This is one messed up, confusing show. Essentially, the show is about this dog who's scared of his own shadow, yet he constantly has to save his owners from creepy peril. Courage shakes, howls and cowers, but he always comes through and saves the day. Essentially, that's what every single episode of this show is about. Sure, you've got terrors that are alien, natural and supernatural, but the idea is always the same.

The odd thing is that this show is actually pretty funny. Sure, it's creepy, but it's also amusing. For some reason, I always enjoy watching the relationship between Courage's "mean" owner, Eustice, and the dog. Eustice, see, calls Courage "stupid dog" constantly, likes to put on a mask and scare the dog, and is otherwise mean to him.

Why's that funny to me? It rather reminds me of the way my Wife often treats our dog in that "stupid dog" is my Spouse's preferred name for our dog and she has a big time scaring the fool out of the pup. Maybe my Wife isn't as mean to Pepper as Eustice is to Courage, but it's still pretty darn funny.

Well, enough of talking about my Wife and my Dog. What makes this show tick? In short, the animation is pretty good, and young Courage manages to overcome fear and be a hero. The creatures and monstrous folk here are pretty nasty, indeed, but in an almost comical way. You've got deranged chickens, other-worldly folks who open a portal into the are where Courage lives (which is in the middle of nowhere) and etc. While amusing, these baddies are truly rotten, and that's where Courage comes in to the picture.

Is courage afraid of the dangers he has to face? Yes. Does Courage want to run from them? Yes. Does Courage go farther than other small dogs and take care of the threats to his family? Yes, and that's what makes the show worthwhile -- Courage is scared to death most of the time, but triumphs in spite of his fear. That's not a bad lesson for kids, if you think about it.

As for the animation, it's not bad. It's not the smoothest, most high-quality stuff you're going to find, but everything's drawn with sufficient detail so that one knows exactly what the images on the screen are supposed to represent. The animation just works. It's not cheap and shoddy, but it's not terribly expensive, either. The result? There's a very efficient style going on that gets ideas across just fine.

Now, here's where the show fails a bit. It's very repetitive, but that's not too bad. What's bad is that some of the episodes are, indeed, dark and spooky and can scare kids. I don't know how many folks out there have had to deal with a four-year-old child (or whatever age) that's frightened of the dark on a normal day and terrified of it when he's scared, but it's not fun. While this show isn't too harmful for children in terms of language and adult situations, it is a bit scary at times. You've been warned.

So, to sum it all up, this show provides some unique, thoughtful entertainment and one can't help but root for Courage as he overcomes his fears and confronts danger. On the other hand, smaller children may find some of the episodes just a little too creepy.

Recommended: Yes

Type of Program: Cartoon or Animated
Program Quality: Thought-provoking, original material
Best Suited For: 9 Years or Older