Jason Perez
Second Unit
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2003
- Messages
- 310
The Cat In The Hat
Studio: Universal
Year: 2003
Rated: PG
Film Length: 78 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Captions: English
Subtitles: French, and Spanish
Audio: English – Dolby Digital 5.1; French and Spanish – Dolby Digital 5.1
Release Date:
March 16th, 2004
Please forgive my abruptness. I was going to think of a clever rhyme to start this review out with, but after watching this movie, I am so mad that I want to dive right in. Bo Welch’s adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ beloved The Cat in the Hat is a shameful butchering of one of the most popular children’s books ever written – so much so that it is almost not even worth the effort to rip it. No, wait…on second thought this film deserves to be derided, especially for investing so little effort in recreating the spirit of fun found in the book. Obviously, the book itself is far too short to make a feature film out of, so it needed some padding. I only wish it had not been in the form of excruciating, gaudy, and unfunny live-action comedy, which consists mostly of bodily function humor and crude gags (some of which are inappropriate for the target audience).
The ringmaster in this horrific circus, director Bo Welch, was a production designer for Tim Burton once upon a time, so it should come as no surprise that the bold, cartoon-like sets, costumes, and props are the star attraction of the film. In almost every other instance (Dakota Fanning gives it a good go!), however, The Cat in the Hat is downright awful.
To briefly summarize the plot, we get to see how the title character’s unique behavior helps to bring the lives of two very different siblings into balance. While young Sally (Fanning) is orderly and mature, her brother Conrad (Spencer Breslin) is more wild and carefree. When the two kids are left alone with a narcoleptic babysitter by their mother Joan (Kelly Preston), the Cat (Mike Myers) appears, intent on teaching the conservative Sally and disobedient Conrad how to let loose and have fun. Unfortunately, the Cat’s destructive, madcap antics create a tense situation, as their mom needs the house to be clean for a house party that evening, and her boyfriend (Alec Baldwin) is looking for any excuse to send the bratty Conrad to military school. After the Cat wreaks havoc on the house, the two tykes must try to restore order, clean up the mess, and learn neatly packaged life lessons about what it takes to be well-adjusted children. My question is, with such a simple premise, how did this talented group of people turn The Cat in the Hat into such a woeful, chaotic mess?!?!
Unlike The Cat in the Hat, the other film adaptation of a Dr. Seuss classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas had a coherent storyline to compensate for its inadequacies. Conversely, The Cat in the Hat is basically an empty fable that puts forth the preposterous notion that the sudden appearance of a magical, mischievous cat can make ill-mannered children see the error of their ways. What is most astounding is that this wide-open premise should have allowed the screenwriters to stretch the boundaries of their imaginations, but they somehow ran out of entertaining ideas just as suddenly as the Cat made his appearance.
Indeed, it almost seems as though the filmmakers relied far too much on funnyman Mike Myers to provide give the Cat in the Hat its spark. In this regard, Myers (who I love!!!), who speaks here in grating, insolent tones, was extremely disappointing and unfunny in this movie. It is probably not entirely his fault, but basically, his character is confined to making wisecracks that fall stone dead as soon as they leave his lips, waving his limbs around in manic fashion, and laughing in an extremely annoying manner over and over again.
Doesn’t sound funny? Just wait, there is more…for as this painful one-man vaudeville act drags on, we get to see Myers rehash characters he played frequently on Saturday Night Live, mug ceaselessly through a series of boring set pieces, and spend still more time mugging for the camera. Once again, this is not exactly my definition of ''fun,'' and this is coming from a big Mike Myers fan! All I can hope for is that Mr. Myers does the decent thing and declines to appear in a sequel, if one is offered to him.
To sum things up, I found The Cat in the Hat to be a soulless endeavor, completely bereft of imagination, immediately forgettable, and clearly designed to cash in on the financial success of The Grinch. Although this debacle managed to earn over $100 million domestically, I remain hopeful that the cool critical reception that greeted The Cat in the Hat will inspire both the studios and comedic actors to think twice before desecrating the memory of any more classic children's books! If you value your time, avoid this poor excuse for entertainment at all costs!!! Believe me, it did not receive this year’s Razzie® award for worst picture for nothing!
SO, HOW DOES IT LOOK?
The hairball that is The Cat in the Hat is coughed up by Universal in anamorphic widescreen, and as much as I hated the film, I must admit that it looked simply stunning on my display (now fed by a Denon 2200)! Color reproduction (aside from the slightest bit of dot crawl – see The Cat’s crate and tie) is first rate, with vibrant cartoon-inspired colors, whites, and flesh tones all appearing just as they should.
Black level is also consistent, in both depth and detail, giving the image a rich texture and three-dimensional appearance. Fine detail is extremely impressive, often extending well into the background of a given shot. Further, although edge enhancement is evident on a few occasions, it appears in such moderation that it shouldn’t be a problem for anyone with the ability to sit through the film. Finally, I did not notice any compression related issues, but due to the brief running time of the film, and most of the extras, disc space was probably never an issue.
All in all, this is a superb transfer of a very colorful and good-looking film! In fact, aside from the aforementioned dot crawl, which really isn’t too bad considering the variety and amount of bold primary colors in the film, the only other thing that I could even remotely complain about was the slightly soft appearance of shots where characters are set back from the camera. Again though, this does not prove to be a persistent problem, and everything else looks so weirdly wonderful you might not even notice it. Bo Welch is very gifted at creating visually appealing shots; it is just a shame that this Cat didn’t have more meat on its bones in other areas…
WHAT IS THAT NOISE?
The wild and crazy affair that is The Cat in the Hat is presented by Universal in Dolby Digital 5.1, and let me tell you that this mix makes pretty good use of all six of the channels! To begin with dialogue is reproduced quite naturally, and is easily discernable even during scenes where the whole house is literally falling down around the characters.
Frequency response is also pretty good, although in my opinion the low end did not provide enough reinforcement to the sourced music in the film. Still, the soundstage is incredibly spacious, and the whimsical score by David Newman was recreated exceptionally. Where this track really excels though, is how effectively it turns the chaos inspired by the Cat and his Things into an enveloping experience for the listener. In that regard, the surround channels are very active during several sequences in the film, and help to create a whirling dervish of sound that hits the listener from all angles!
Except for the mediocre bass response during the musical numbers, especially during the first half of the film, this track really left me with nothing else to complain about. Good job, Universal!!!
EXTRAS, EXTRAS!!!
NOTE: Trailers (which you can fast forward through) for Dr. Seuss’ Animated Classics, the live action Peter Pan, and Shrek 2 precede the feature.
FISH BOWL:
Feature Length Audio Commentary
In the feature length commentary for The Cat and the Hat, provided by director Bo Welch and actor Alec Baldwin, the listener is “treated” to comments that are screen-specific, mostly trivial, and generally as unfunny as the film is. Indeed, some of their comments are very crude, and at times they are content to simply recite lines from the film before the characters speak them. Now how the f*&^ is that supposed to provide any insight into the creative process, or even keep someone investing their valuable time in this commentary interested?!!?!?
Well, I’ll quit ranting about it now, before my blood pressure rises any more, and briefly describe some of what I found to be among the very few high points:
--- Bo Welch talks about the difficulty inherent in turning Dr. Seuss’ wonderful short story into a live-action feature film, and why they had to move away from using rhyming.
--- Welch discusses the film’s color scheme, which was designed to make the Cat stand out. This was done by using very little in the way of black, red, or white on the sets.
--- At several points, Welch and Baldwin reveal concepts that were abandoned, and the use of digital technology to tweak some of the backgrounds in outdoor shots.
All things considered, if you can make it through the film, you can probably make it through this commentary track, but I would not recommend it. In my honest opinion, there just is not enough insight offered to make it worthwhile.
Deleted Scenes
There are a host of deleted scenes (16 in all), most of which are brief, and also as forgettable as the material in the final cut of the film. Additionally, these scenes play as one continuous reel, and cannot be selected individually.
Outtakes
The outtakes section is filled with a host of very short bloopers, line flubs, and other antics. Standard stuff really…
CONRAD’S EXTRAS:
The Hat
Over the course of this very brief extra, the filmmakers and cast talk about the variety of hats used by the Cat, for either trick shots or as the characters mood changes. “The Hat” was somewhat interesting, but it was also over in a flash.
The Real Dr. Seuss
This quick piece contains an excerpt from an old game show, where viewers seem to have been asked to identify the real Ted “Dr. Seuss” Geisel. In addition, Mike Myers and producer Brian Grazer, among others, discuss the impact of Dr. Seuss’ books on their lives, and how Mr. Geisel actually wrote The Cat in the Hat in answer to a challenge.
The S.L.O.W.
“The S.L.O.W.” is another brief extra, which offers some detail on the Cat in the Hat’s car, which has a rather long, silly name. There are a couple of cool shots of the car at various stages of construction provided, as well as a discussion of how the car was driven.
The Kids
Dakota Fanning and Spencer Breslin take center stage in this bonus feature, and talk about what it was like working on the project, especially the fun they had with Mike Myers. Director Bo Welch also chimes in, and talks a little bit about the kids’ performances in the film.
The Cat Stacks
In this mini-featurette, the filmmakers discuss their struggle to translate the book’s image of the Cat in the Hat balancing on a ball, and balancing a variety of items with his hands, onto the screen.
The Mother of All Messes
A short piece describing the chaos that ensues after the Cat’s red crate gets opened, and how animators rendered the “mother of all messes” seen in the movie.
Dance Along With the Cat
Kids (or adults) can learn an 8-step dance, and subsequently perform the dance along with the Cat! Come on, you know you want to try it!!!
SALLY’S EXTRAS:
The Dirt on D.I.R.T.
In this featurette, Mike Myers and company talk about the design of the Cat’s versatile and cartoon-like D.I.R.T. cleaning machine.
The Cat
“The Cat” is a brief piece that focuses on the development of the Cat’s look. In particular, Bo Welch and the design team talk about the effort to incorporate Mike Myers’ rather expressive face into the final costume, and the process of automating some of the Cat’s costume. Finally, Mike Myers talks about his experiences filming in the suit and extensive make-up.
Seussville U.S.A.
Over the course of this short featurette, director Bo Welch discusses the creation of the idealized world that the characters in The Cat in the Hat live in. He then walks the viewer through the modifications done to old town Pomona, California, and the construction of the Seussian neighborhood out in Simi Valley (my neck of the woods!).
The Fish
In “The Fish”, the cast and filmmakers talk about the fish, voiced by Sean Hayes, who is supposed to provide the voice of reason in the film. The animators then discuss the process of making sure the fish has an appropriate appearance, and displays the correct emotion, in each scene.
The Purrr-fect Stamp
This interesting featurette gives the viewer some insight into the process of creating a U.S. postage stamp - from suggestion to final product. The example used is the creation of the cool, colorful stamp celebrating the creative genius of Ted “Dr. Seuss” Geisel!
The Music
It is probably because I love music so much, but this was my favorite extra on the disc. During this short featurette, composer David Newman discusses his concept for scoring the film, and reveals some of the interesting (and strange) modifications done to musical instruments, and the unusual techniques he employed, to attain a “Seussian sound” for the film! Weird, perhaps…but David Newman’s whimsical approach to devising a score appropriate for the story was certainly very creative.
SCORE CARD
(on a five-point scale)
Movie: :star:
Video: :star: :star: :star: :star:
Audio: :star: :star: :star: :star:
Extras: :star: :star: :star:
Overall: :star: :star:
THE LAST WORD
If my comments on the film were not clear enough, The Cat in the Hat is an abysmal film that desecrates one of the most creative and popular children’s books of all-time. Really and truly, I cannot see how this would be entertaining for anyone over the age of three, and I am getting fed up with the recent trend of substituting bodily function “humor” for actual comedy.
In terms of presentation, however, Universal stepped into the batter’s box and knocked this clunker out of the park! The video and audio quality is simply stunning, as vivid, cartoon-inspired colors pop off the screen and whimsical noises whirl about the spacious soundstage. There are also a ton of extras provided, although most are very short, and only a few are really amusing. On second thought, given its target audience, maybe it makes sense to make the extras to be shorter in length, to appeal to children’s shorter attention spans.
All in all, I have to give some credit to Universal for putting together a very solid DVD! That being said, The Cat in the Hat is still such a poor film that I would not recommend renting it, much less buying it. Children deserve intelligent, quality entertainment as much as adults do, so send a message to the studios by avoiding this release like the plague!!!
Stay tuned…
