The Cat in the Hat

Cat in the Hat, The (1971)

*** (out of 4)

Two children get left home alone on a rainy night when there's a knock at the door and in walks a strange cat in an even stranger hat. Next to 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' this here is perhaps the most famous story from Dr. Seuss and there's no question that this made-for-TV short goes all out in turning it into one of the most memorable shorts from this era. When you look back at these animated shorts from the 1970s there's no question that the majority of them stand the test of time for numerous reasons. THE CAT IN THE HAT is certainly no exception and there are two things that make it remain so fresh. One is the terrific dialogue, which gets shot out at a mile a second. There's never a dull moment because the dialogue just keeps firing on all sides. It's funny and also very catchy to the point where you just want to start speaking this dialogue. Another thing that I really loved about the film were the colors. The colors used really bring this film to life and I really love one sequence where our beloved cat is sitting at a piano with both sides of the wall being a different color and then you have that terrific looking carpet. When you see all three colors blended together it's really a treat for your eyes. The story itself is a nice one and there's no question that kids and their parents will enjoy this one.

Is the worst thing, in your opinion, to be bored? I've heard for a lot of people it is. But, have you heard the old saying- if you're bored, then you're boring? I never much paid attention to it most of my life but when I hear people say certain movies are boring, and I decide to respond to that, this rings in my ears. I don't know whether or not I'm boring, but I am almost never bored. So, The Cat in the Hat is about 2 bored children who need entertainment on a rainy day because rainy weather just bums some people out. That lame starter is a good indication of how weak this made-for-television special will be. The problem could be the source material (the only thing I remember being an annoyance in the book was the entire Thing 1, Thing 2 sequence), but I wouldn't go that far. I mean, this adaptation may stick unbelievably close to the (very short) children's book. But this version of the story relies heavily on getting the cat to stay in the house which itself results in cartoon calamity- the reason these filmmakers see as being why you'll want to stick around.

As he first begins to leave, he gets his foot in the door by angrily (then tearfully) claiming that one of the children or their pet fish have stolen a piece of his property in the 2 minutes he's been there. Now, I understand logic has very little to do with a Suess story, but it's nonetheless hard to accept this when we know there's no way the kids or fish could have taken anything from the cat. And despite the logic excuse, there is actually a little emotion in the characters as the cat annoyingly whines and the children actually react to this by suspecting the fish of foul play. The children really are great, aren't they? They're kind enough to go all out in helping the cat look for his missing item but not thoughtful enough of their mother as they begin running around the house writing all over everything with markers. Did they even stop to say "that's wrong"? No. But forget all that, this special really goes to hell when Thing 1 and Thing 2 show up. Even the cat busts a gasket and can only say "they can find anything, anything, anything under the sun" even though what they're doing has nothing to do with finding something. Instead they ignore the cat's dilemma and terrorize the fish.

Since I'm not going to convince anyone of anything by trying to take logic apart, let's look at the artistic aspects of the movie. How's the music? Well scored. It's good music. But vocally and lyrically, the songs are not good (although the international language-learner "Cat Hat" comes close). Take out the words, sung by singers I wouldn't care to hear from again, and I'd love to hear the music in a better animated short. But the performers are entirely, well- underwhelming at best (except for Thurl Ravenscroft- the one voice you'll recognize from Disney's Haunted Mansion theme, the classic "Grim Grinning Ghosts"). Especially Allan Sherman as the cat, who rushes through most of his lines. However, Cat in the Hat is not all bad. In fact, the animation is pretty darn good at times. Especially during the Cat's song about how he's no good and the "Cat Hat" song.

As of my writing this, I've seen all 9 of the DVD-released Dr. Suess specials and this is easily the weakest of all of them.

This song-filled Dr. Seuss classic should be shown on network television at least twice a year! The musical numbers are pure fun; as a bonus, they managed to sneak in a quick foreign languages lesson. The newest home video release of this favorite has the words on the screen, which is even better. Listen during the song performed with Thing 2 and Thing 1. You'll hear the booming baritone of Thurl "Tony The Tiger" Ravenscroft. I have watched this special over 100 times on home video, and never want to stop.

Dr. Seuss books just don't lend themselves well to live action movies. The live action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas was awful, mostly because the padded scenes LOOKED like padding. There isn't enough of a story in Seuss's books to make a feature-length movie, and really not even enough to make a 25-minute TV show.

But add some good animation and the music of Allan Sherman, and you have a winner. I'll be watching THIS version for many years, not the dreadful Mike Meyers version.

Dr. Seuss and his stories are not very familiar here in Holland and although the Jim Carrey version of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' was a pretty big hit it hasn't changed that very much. Still, I saw this animated version of 'The Cat in the Hat' and let me start by saying that it is so much better and funnier than the Mike Myers version.

When the mother (voice by Gloria Camacho) of a girl (voice by Pamelyn Ferdin) and a boy (voice by Tony Frazier) leaves on a rainy evening the kids are very bored. A cat in a hat (voice by Allan Sherman) enters the house to cheer them up. The fish (voice by Daws Butler) is not very fond of that because they are making a huge mess. Everything must be clean before mother comes home.

The first half with the arrival of the cat is not that great. It has some nice songs though. The second half, especially the part where the cat explains how he is called in other countries, is great and very funny. I understand why stories like this are very popular. Kids just have to like it and for adults it must be a nice memory from their childhood.