Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat **** (2003, Mike Myers, Spencer Breslin, Dakota Fanning) – Classic Movie Review 543

Mike Myers is a hilarious bundle of energy as The Cat, in the sweet, old-fashioned 2003 family comedy adventure film Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat.

Left home alone, two cute kids Sally and Conrad (Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin) are surprised to find The Cat at the front door. Welcoming him in, they experience fun and frolics, but what’s mom (Kelly Preston) going to say when she returns?

This lovingly realized, exquisitely produced, expertly directed (by Bo Welch) 2003 movie of the old Dr Seuss story could hardly be better. As The Cat, Mike Myers is a hilarious bundle of energy in this old-fashioned family comedy adventure that’s a sweet and simple delight.

All the opulence of this incredibly expensive extravaganza – it cost $110 million – is up there on screen in the lavish, eye-boggling designs.

The Cat in the Hat movie really looks – and is – a treat. Some people don’t get it and don’t laugh at the screenplay by Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer, but others find it amusing and charming. Despite iffy reviews, it did gross over $100 million at the US box office. It’s still got an incredibly unfair vote on the IMDb.

Tim Allen was originally cast as The Cat but couldn’t do it because he was filming The Santa Clause 2. The Cat costume is made of angora and human hair and was fitted with a cooling system. The tail and ears are battery operated.

Dr Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2 1904. He died on September 24 1991, aged 87. Many regard his How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) as the best holiday movie ever.

The 1953 classic The 5,000 Fingers of Dr T is the only feature film written by Dr Seuss, who penned the story, screenplay and lyrics, and influenced the set design and choreography.

It was a major turning point in Geisel’s career when, after a 1954 Life magazine article criticising children’s reading levels, publishers asked him to write a children’s primer using 220 vocabulary words. The resulting book was The Cat in the Hat, published in 1957 and cementing Geisel’s place in children’s literature.

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© Derek Winnert 2013 Classic Movie Review 543

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