Children’s books movie adaptations are always wonderful monuments to Hollywood’s amazing ability to squeeze as much as possible out of any given property. Dr. Suess’ the cat in the hat (2003)is perhaps the greatest example of just how far film studios can stretch stories. This film is probably the most critically reviled adaptation to ever have been made, with critics like Ty Burr stating, "If the producers had dug up Ted Geisel's [Dr Seuss's] body and hung it from a tree, they couldn't have desecrated the man any more." As the film is nearly 20 years old, it’s due time for the film to be reanalysed, as standards of what is wrong and right have changed drastically since.
As much as I love this film, I cannot gloss over the fact that this film does breach into an area of poor taste. While I feel that at its core, the movie is a good rendition of Dr. Suess’ work, he would have never made something that was not suitable for children. Pointed out by many critics: “attempts at inserting risqué modern humour sit uneasily” (Smith, 2003). Mike Myers own brand of comedy shows through in many of the jokes. Which is more catered towards adults, and not in the clever way that a kids movie needs it to be. As an adult I have thoroughly enjoyed this text, more than I did as a child. So, I believe that this film should be reclaimed as a piece of beautiful adult escapism that explores the balance of order and chaos rather than remain as an inappropriate kids film.
Right from the start of the movie, everything has the iconic Suess style, from the opening credits to the depiction of office job culture. It idealizes everyday life but gives it a Suess twist that makes it feel better than normal. Almost making the idea of the daily grind seem pleasant. Everything is in order as it should be, and the status quo is established (by real world and Suess standards alike). The immersive nature of the film is amazing, capturing the Dr. Suess aesthetic perfectly. It feels like a transportation into his universe. The protagonists of this film are Sally and Conrad, the stickler sister and the troublemaker brother respectively. Their relationship and conflict are a metaphor for the balance of order and chaos.
Where this movie sets itself apart from its book counterpart is its depiction of the cat. The way it challenges our perception of the book works for the battle between order and chaos we see in the narrative. The ‘disrespect’ of what is deemed normal in Dr. Suess’ work furthers the theme of chaos. By Challenging the mythology of his most well-known character, the audience is left in a state of confusion and is most likely why response to the film was so negative (Uslu, 2020). While I must agree that Dr. Suess himself would not be happy with the project, the film is not ruined by the disconnect from the source material but has an extra layer of depth added because of it. As more of the cat’s chaos is unleashed in a pandoras box fashion, the style transcends the Suess like tropes. The production design and world that came from it looks more like an abstract art installation. Continuing to warp our perception of what it really means for something to be Suess-like. As the narrative arc of the film comes to resolution, through the cat teaching Conrad and Sally to get along. Order and Chaos is thus balanced, followed with the return to normalcy set by Suess’s standard
I believe the film is gaining cultural significance, nearly 20 whole years after the theatrical release. Perhaps not widely, or at all acknowledged. But the aesthetics present in the film are reoccurring in alternative style of artist such as Yung Lean, 100 Gecs, Bladee and Slayyyter. With these artists being similar ages to myself, maybe they have taken inspiration from similar nostalgic content. These people being some of the trendsetters of the underground and hyperpop movements, I expect to see the cat in the hat aesthetic become even more common in the coming years.
This film tells a tale with the theme of order versus chaos and uses a reinterpretation of pop culture to do so. The message of the film comes neatly wrapped and is true to the source material in the end. Its have to have fun, but you have to know how.
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