How The Cat In The Hat Led To A Ban On Live-Action Dr. Seuss Movies

One of the most beloved names in children’s literature has always been Dr. Seuss. Theodor Geisel (his real name, with Seuss being his middle name) was one of the most remarkably creative minds of the 20th century, with stories and images of his that resonate with audiences young and old. His “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” is a standby for any graduation ceremony from middle school through college. Stories like “The Lorax” hit just as hard today for their direct commentary on the world at large as reflected through a fantastical prism. And his delightfully offbeat “The Cat in the Hat” is a wonderful depiction of youthful troublemaking for a pair of kids being overseen by the eponymous goofball, who’s not exactly the world’s safest babysitter.

But while “The Cat in the Hat” (the book) is beloved, and while the book has inspired a few different adapted takes, the 2003 film version is pretty widely reviled. And it’s for good reason, too; as you can see for yourself if you dare to stream it on Netflix, “The Cat in the Hat” brings together an impressive list of actors and creatives in service of a big-budget nightmare. Part of the problem is simply inherent to the works of Dr. Seuss; while his work is memorable, it’s not weighty enough to merit a feature-length adaptation, meaning that the writers involved in such a project would have to add in lots of unnecessary subplots. But the fact that the film was met poorly by critics is almost superfluous because the film was so quickly panned by audiences with rough box-office receipts that it served as an important barometer. It’s because of this film that Seuss’ estate has banned live-action adaptations moving forward.

To be clear, it’s not that Dr. Seuss himself banned such adaptations; in fact, with his death in the fall of 1991, it fell to his wife Audrey to be protective of the legacy that Seuss left behind. Certainly, she didn’t refuse to have adaptations of some kind made of his work. You can visit a Dr. Seuss-themed area in Universal Studios Orlando, although that was something the company had to convince her to do. (It’s somewhat comparable to the level of involvement that J.K. Rowling has demanded in looking at how Universal brings the world of “Harry Potter” to life in its theme parks around the world.) Universal was able to win Geisel over in the late 1990s, not just by winning the rights to “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” but by convincing her that the only person who could play the Grinch in real life was the rubber-faced comedian Jim Carrey. 

There’s no doubt that Geisel’s comic sensibilities may not have been the same as Carrey’s, but she approved of his casting. And whether or not you think the film holds up in the year 2025 (this writer would argue that it absolutely does not), it’s undeniable that the 2000 adaptation of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” was a mammoth hit at the box office, with $260 million domestically. Naturally, Universal wanted to go back to the well, utilizing another big-name comedian in another familiar Seussian world. Enter Mike Myers, at the peak of his fame as Austin Powers, Shrek, and “The Cat in the Hat.” Back in 2004, Geisel spoke with TODAY about Seuss’ legacy (on his centenary), but also about how little she enjoyed Myers’ work. “I never saw ‘Austin Powers,’ but I knew ‘Yeah, baby!’ and I didn’t want [that] at all,” she said to TODAY. 

While that international man of mystery does not specifically make an appearance in the film, directed by Bo Welch, Myers does seem to jump from character to character while portraying the mischievous Cat in the Hat, almost akin to watching someone do a riff on Disney’s Genie but in live-action. Even at the time, it was clear that the film wasn’t working, as it barely crossed the $100 million mark at the domestic box office and was met with very harsh reviews.

Even with a trio of writers who’d worked on the seminal NBC sitcom “Seinfeld,” even with Myers being joined by Alec Baldwin and Kelly Preston, and even with a jaw-droppingly short runtime of 82 minutes (and that’s including the end credits), the 2003 version of “The Cat in the Hat” was pretty clearly a flop from the word go. And Geisel was able to step in and demand that such live-action ideas be scuttled moving forward. Again, it’s not as if the books of Dr. Seuss have not served as a rich set of options for people in the animation industry to adapt. If you’re looking for a version of “The Cat in the Hat” starring a Canadian-born alum of “Saturday Night Live,” you would be well served by watching the PBS animated show starring Martin Short as the eponymous feline. It may not be the most high-quality children’s program, but it’s vastly more enjoyable than the film. And more importantly, it feels much truer to the spirit of Dr. Seuss by the fact that it’s animated.

And to wit, while live-action adaptations of Seuss’ work have stopped, Universal has once again been able to keep things going by using Seuss as a source of intellectual property. One of its key animation studios, Illumination Entertainment, has already created feature versions of “The Lorax” (starring Danny DeVito as the title character, along with Ed Helms, Zac Efron, and Taylor Swift) as well as “The Grinch” (starring an American-accented Benedict Cumberbatch). Moving forward, however, we’ll be seeing new animated versions of Seuss tales courtesy of Warner Bros. Animation, including an adaptation of “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” set for release in 2028. And next year, Warner Bros. is promising that we’ll see a new take on … well, none other than the Cat in the Hat. Yes, it’ll be animated, and yes, it’ll star an “SNL” alum as the title character. But this time, it’ll be Bill Hader as the Cat, joined by Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, and others. Though both Geisels have since passed, we can only hope these new titles will honor the good doctor’s legacy. If nothing else, this new “Cat” can’t be any worse than the live-action one.