Why Mike Myer’s ‘Cat in the Hat’ Movie Got it All Wrong
Just a few years after the frightening Cat in the Hat ride opened at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, a live-action film adaptation premiered in theaters in 2003. Starring Mike Myers as the crazy cat, it didn’t exactly do well in theaters and still holds a score of 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. While the Dr. Seuss book is widely beloved, how did they get it so wrong when making the film twenty years ago?
Actress Amy Hill opened up about filming the movie in an interview a few years ago. She admitted that it was a “nightmarish experience” filming the movie largely because of Myer’s behavior on the set. She revealed that the cast and crew were always waiting around for him and he was often in a bad mood due to the high temperatures he endured while wearing the Cat in the Hat outfit.
Universal/Everett Collection
While many praise the performances by young stars Spencer Breslin and Dakota Fanning, reviewers felt that Myers always overshadowed them with the larger-than-life character. Much of the film shows the Cat and the Hat literally blocking out everything else that might be good about the film, and fans have called the entire movie “creepy” and “unnerving.”
Even Dr. Seuss’s widow, Audrey Geisel, reportedly hated it. She had been against the casting of Myers for the role in the first place and didn’t enjoy his performance. Before she passed away in 2018, she stopped any future Dr. Seuss stories from getting their own live-action adaptations, simply because she didn’t want to see any other stories ruined. This is why stories such as The Lorax were made into animated features.
Universal/Everett Collection
If you want to watch The Cat in the Hat, it is currently streaming on Peacock. Tell us your thoughts, do you love it or hate it? Refuse to see it?
Kid Stuff
June 2018
Unleash your inner child by reliving your favorite kids TV shows, cartoons, toys and more!
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