Product Description

This adaptation of the classic children's book stars Mike Meyers (AUSTIN POWERS) as the wily talking cat with a tall striped hat and more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Set in a colorful make-believe world, the film tells the classic tale of a sister and brother, Sally (Dakota Fanning) and Conrad (Spencer Breslin), who pass a rainy afternoon with their crotchety baby sitter Mrs. Kwan (Amy Hill), during which they receive a visit from the mysterious Cat in the Hat, who leads them on a series of colorful, illogical, silly misadventures. Meanwhile their mother (Kelly Preston), her paranoid boss (Sean Hayes), and her phony boyfriend (Alec Baldwin), present obstacles for the children as they become part of the Cat's chaotic world. With candy colored sets that pop off the screen and zany special effects that give the story a decidedly 21st century spin, this movie presents a fast-paced and very nontraditional rendering of Dr. Seuss. The rhyming lines that usually characterize Dr. Seuss stories are referenced here, but modern jokes that riff on television advertisements and pop psychology are given more importance. Dakota Fanning is utterly adorable as little Sally, and Thing 1 and Thing 2 are delightful in their chittering and acrobatics. A bright and happy film packed with dazzling stunts, DR. SEUSS' THE CAT IN THE HAT is an entertaining treat.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22943 in DVD
• Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
• Released on: 2004-03-16
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Live, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 82 minutes

Amazon.com
The Cat in the Hat is a marketing ploy disguised as a wildly designed movie for hyperactive kids, and it could use a dose of Ritalin. It hardly matters, though, because kids will surely enjoy the rampant romp that occurs when the top-hatted feline convinces young Sally (Dakota Fanning) and Conrad (Spencer Breslin) to wreak havoc in the home their mother (Kelly Preston) has neatly prepared for an upcoming party. It's all in the name of fun, and while Seuss's classic rhymes are relegated to voice-over narration, director Bo Welch capitalizes on his background as one of Hollywood's most gifted production designers (with credits including Edward Scissorhands and Men in Black), turning the Seussian town of "Anville" into a playful pastiche of pastels. As played by Mike Myers under layers of fur and latex, Dr. Seuss's mischievous Cat is mayhem personified, and the movie suffers from his anything-goes approach to getting a laugh. And though Myers delivers a few laughs while channeling voices from his own comedic repertoire (including "Coffee Talk" maven Linda Richman), a little of this Cat goes a long way, and he nearly wears out his welcome. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

No, really, it's terrible.
Someone wrote a review previously that said parents who were bashing this thing that dares to call itself DR. SEUSS' THE CAT IN THE HAT had forgotten that the primary reason for its existence was to entertain children. They wrote that their children's laughter was the most important thing to remember when sitting through this horrible piece of dreck.

Visually, this film is interesting in the same way an acid dream would be. The actors are a group of talented people. But, in case you didn't notice it when you were watching the film or have had the good fortune not to see it yet, the jokes are lewd and inappropriate; the story was bloated unnecessarily. The movie exists for no reason except to make money. It was not done in the spirit of the original book. It was not done because someone found an appropriate or inspired approach to the material. (In fact, the film is boring, insipid, confusing and, for no reason at all, includes jokes about lawyers and insurance - jokes that I hope were lost on children.)

The book is simple, entertaining, brief and to-the-point. It makes reading fun, and it encourages children and beginning readers to embrace a practice that will enrich their minds. This film does none of that. It's not even funny.

Mike Myers would be better used in something else. Alec Baldwin really needs to find better projects than this. Dakota Fanning and Spencer Breslin are talented young actors who deserve better material, rather than having to create characters stuck in the middle of a mindless special-effects extravaganza.

THE CAT IN THE HAT, if there was any justice, should make no money in the theaters. (Unfortunately, though, it has.) But a lot of people who've seen it hate the film. Hate it. Hate hate hate hate hate it.

Take that as a warning.

Why?
This is one of those movies that I have walked out of and all I could think was "Why????""
How could they take a sweet story and corrupt it this way? I have sat many a night with my children, reading this story over and over. They absolutely love Seuss.
This movie is visually spectacular, but does not hold true to the spirit of Dr. Seuss. It is not approptiate for young children. It is Austin Powers dressed up like the Cat in the Hat. The need to throw in improper innuendos in a film that should be for children and families is just sad. The rating for this movie should be PG-13. If the studios feel the need to add adult bits to a film, then please don't target my kids!

This is not "The Cat in the Hat"
I had heard some negative things about this movie but out of curiosity I decided to go see it. I figured that most of it was over blown. I am thankful that I didn't take any children to it. This movie is not appropriate for children. It is disrespectful to the spirit of "The Cat in the Hat" and all fine children's books. The humor is in the poorest taste. There is nothing funny about hepatitis. I now see why I was the only one in the theater.