The Cat in the Hat (1971)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Lack of good storyline.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I have said this before but I liked Dr Seuss stories and The Grinch is one of them that actually holds up pretty well. The Cat in The Hat is one that I am a little bit sketchy about. However I sat down and watched this and will give my honest opinion.Now the pot of the cartoon is thicker than the plot of the book, which can work both ways into it either being good (like this) or absolutely terrible (like Hollywood's "adaptation"). This time it is not the latter.So in case you don't know the plot is that on a rainy day a mother leaves her 2 kids out while it is raining a cat suddenly comes in and wonders if they would like to have fun. The talking fish however doesn't approve and to be honest the kids are also pretty sketchy of a 6" tall cat getting them to have fun and he leaves. Only to accuse the fish of stealing his "moss-covered three-handled family gradunza." As the kids, the Cat and Thing 1 and Thing 2 have fun while trying to find it they mess up the place. The Cat leaves but after cleaning the place up.Allan Sherman does actually do a very good job playing the cat. I think everyone does a good job in this cartoon. I was a little caught off guard when I heard Thing 1 and Thing 2 talk but that was it.So if you want to show your kids the only representation of The Cat In The Hat on screen (the 2003 one doesn't count because it's barely an adaptation) then show them this. I however prefer The 1966 Grinch with Boris Karloff because in my opinion that story has aged better since I was a little kid and the cartoon is something I see nothing wrong with.

On this, what would have been Dr. Seuss's 103rd birthday, I wanted to talk about the TV adaptation of one of his greatest books. It seems that "The Cat in the Hat" was actually a political allegory, as the hedonistic feline gets the kids to go all wild in the midst of the regimented suburban world of 1950s America.But even beyond that, it's still a masterpiece. Dr. Seuss always had wonderful ideas, and this one was no exception. I notice that it was directed by Hawley Pratt, formerly a Looney Tunes animator. He obviously had a good eye for many things. A true classic. I heard that the 2003 live action version was little more than a 90-minute commercial padded with jokes inappropriate for children.

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.

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.