Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (1994 film)

Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (also titled The Cat in the Hat) is a 1994 American traditionally-animated comedy film directed by Games Anderson and Don Bluth, produced by Bluth, Gary Goldman Marc Levoy and based on a screenplay by Noni White and based on the book of the same name by Dr. Seuss. It stars the voices of Robin Williams, Macaulay Culkin, Laura Bailey, Julia Roberts, and more.

The story takes place on a rainy day when two siblings are home alone with their pet fish while their parents are out of town. A tall cat wearing a hat appears and creates havoc in the house, leaving it destroyed when his friends show up to help him clean everything up before their mother gets back from her trip.

Produced by Regency Enterprises, Fox Family Films and Fox Animation Studios, Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat premiered at the Kodak Theatre on April 15, 1994 and was theatrically released in the United States on April 22, 1994. It received mixed reviews, with critics praising its animation, voice cast (particularly Williams, Culkin and Bailey), musical score by John Powell and source material, though criticized the runtime, plot and directorial. It was a box office success, grossing $392.7 million against a budget of $135 million.

Plot
TBA

Cast

 * Robin Williams as The Cat
 * Macaulay Culkin as Jimmy
 * Laura Bailey as Sally
 * Julia Roberts as Mother
 * Tom Hanks as The Fish
 * Keanu Reeves as Thing One and Thing Two

Development
TBA

Casting
TBA

Animation
TBA

Music
English composer John Powell composed the score for the film. The soundtrack album was released through Geffen Records on April 23, 1994.

Release
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat was originally scheduled for release on June 11, 1993. However, due to time constraints, the film was pushed back to the release date of April 22, 1994. It first had its premiere at the Kodak Theatre (now Dolby Theatre) on April 15, 1994, and was then theatrically released in the United States on April 22, 1994. It later held its international release on April 23, 1994. It was rated G for General Audiences by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

Box office
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat grossed $138.4 million domestically and $254.3 million overseas for a worldwide total of $392.7 million against its production budget of $135 million.

Critical response
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 48% based on 121 reviews, with an average rating of 5.15/10. Its critical consensus reads: "Robin Williams delivers the talent of the Cat, but the overall predictable plot of The Cat in the Hat makes it less enjoyable, and its humor isn't very funny." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100 based on 24 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore assigned the film an average grade "B+" on a scale of A+ to F.

Live-action spinoff film
A live-action film with the same name was released on November 20, 2003 by Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures, directed by Bo Welch and produced by Brian Grazer, only for it to underperform at the box office and become a critical failure.