Dr. Seuss - The Cat in the Hat (2003, DVD)

I've always been a big fan of Dr. Suess--I was practically weaned on it. We began reading Dr. Suess to our son when he was in utero and have continued on an almost daily basis since then. So I thought this video would be great. I was sorely disappointed.

The Cat in the Hat, like most Seuss books, is filled with energy and color. The words have a cadence to them and the illustrations are brightly colorful and engaging. The video did not reflect the energy and enthusiasm so apparent in most Seuss books. Instead, a mediocre narrator told the entire tale as the book's pictures were shown on screen with the only camera work being to go wide or go close.

The story is a classic--it is a rainy day and our two protagonists are sitting in their chairs, looking out the window as bored as bored can be. Along comes the now-famous Cat in the Hat to make a mess of the house and try to spark some excitement in these bored children. Meanwhile, the angry fish reminds the children of their duties to behave and be obedient.

The movie was little more than a reproduction of the book with the same art but little animation. The camera would slowly scan across the pictures on the page while the narrator read the story aloud.

On the plus side, it has the comfort of familiarity to all who grew up with the books. The pictures are exactly the same and nothing new is added to it.

Nonetheless, there are features of the electronic medium that should be taken advantage of, this movie did not do so. I would much rather have my son read the book then to see the static reproduction of pictures with narration.