Organization of the Spanish Blind. The title character, Nico, is a boy that is blind. Blind people in the cartoon are usually referred to as "visually impaired" (invidente) regardless of how severe, or otherwise, their blindness is.

<i>Fish Police</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Fish Police is an American adult animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. It is based on the comic book series of the same name created by Steve Moncuse. It first aired in 1992, broadcasting three episodes before being axed for low ratings. A further three episodes never aired in the United States, although the entire series ran in European syndication.

Benjamin Small is a British voice actor who has acted on animated films and television shows, including Thomas the Tank Engine and Toby the Tram Engine in the UK dub of the children's television series Thomas & Friends.

<i>Lloyd in Space</i> American TV series or program

Lloyd in Space is an American animated television series, created by Recess co-creators Joe Ansolabehere and Paul Germain. It premiered on February 3, 2001, on ABC on Saturday mornings. The pilot was written by Ansolabehere, Germain and Mark Drop, with the characters designed by Eric Keyes. The series ran for four seasons, airing its final episode on February 27, 2004.

<i>The Way Things Work</i> (TV series)

The Way Things Work was a short-lived children's television series based on the best-selling book of the same name by David Macaulay. The series was co-produced by Millimages, Pearson Broadband, and Schlessinger Media; it was distributed by the latter. The program ran daily on BBC2 and CBBC from 2001 to early 2002, before it was discontinued due to a lack of both episodes and audience. The series (hand-animated) was one of the last few educational TV programmes still shown by the BBC on CBBC. It is one of its most short-lived television series, running for only 26 15-minute episodes. The programme aims to teach basic principles of science to young viewers and revolves around the residents of the backward Mammoth Island as they struggle through daily life with the use of outlandish contraptions. The series was later dubbed into French and briefly aired in syndication on TV network France 5. A DVD containing all 26 episodes of the series was released in 2005.

<i>Hamateur Night</i> 1939 film

Hamateur Night is a 1939 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Tex Avery and written by Jack Miller. The short was released on January 28, 1939 and features an early version of Elmer Fudd.

Mighty Raju is a 2D animated series that focuses on 4-year-old Raju, a superhero kid, who got his super powers from the Neutrino compound. It is the first spin-off series of the popular Chhota Bheem. It is set on a fictional city named Aryanagar.

<i>Milo Murphys Law</i> American animated TV series (2016-2019)

Milo Murphy's Law is an American animated comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series premiered on October 3, 2016, on Disney XD. It revolves around the title character, Milo Murphy, who is a descendant of the “Original Murphy” of Murphy’s law, which states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The series takes place in the same universe as Povenmire and Marsh's previous series Phineas and Ferb, with multiple references to the show occurring across season one, culminating in a crossover at the beginning of the second season and continuing throughout with other plot threads from the former series.

<i>Pinky Malinky</i> American animated television series

Pinky Malinky is an animated television series created and produced by Netflix. It is based on Chris Garbutt's animated short of the same name produced by Cartoon Network Studios Europe, which was released in 2009. It marks the first collaboration between Nickelodeon and Netflix as well as the first Nicktoon to be produced exclusively for Netflix. The series chronicles the adventures of Pinky Malinky, a 12-year-old middle school student who also happens to be an anthropomorphic hot dog and his efforts to climb up the social ladder with his two human friends Babs Buttman and JJ Jameson.

References

  1. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. pp. 267–268. ISBN   9781476672939.
  2. "Corneil & Bernie: The Complete Series (DVD 2006) | DVD Empire".