Cat in the Hat: Dr. Seuss’s Deluxe Edition, The (Blu-ray Review)

28 Jul, 2012 By: Ashley Ratcliff

---

Street 8/7/12
Warner
Animated
$19.97 DVD, $24.98 Blu-ray
Not rated.

The deluxe edition of the animated The Cat in the Hat is a lighthearted piece of nostalgia formulated around one of Dr. Seuss’s best-known works. A special treat for viewers is a sing-along mode that is really a blessing and a curse, as I found myself days later singing that infectious, multilingual ditty describing the mischievous title character: “Cat, hat/In French, chat, chapeau/In Spanish, you’re a gato in a sombrero.”

Also included in the bonus material is “Daisy-Head Mayzie,” a peculiar tale of a schoolgirl who randomly sprouts a flower out the top of her head. Mayzie McGrew (get it?) is teased by her classmates, but her luck turns around when she becomes a worldwide sensation and rakes in tons of cash exploiting her oddity. In the end, Mayzie learns a valuable lesson: Money cannot buy happiness.

Another worthwhile cartoon included on the disc is “The Hoober-Bloob Highway,” which offers a harebrained explanation to the age-old question: “Where do babies come from?” Basically, Mr. Hoober-Bloob, from his lair in the sky, gets a fresh batch of babies and prepares one infant for his life on Earth with glimpses into his future, good and bad. With its distinct look and retro-sounding music, this particular cartoon will make you look at Dr. Seuss in a new light.

It’s always fun to revisit cartoons and stories from childhood and look at them through grown-up eyes, as is the case with The Cat in the Hat. One of the things that never ceases to amaze me about Dr. Seuss is that the illustrious author’s word choices are pregnant with hidden meanings and interpretations. And despite the frivolous, silly-sounding words and character names, there’s always a deeper moral to the story.

Bookmark it: