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.

Ok, so it's way different than the book. If you ask me, the cartoon is way better than the book. The Cat in the Hat comes to the two kids on a rainy day when their mother leaves them all alone. The Cat shows them how to have fun as they all search for his moss-covered three handled family grudunza. Mr. Krinklebein, the fish, constantly tries to get the Cat to go away. Thing I and Thing II make appearances. I have been watching this cartoon since I was two years old!!

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.

With Dr. Suess you're WAY better off with SHORT cartoons then live action. My favorite part is the language lesson very cool. The cartoon at least is more faithful to the book and the Dr. Suess spirit. I also hope it gets released on DVd soon. Along with The Grinch Grinches The Cat In The Hat.

Scary thought- What if those people who made the live action films do THAT story next???????????

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.