The Cat in the Hat (1971 TV Movie) User Reviews

Very nice second half

[rbverhoef · 7/10 · 2 January 2004]

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.

The best short of Universal Studios

[afonsobritofalves · 8/10 · 8 October 2018]

One of the best animated shorts of the 70's and the best short of Universal Studios, full of good music, good comedy and good animation. Highly recommend.

Pretty good book adaptation.

[invisibleunicornninja · 6/10 · 20 April 2018]

I watched this at some point when I was younger after reading the book. It was pretty entertaining. Not the greatest thing ever made, but fun.

One of TV's Best Written Cartoons

[hfan77 · 6 November 2003]

I have seen The Cat in the Hat since the 70s and I think it's the best written cartoon on TV between the runs of Rocky and Bullwinkle and The Simpsons. The line I remember the most was the song that went "Hey! I'm a punk. A gratunculous shlunk." I also remember that the cat was messing up the house looking for his moss covered, three handled, three family gradunza. That would definitely be a Dr. Seuss line.

Allan Sherman, in one of his last TV roles before his death in 1974 was sensational as the voice of the cat. I would also like to add that Gloria Camacho was the voice of the kid's mother.

"That crazy happy nonsense"

[Rectangular_businessman · 7/10 · 30 May 2023]

Looking back at the utterly baffling live action movie from the year 2003 one does have to wonder what was going in the head of the executives that greenlit such a ridiculous project.

Franted, it was probably inspired by the somewhat good reception the Grinch movie with Jim Carrey got back then. But in all honesty, the book written by Dr. Seuss were never meant for live action. They are simply way too whimsical.

There is also the fact these stories are very, very short, so in order to be adapted in a feature length film, the basic premises must be stretched at the maximum of their capacity, so in consequence the Mike Myers movie had to at a lot of ridiculous stuff to fill time.

This animated short, despite being merely about 25 minutes, feels a bit longer than it should have been, filling time mostly with songs. That being said, the nice animation (Which does capture perfectly well the charm of Dr. Seuss's drawings perfectly well) made this worth-watching, even if the plot is minimal.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Illumination ends making another movie inspired by this story, probably with lots of filler nonsense added. This also has some nonsense, but it's charming nonsense.

Crazy, happy nonsense.

I do love this book, it's the greatest of all/I love it winter, spring, summer and fall

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 2 March 2007]

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.

A terrific and inspired adaptation with terrific songs.

[ericendres · 10/10 · 29 September 2006]

Having read the Cat in the Hat book many nights to my little girls, I was interested to see this version and also the new Mike Myers film. I returned the DVD of the Mike Myers film the next day after watching it, and this animated version I sought out to buy a copy of after borrowing it from the library. That should say it all.

This is only a half hour program, but it is packed with wit, character and a lot of very memorable songs with tremendous melody and sophistication. They've fleshed out the original story with a lot of new jokes and an added twist of the cat looking for his "moss-covered, three-handled family grudunza". All of the choices were inspired, as it captures the spirit of the book and also adds much spirit to it.

This "Cat" has a great cast of voice actors, great music, and great fun! 10 out of 10.

Classic Dr Seuss

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 17 June 2010]

I love Dr Seuss's stories, they are just so witty, fun and charming, and Cat in the Hat is quite possibly my favourite of them all. When I was a kid, this was the story I quoted most, and to this day I still find myself reciting the "green eggs and ham" bit. Anyway, being a huge fan of the 1966 animated Christmas classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, I looked forward to Cat in the Hat, and prayed it would be better than the live action film with Mike Myers, which I found absolutely awful.

And guess what, it is infinitely better. Whereas the Mike Myers version replaced the wit and charm of the story with vulgar, unfunny and somewhat inappropriate toilet humour, this remained true to the playful spirit of the story, and it was fun and charming as a result. Plus it has everything going for it, whereas the Mike Myers film had only the colourful sets and Dakota Fanning as its sole saving graces. Anyway I am not going to compare anymore, in my eyes this is the only Cat in the Hat version, though I have yet to see The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat. Is there any comparisons to the 1966 version of the Grinch? Well, I can only say this, both of them are timeless classics so I cannot choose which is better; if I had a marginal preference probably the Grinch because I am more familiar with it.

The rest of the review is going to detail why I loved this version of The Cat in the Hat so much. The animation is terrific, bright, vibrant and colourful, and all the characters are drawn really well. I also loved the music, the incidental music is delightful enough but the songs are surprisingly catchy, upbeat and memorable. The dialogue still maintains the wit and charm of the story, and is very funny, the jokes are really clever and sophisticated, and the Cat himself is a revelation of a title character, really mischievous and charismatic. The fish is a really funny character as well, his dialogue is hilarious, and the children weren't bratty but appealing, a major plus in my book.

The story is still intact, and has many memorable scenes, especially the language lesson. I loved how faithful this was too, I am not a person who says a film/adaptation has to be word from word, as long as it keeps to the spirit of the book/story, something the live action version didn't but this version did. The special is quite short at 30 minutes or so, but it moves very quickly and doesn't in any way feel draggy or rushed. The voice work is spot on, Allan Sherman is perfect as the Cat, and Daws Butler is a riot as the fish. Overall, classic Dr Seuss, and just perfect. 10/10 Bethany Cox

a cinematic master piece

[nkdjbpb · 10/10 · 24 May 2021]

The way the movie is displayed and shown is truly amazing. So many raw emotions were behind the screen and it shows. She'd a few tears myself. A true masterpiece is in the worlds hands and they don't know how to appreciate it smh.

Show #3 (Format: DVD)

[WatchAnything · 5/10 · 8 May 2011]

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.

A childhood memory

[dootuss · 13 October 2001]

I remembered that this special would air on CBS around the end of December throughout the 1980's. Along with "Happy New Year" Charlie Brown, and that one Bugs Bunny New Year special, This special was great. The special was based on the great Dr.Seuss Book (which i owned as a child) that touched the hearts of millions of children possibly in the world. It was funny, and the fish brings back good memories. I wish CBS would air this timeless classic again, but that probably won't happen. But if you see it at a video rental store, rent it to bring back some childhood memories.

Incredible

[emilywebbb · 10/10 · 17 March 2021]

This film changed my life and now I cannot begin to remember how I lived without it.

"That's enough of that, I'm a cat in a hat"

[mendezm3 · 10/10 · 18 January 2007]

Every child in the world should watch this! This short movie is a great thing to watch on those rainy cold days when you can't go outside. I enjoy it even now as an adult. My brothers and sisters have all watched it, and now even my dad is into Dr. Seuss cartoons too! My dad likes to impersonate people a lot, and now we catch him impersonating The Cat in the Hat, Sam (from Green Eggs and Ham), and even the Sneeches! I love it! I actually find myself quoting it from time to time to my friends. Because of that, their curiosity has been sparked to watch the movie themselves. Come on, don't be that sour-belly fish that spoils the fun, watch The Cat in the Hat...and "sweep, sweep all the happy memories" You won't regret it!

A wonderfully wacky vintage 70's Dr. Seuss TV special

[Woodyanders · 9/10 · 27 August 2009]

Two kids are left alone at home on a dismal rainy day when their mother goes out shopping for groceries. The mischievous, yet charismatic and interesting the Cat in the Hat (marvelously voiced with infectiously hearty gusto by jolly musical comedian Allan Sherman) pays the children a surprise visit. The Cat in the Hat turns the house topsy turvy searching for his missing moss-covered three-handled family gredunza. Based on the classic best-selling Dr. Seuss book, this lively and hilarious 25-minute television special possesses a cheerful sense of playful anarchy that's a true off-the-wall joy to watch as the impishly troublesome titular feline happily disrupts the drab tranquility of comfy suburbia. Moreover, Dr. Seuss' uncanny knack for extremely loopy wordplay is in typically fresh and inventive form here. The songs are very catchy and witty, with the merry and stirring "Calculatus Eliminatos" rating as the best and most enjoyable of the bunch. Of course, it certainly helps that Sherman belts out said songs with tremendous lip-smacking brio. Veteran voice actor Daws Butler is likewise in excellent form as the uptight and disapproving Mr. Krinklebein the fish. Pamelyn Ferdin and Tony Frazier are appealing as the kids. The Cat in the Hat's even more raucous and destructive partners Thing 1 and Thing 2 are memorably crazy little hell-raisers. The animation is bright, vibrant and colorful. But it's the deliciously devilish main character who makes this show such an absolute breath of uproariously rowdy and irreverent air; he's a blithely rash and impudent bundle of gloriously giddy id-run-amok kooky energy who's downright endearing in his exuberant zaniness. A complete riot.

Somberos Away

[DKosty123 · 8/10 · 16 December 2009]

The talent in this is Allan Sherman who did the kids song "Hello Mother, Hello Father, Here I am at Camp Grenada" besides this.

To me, the book reads better than this animated effort. I do like some of the sequences here, but I found that reading this book to my kids was more satisfying than watching this animated special. Still, the story is so good that it makes this one very watchable.

Dr Seuss is a great kids author who is ahead of his time. His stories really are imaginative and still hold up for the young kids. This special is yet another example of his talents. While I like the Grinch & The Lorax better, this one is almost as good.

Not as good as I remembered...

[imdb-6658 · 4/10 · 28 May 2005]

Despite the talents of both legendary animator Chuck Jones and Dr. Seuss himself, this animated version of the Cat In The Hat is not as good as I remembered. If the book had used this same plot, it wouldn't have been a children's classic. The changes to the story are for the most part not improvements, and only scraps of Dr. Seuss' wonderful language are used.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

The Cat is not charming | No not in the least | And the verse but a bit | Of the Seussian feast

The Cat is not active | doesn't bounce on the ball | he puts Fish to sleep | and just caterwauls

The 1960s Cat's search | for his family gradunza | and that tranquilized Fish | Well... it just makes you wonder

It's a dated old show | with unremarkable songs | but it's fortunate though | that it's not very long

I wish it were better | I'll bet you do too | When you see the can-can | danced by Things 1 and 2

Excellent adaptation

[SteverinoAlaReno · 7 November 2003]

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.

The best Dr. Seuss TV special!

[ryanward-45039 · 10/10 · 2 May 2023]

I absolutely loved this classical Dr. Seuss television special and I even read the book a lot of times when I was a kid. I'm a huge fan of the Dr. Seuss books over the years and loved it. Anyway, since being a huge fan of the 1966 animated Christmas classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas, I was looking forward to The Cat In The Hat, and prayed it would be better than the live action film with Mike Myers which it was absolutely awful. The animation is great and colorful. The characters are drawn very well. I even loved the music, the music is delightful enough, but the songs are catchy and memorable. Allan Sherman is perfect as the Cat and the fish is a one funny character.

Overall, The Cat In The Hat is an amazing, awesome and lovable Dr. Seuss special. With great characters, catchy songs and clever jokes. This is even an absolute masterpiece.

A solid 10/10.

Loose Adaptation By Seuss Himself

[johnstonjames · 10/10 · 16 April 2011]

every time you bring up the Michael myers version of 'Cat in the Hat', Seuss fans scream, throw an indignant fit, and basically writhe around on the floor in disgust and outrage. they feel betrayed by it.

i've never understood that attitude toward the film. i thought the mike Myers's film was a irreverent and hilariously funny adaptation. and in many ways it was more like the original Seuss classic book than Seuss's own television adaptation back in the seventies. not that the retro television classic with Alan Sherman as the "Cat" wasn't great, it was just a lot less like the book. even though Seuss wrote the cartoon himself.

the mike Myers's version has always been unfairly slammed by Seuss critics as being too loose and unfaithful. i've never thought that fair, since the film included so many of the original story elements, mother's dress, the nets, even much of the same rhymes which were not included in the television cartoon.

this is a great cartoon though and still stands the test of time when compared with recent hand drawn stuff on Nickolodeon or Cartoon network. and the best thing about this is it has music. timeless.

25 minutes without a plot

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 3 August 2015]

"The Cat in the Hat" is a half-hour television special from 45 years ago and it was written by the famous Dr. Seuss and directed by Hawley Pratt who has been one of Warner Bros' most prolific filmmakers in earlier decades. Anyway, there is some fun during this movie. It makes totally sense that a fish (the voice of reason) is not too amused by a cat stranger entering the house, but all he really wants is spending a fun time with the children. After it looks like the cat is thrown out quickly, the cat returns equally quickly and stays for the rest of the movie. Lots of music, lots of jokes, lots of wordplays and lots of general weirdness. But all of this cannot make up for the lack of a story in this one. I found something pretty creepy about these two children actually. From Dr. Seuss' works (and Pratt's directions), I absolutely prefer the Lorax to this one here, because that one actually has a story and a great message. Pretty surprised that "The Cat in the Hat" is so famous. The two Things were actually two very bad characters that made me think that the filmmakers behind this just didn't know what to include anymore to achieve the runtime they had agreed on. I wouldn't recommend watching it. Don't know about the live action version with Mike Myers which got so terrible reviews all along, but somehow I cannot imagine it to be worse than this 1971 original.

WAY better than the live action one.

[Carrieattheprom · 23 November 2003]

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???????????

very good

[ediewilliams-69595 · 1/10 · 21 March 2021]

Best film ever 10/10 love it, it makes me feel warm inside and it's the only movie i watch, ever. because it's just so perfect in every way

The kind of twisted fun my family loves

[stiv-7 · 30 May 2003]

The latest member of the family to succumb to this wonderful bit of silly fun is our 3 year-old. He rarely speaks, but has most of the lines to this one memorised and loves it to bits. Who can blame him? Alan Sherman's portrayal of the Cat is a fine piece of voiceover work, as are all the characters in this one, and the songs never leave your head WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!I really wish that Viacom, or whoever holds the rights to this one, as well as the other Dr. Seuss titles originally released by Fox would hurry up and get them out on DVD, because our tapes are nearly worn out! Definitely recommended, if you can find it.

Wtf is thus

[thijs-01185 · 2/10 · 17 March 2021]

Just watched cat in the hat. But where is mike myers in the cast? I was sure it was him!

It never gets old!

[SpazmanianDevil · 2 March 2003]

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.