"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.

I have said this before but I liked Dr Seuss stories and The Grinch is one of them that actually holds up pretty well. The Cat in The Hat is one that I am a little bit sketchy about. However I sat down and watched this and will give my honest opinion.Now the pot of the cartoon is thicker than the plot of the book, which can work both ways into it either being good (like this) or absolutely terrible (like Hollywood's "adaptation"). This time it is not the latter.So in case you don't know the plot is that on a rainy day a mother leaves her 2 kids out while it is raining a cat suddenly comes in and wonders if they would like to have fun. The talking fish however doesn't approve and to be honest the kids are also pretty sketchy of a 6" tall cat getting them to have fun and he leaves. Only to accuse the fish of stealing his "moss-covered three-handled family gradunza." As the kids, the Cat and Thing 1 and Thing 2 have fun while trying to find it they mess up the place. The Cat leaves but after cleaning the place up.Allan Sherman does actually do a very good job playing the cat. I think everyone does a good job in this cartoon. I was a little caught off guard when I heard Thing 1 and Thing 2 talk but that was it.So if you want to show your kids the only representation of The Cat In The Hat on screen (the 2003 one doesn't count because it's barely an adaptation) then show them this. I however prefer The 1966 Grinch with Boris Karloff because in my opinion that story has aged better since I was a little kid and the cartoon is something I see nothing wrong with.

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.

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.