In Search of Dr. Seuss

This is a great biography movie. I learned a lot about Dr. Seuss watching this movie and still think this is a great movie. I like to watch it again & again. I would recommend it for kids aged 6 and up. Even adults might like this movie. This is probably the best TV movie ever. A reporter (Kathy Najimby, Sister Act) wants to find out more about Dr. Seuss so she goes to his house who finds a strange man who turns out the be the Cat in the Hat (Matt Frewer, Honey I shrunk the kids). Now the reporter is on for the ride of a lifetime learning about Dr. Seuss, reading some of his stories & singing some songs. Special Appearances by Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Howie Mandel (Later to be known as the Host of Deal or No Deal) & David Payner. This is a really great movie an I highly recommend it.

I think I saw just a bit of this made-for-TV movie on TV when I was around eight years old (around the time it was released, or shortly after), but didn't know it was called "In Search of Dr. Seuss". I remember so many Dr. Seuss stories from my childhood, both books and animated cartoons, but don't recall seeing much of this biography film. After fifteen years or so, I've finally seen the entire film on DVD. By the time that happened, I knew the lead character was played by Kathy Najimy, and knew her as the voice of Peggy Hill in "King of the Hill", and the role of Beverly "Bev" Pear in "Rat Race". I was also familiar with several other cast members. If I had seen the entire film as a kid, it probably would have been more entertaining, but it was still interesting.

Kathy Lane is a news reporter who comes to the home of the late Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) to get as much information as possible for a report on the famous children's author, information she couldn't find anywhere else. The first character she meets turns out to be the Cat in the Hat, one of Seuss's famous characters! She then sees a book entitled, "Open a book, open your imagination," and opens it, which takes her on a magical adventure through the world of Seuss, full of surprises, with the Cat as her tour guide! Many of the author's famous stories are included on this adventure, and Kathy finds herself taking part in them! She also gradually learns about his life, career, the inspiration for some of his stories, etc. She gets some information from the Cat in the Hat, and some from other characters she meets in different places on her adventure.

There's lots of humour in this film, but it certainly didn't make me laugh much. With Christopher Lloyd, Andrea Martin, and Robin Williams all in the cast, it could have been so much funnier than it is, at least for adults. There are parts I found mildly amusing, but not many. This was the most disappointing aspect for me. For the most part, the humour is very kiddish, and it might not just be the humour, as the sets often look like they're from a low-budget kids' show, though I'm sure that was intentional. However, it is an interesting biography on Dr. Seuss, focusing on different parts of his life and sometimes showing documentary footage. There are also some pretty good presentations of Dr. Seuss stories, sometimes with edited versions of animated cartoons, and it's also good that the morals of these stories are mentioned. The author was well known for those. The film is informative in a way I've never seen before.

I don't know if I should be rating this film 8/10, and I'm definitely not doing so because of how entertaining I personally found it. I would usually have to find a movie more entertaining than this to even give it a 7. I don't think I could exactly say I found most of "In Search of Dr. Seuss" that entertaining, especially with the lack of laughs. Still, it's an interesting way of telling viewers about the life of Dr. Seuss, and to me, there is something charming about it. I'm sure many kids would like it a lot, and I'm sure the humour would probably be more appealing to them, though I don't recall liking the part of the film I saw as a kid. Also, if you're an adult who grew up with Dr. Seuss, then this is probably worth watching for information on the influential author (though you may wish it were presented in a different manner), and you could find more entertainment value than I did.

An overview of Dr. Seuss' life and career done in a Seussian style. A determined, yet affable reporter goes to the home of Dr. Seuss for an inside scoop and unwittingly discovers the magic of his imagination. She meets the various literary characters (portrayed by well known personalities) whom illustrate his life and all the major books he wrote. Some are acted out in very catchy musical numbers while others are illustrated by animated adaptations from years ago (i.e. Clampett's adaptation of Horton Hatches The Egg)

The bio manages to be very informative and fun. Almost as if Seuss himself would have told it (despite that he wasn't really directly in the spotlight much). Matt Frewer's performance as The Cat In The Hat is perfect. He really captured the essence of the mischievous and playful spirit of the character.

While this bio is family oriented, there is plenty of discussion of Seuss' career as a political cartoonist in which he was a vocal critic of the Nazis (and the America's lack of urgency), antisemitism, and America's own racism issues. Also remarkable is a short discussion of the propanganda piece he wrote for WB titled Hitler Lives, to demonstrate his patriotism.

Unfortunately, in light the removal of six classic books from circulation, this wonderful documentary appears to have disappeared from circulation as well. Two of the six books in question, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (his first book) and Mcgelliot's Pool are discussed and reenacted (although nothing controversial is seen). Granted, it's impossible to discuss Dr. Seuss' career without mentioning Mulberry Street.

I highly recommend this uplifting and magical look at the world of Dr. Seuss. Hopefully this won't disappear entirely.

Before I watched the movie, all I knew about Seuss was that his books are funny. After I watched it, however, I was enlightened by the mind-numbing amount of information about the "Good Doctor", from his early years to the present. The movie is well written (though the background design are rather cheesy and the film looks like it's colored in "Technicolor"), performed and directed. Whether you're a bookworm, Dr. Seuss fan, a college student doing a research on Dr. Seuss, or just plain couch potato, this movie's one you cannot miss! I give it 2 thumbs up!

This is by far the best movie anyone will ever see. When i first saw it about 8 years ago I watched it so much that every member of my family knew every word, and every song, even though they had never seen it themselves. Dr. Seuss is a genius, the best writer there will ever be. No movie even compares to how much fun this movie is. With a great ending..

The Lorax is such a powerful sad story, makes you want to keep your environment safe

Grinch teaches to be nice to everyone, don't judge looks, never leave anyone out

The Sneeches teaches not to be competitive and be happy with what you have, and if someone's got more than you it doesn't matter

How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon.. December's here before it's June.. How did it get so late so soon?

The Best, Amazing, Superb, um..Fantastic! movie..

You're missing out if you haven't seen it..:)