Dr. Seuss: The Cat in the Hat

Dr. Seuss: The Cat in the Hat
by Hawley Pratt

List Price: $9.99
Our Price: $6.66
You Save: $3.33 (33%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.65 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details

DVD details

DVD Reviews of Dr. Seuss: The Cat in the Hat

DVD Review: From a 3 1/2 year old...
Summary: 5 Stars

First, I watched it by myself. Hmm. 1971 was a lot less jarring in 1983. In 2003, the music seemed a lot... more corny, I guess. The "Fun" song, the one song on the soundtrack not performed by Allan Sherman, is pretty bad. However, the rest of it held up just as I remembered it. I appreciate the special feature sing-along version of "Calculatus Eliminatus", a song I had committed to memory 20 years ago, and then forgot (displaced, no doubt, by the useless Paula Abdul song lyrics that crowded up my brain in the intervening years).

Then, I screened it for the nephew. He sat through the whole thing, mesmerized, looking away only occasionally to play with the tiny Thing 2 toy he got from Burger King. He was upset when it was over and kept asking to watch the extra features (the "Calculatus" sing-along, and the two-minute promo for the Myers movie). We essentially watched the whole cartoon twice.

The final verdict is that the 1971 "Cat in the Hat" holds up very well today, as both a 30 year-old and a 3 1/2 year-old see it. Obviously the animation is flat and dated -- but it's faithful to the book, and, of course, this is Dr. Seuss's own version (Ted Geisel was producer and scriptwriter for the affair). The music is also dated (of course), but kids won't notice, and the Sherman songs are still delightful. The educational component is also funny -- the Cat sings his name out in seven or eight different languages, and several more made-up ones.

In other words, add this katze-in-a-hut to your collection today.

Description of Dr. Seuss: The Cat in the Hat