Corneil and Bernie (Nicktoons)

common sense media says

Dumb dogwalker + smart dog = ugly cartoon.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that although this show is rated as OK for everyone, the fast cuts and wild animation make it unsuitable for very young viewers. Almost every episode has storylines that include deception, blackmail, and bribery (albeit on a very mild level), which may make it confusing for less-sophisticated viewers. Corneil's determination not to reveal his true self to his loving owners, although a tired plot device, offers an iffy social message.

Positive messages: Corneil is hiding his abilities from his owners. Bernie, as the only human who knows about him, blackmails Corneil in nearly every episode and deceives people into thinking that Corniel's accomplishments are his own. Sometimes he is rewarded for this, sometimes not.
Violence & scariness: It's not exactly violence, but Bernie drags Corneil into walls and over stairs, crashes him into closing doors, etc. It's cartoony but it isn't very fun.
Sexy stuff: Bernie occasionally gives buxom women some iffy glances.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Drugs like tranquilizers are used for (attempted) humorous mishaps.

More on Corneil and Bernie

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about the relationship between Corneil and Bernie. Does Corneil really like Bernie? Would Bernie really give Corneil away? (The answers actually aren't clear -- this isn't a particularly heartwarming show.) Families can also try to count how many talking-animal-discovered-by-a-human books, movies, and TV shows they can come up with. From the Warner Brothers' dancing frog to Turner and Hooch, this plot device has been used a million times.

What's the story?

What's the story?

CORNEIL AND BERNIE relates the escapades of a genius dog (Corneil, voiced by Keith Wickham) and his idiot dogwalker ((Bernie, voiced by Ben Small). Bernie's not very bright, and he's crass, insensitive, selfish, and completely unaware of his faults. Because Bernie is the only human who knows that Corneil can talk (and is, in fact, a genius), he has the upper hand over Corneil, and he uses it in almost every episode. Corneil is often shown cringing and kowtowing to Bernie when they're interacting on this level. And when the two are shown as boy and dog, Bernie's treatment of Corneil isn't much better -- Bernie's forever dragging the dog around on his leash and slamming him into things.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Other than the dragging-around-and-knocking-into-things, there's no particular violence in Corneil and Bernie and only mild salacious glances from the teenage Bernie at buxom cartoon girls and women. Still, this isn't really a cartoon for young kids. The relationship between Corneil and Bernie is complex and not particularly appealing, and the mayhem has a malicious feel, as if Bernie knows that even if Corneil is a dog, Corneil has something Bernie hasn't got. Older kids will have seen it all before, but why teach younger viewers that people and animals can be ugly to each other before absolutely necessary?

TV themes & details

TV Details
TV Rating: TV-Y
Network: Nicktoons
Cast: Ben Small, Keith Wickham
Genre: Kids' Animation
Where to watch: Nicktoons

This review was written by KJ Dell Antonia
 
 

Review It

 

Review Corneil and Bernie





Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

Most useful reviews by all members

 
It's a..... GREAT!!!!!!!!
Lots of funny things would happen if there was a talking dog there. A.... Wait a minute a.... This show is a bit bad of the language but I still like this. I think this should be 2 ratings: 4+ pause 4 stars and 6+ on 3 stars. My brother wants to ban Corneil and Bernie and I hope he's not. A.... Colin wants to rate this 17+ off! That's so crazy.

martin
teen, 16 years old
 
DVDS AND AIR
To anybody that doesnent know Corneil AND Bernie are coming to DVD. I wander if it will air on Nickoldon one day.

G3
adult
 
The Show's ok
The Show's ok but watch the thing right before the commercials on the first commercial!

skulduggery3
kid, 13 years old
 
Great and funny show for all ages!
If you'll looking for a show for the whole family to watch then put on Corneil and Bernie. The situations Bernie get's Corneil into are always funny and if you watch the show closely you'll notice that in every episode Corneil starts out despiseing Bernie and feeling he's only a slight annoyance. But by the end of the show Corneil treats Bernie like a slight friend. So stop reading about Corneil and Bernie and go watch it!

ibarncat
teen, 17 years old
 
This is one show that this website has undoubtedly rated severely incorrectly. Who cares if Bernie is guilty of bad species relationship and is over all a horrible role model? That's the whole point of the show's humor. And there is definetely nothing morally wrong with Corneil attempting to keep his intelligence a secret. He has a ligitimate fear that, if found out, he would be subject to certain tests from sceintists who lack basic morals. That would be a ligitimate fear in real life. There really are a lot of teenagers as weak as Bernie. So basically, this is, in fact, a show that would deserve a TV-Y rating if 1 Nick still used the TV-Y rating and 2 the show was still on, even if it had to be restricted to the overnight hours.

Meerdog
teen, 14 years old
 
Okay, but...
Eh, it's fine, I guess...certainly NOT one of my favorite shows(i.e. Meerkat Manor, Invader Zim, Spongebob, Looney Tunes, etc.).

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
 

vote now

Will you see Corneil and Bernie?


Already seen it? What do you think?

 

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors


About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age