Pilot: 1996
| Episode # | Airdate | Title | Villains |
| Pilot | February 18, 1996 | “The Chicken from Outer Space” | Space Chicken |
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.” Antonia warned parents that the series contains graphic animated violence, including exploding organs, growing extra limbs, turning inside out. Antonia said shows aimed at younger audiences “usually dont go for thrills and chills, so its good to see a genuinely surreal and slanted series develop a decent following.”
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.” 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.
In October 2018, Dilworth commented on a Facebook post that he was in negotiations with Boomerang for a prequel to the series. Later that month, Dilworth announced on Facebook that development on a “potential prequel” to Courage entitled Before Courage for Boomerang was expected to begin.[2] However, in May 2020, when asked about the project, Dilworth responded that it had been “transformed into another thing”.[3]
Its central plot revolves around a somewhat anthropomorphic pink dog named Courage who lives with his owners, Muriel Bagge 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 disquieting humor and bizarre plot twists. The series combines elements of comedy horror, science fantasy, and drama.
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. animation and the scores of Carl Stalling. In several episodes, Gray arranged various famous classical pieces and wrote up to 15 songs, such as Wagners “Ride of the Valkyries.”
Will there be a Courage the Cowardly Dog movie?
Courage the Cowardly Dog is an upcoming American 2D-animated comedy horror film that will be released in theaters on October 23, 2020. Most of this was featured by the series, like the 2001 episode 1000 Years Of Courage.
FULL EPISODE: Shadow of Courage/Dr. Le Quack | Courage the Cowardly Dog | Cartoon Network
Network: Cartoon NetworkEpisodes: 52 (half-hour)Seasons: Four
Performers include: Marty Grabstein, Thea White, Lionel G. Wilson, Arthur Anderson, Simon Prebble, Paul Schoeffler, Billie Lou Watt, Peter Fernandez, Howard Hoffman, and Arnold Stang.
TV show description: Created by John R. Dilworth, this animated series began as a 1995 short film which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Both follow the misadventures of Courage (Howard Hoffman in the pilot, later Marty Grabstein), a canine who’s easily frightened by just about anything.
Courage lives in a farmhouse near the fictional town of Nowhere, Kansas. His parents were sent into space by and evil veterinarian. As a puppy, Courage was adopted by a sweet-natured Scottish woman named Muriel (Thea White). She’s married to a grumpy, greedy farmer named Eustace Bagge (Lionel G. Wilson, then Arthur Anderson) who enjoys mistreating and scaring the pooch with a bright green bug-eyed mask.
Out in the middle of nowhere, the three frequently run into all manner of monsters, aliens, demons, mad scientists, and zombies. Courage must fend off these threats to save his owners, often with them unaware of what’s really going on. Most of the creatures are scary or creepy but can also be sweet or in distress themselves.
In “Perfect,” Courage can’t seem to do anything right so an elderly teacher decides to train him into becoming a perfect dog. First aired: November 22, 2002.
In a 2008 interview, Dilworth was asked if there was any hope of Courage returning. He said, “Well, humans have a tremendous capacity to ‘hope.’ I have written so often on this. There is no corporate economic rational to make any new episodes. I’ve read that there have been petitions signed by many many fans that never even got to Cartoon Network. Maybe a campaign of a substantial nature of this kind, that actually got to an exec, would be a provocation. However, the lack of courage by the merchandisers still remains. ‘Pink’ or ‘fuchsia’ dogs will not sell in a boy dominated market place. This is rather complex, but the undercurrent of conservatism in America is strong and easy to intolerance.”