There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

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

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

"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.

Cat in the Hat, The (1971) *** (out of 4) Two children get left home alone on a rainy night when there's a knock at the door and in walks a strange cat in an even stranger hat. Next to 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' this here is perhaps the most famous story from Dr. Seuss and there's no question that this made-for-TV short goes all out in turning it into one of the most memorable shorts from this era. When you look back at these animated shorts from the 1970s there's no question that the majority of them stand the test of time for numerous reasons. THE CAT IN THE HAT is certainly no exception and there are two things that make it remain so fresh. One is the terrific dialogue, which gets shot out at a mile a second. There's never a dull moment because the dialogue just keeps firing on all sides. It's funny and also very catchy to the point where you just want to start speaking this dialogue. Another thing that I really loved about the film were the colors. The colors used really bring this film to life and I really love one sequence where our beloved cat is sitting at a piano with both sides of the wall being a different color and then you have that terrific looking carpet. When you see all three colors blended together it's really a treat for your eyes. The story itself is a nice one and there's no question that kids and their parents will enjoy this one.

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.

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 FOLLOWThe Cat is not charming | No not in the least | And the verse but a bit | Of the Seussian feastThe Cat is not active | doesn't bounce on the ball | he puts Fish to sleep | and just caterwaulsThe 1960s Cat's search | for his family gradunza | and that tranquilized Fish | Well... it just makes you wonderIt's a dated old show | with unremarkable songs | but it's fortunate though | that it's not very longI wish it were better | I'll bet you do too | When you see the can-can | danced by Things 1 and 2