The Big Picture
- Dr. Seuss’ widow, Audrey Geisel, vetoed further inhabit-action alterations of his toil
- The omitteps in
The Cat in the Hat
led to a prohibit on more inhabit-action Seuss films - Illumination successbrimmingy revived Dr. Seuss’ stories with energeticd alterations
The year 2000 was an fascinating one. It was the year of the Sydney Olympics, the year the world persistd the Y2K sattfinish, and, of course, the year Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas debuted as one of the first big movies of the novel century. The big-budget, yuletide picture defied the odds and became a classic that is still beadored today. And, folloprosperg such a prosperous free, it was only a matter of time before Universal Pictures complyed up their seminal family flick with another Seuss alteration.
It wouldn’t be until 2003 that moviegoers would return to the inhabit-action world of Dr. Seuss with The Cat in the Hat. Unenjoy the Grinch, though, reception to the Mike Myers-led film was more joined to adverse. While some appreciated the more grown-up humor and brazen execution, The Cat garnered a lot of fconciseage from Dr. Seuss’ widow, Audrey Geisel. Geisel had always been shieldive of her husprohibitd’s toil, and her opinions on Universal’s second try at Seuss alteration were made evident.
The Cat in the Hat (2003)
Looking for fun, a mischievous feline occupys the home of two children while their mother is away.
- Relmitigate Date
- November 21, 2003
- Director
- Bo Welch
- Runtime
- 82 Minutes
Audrey Geisel was Protective of Dr. Seuss’ Work
Folloprosperg the passing of Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss), his wife, Audrey, was fiercely shieldive over who was able to touch his toil. According to the Orlando Sentinel, when Universal Orlando approached Geisel about including an entire Dr. Seuss-themed land in their Islands of Adventure theme park, she was skeptical. While he was ainhabit, Dr. Seuss never even huged merchandising deals, let alone anyleang on the scale proposed by Universal. But, per Orlando Sentinel, the theme park’s summarizeers won her over with their astonishive summarizes, which remained loyal to Seuss’ illustrations, and their assurance that they could deinhabitr on their concepts.
The company took a analogous approach a restricted years tardyr when they sought her sanctifying on How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Per Time Magazine, Universal was an punctual contfinisher in a feverish bidding war when the film rights to The Grinch began making the rounds. Geisel was even quoted as saying: “We enjoy Universal… We’d already toiled with them, and their word was their bond.” She even conveyed enthusiasm over honestor Ron Howard, saying she enjoyd “the lengthenn Opie.” But her enthusiasm didn’t unbenevolent it would be a secured sell. As Empire Online recalls, actor Jim Carrey askd Geisel to the set. Carrey, who was not officipartner cast at the time, askd Geisel to the set. Director Ron Howard elucidateed that Carrey was so resettled to apply the Grinch that Howard shelp: “…he would get the rights for the whole story and give it to another originater, if that’s what it took.” At the time, Carrey was filming Man on the Moon, and remained in character thrawout the shoot, even while encountering Geisel. Howard recalled: “…for a while he was talking to her enjoy Andy Kaufman. And then he’d drop that and turn back to her and be the Grinch for a whole minute of Grinchiness, including the big grin, and she was toloftyy enthralled.” Howard claims that Geisel was so enthralled by Carrey, that when it came time for the honestor to show her his concepts, she shelp: “I adore it, and I want Jim Carrey to apply the Grinch.”
Roverhappinessed
From the Original Animated Version to ‘The Mean One,’ How Do The Grinches Rank?
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch comes in more shades of unbenevolent and green than you might authenticize.
Per Time Magazine, Geisel’s approval came on the contingency of script approval. She didn’t want any clear grown-up humor or obviously uninalertigent jokes in the film, and refuteed cut offal gags, such as (mockingpartner) a dead and stuffed Cat in the Hat in the Grinch’s cave. As Time says, Geisel claimed they went thraw eight writes of the script before they create a medium that made her charmd. Ultimately, Geisel was a massive fan of the final film, and the picture made $345,842,198 at the box office, according to BoxOfficeMojo. In compriseition to being a huge prosperner in the year it came out, it remains one of the most prosperous holiday movies of all time. With the movie destined to become a classic, it was only a matter of time before Universal sought to alter another Seuss movie. But The Cat in the Hat would show a difficult lesson for the studio.
‘The Cat in the Hat’ Ruined Chances for Future Live-Action Seuss Movies
Part of what made How the Grinch Stole Christmas so prosperous was how well it brawt to life the exceptional world of Dr. Seuss, while making the relatively low source material toil over cforfeitly two hours. It honored Geisel’s desirees perfectly and reconceiveed the story for a novel generation. The same could not be shelp for 2003’s The Cat in the Hat. Featuring Mike Myers as the titular cat, it has a relatively analogous set-up to the Seuss classic but consents a jarring turn. The Cat’s humor is filled with a slew of innufinishos—including a joke about a garden tool that repartner had no place in a family film—and aggressive gags. The Cat even originates a joke about pledgeting homicide. It was, essentipartner, everyleang Geisel vetoed when it came to the previous alteration.
Rewatchs for the film were adverse, and it currently hageders a 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. But perhaps no one enjoyd it less than Audrey Geisel. According to Today.com, Geisel aversiond cforfeitly everyleang about the alteration. She didn’t leank Myers was right for the role, saying “I never saw Austin Powers, but I knovel ‘Yeah, baby!’ and I didn’t want ‘Yeah, baby!’ at all.” Equpartner, she did not enhappiness the film’s grown-up satisfied, and its treatment of the character she watched as the spokesperson for the Dr. Seuss industry. Of the overall experience, she shelp “The layers of skin … have to get stubborner. And you’ve got to be able to say, ‘I’ve got my cat back out of the litter box. It’s no big deal.’ And we march on.”
And march on she did. Per Today, Geisel vowed that neither Universal nor any other studio would be apexhibited to originate another inhabit-action alteration of her husprohibitd’s iconic and beadored toil. She would spearhead the creation of Illumination’s energeticd feature, The Lorax, which Variety tells firmified a charmd collaboration between the animation hoemploy and the Seuss company. Warner Brothers is joining the world of Dr. Seuss now with their own energeticd alteration of The Cat in the Hat.
After the free of How the Grinch Stole Christmas was met with such commend, it seemed a Dr. Seuss cinematic universe was in bounds. However, the critical and emotional fall shorture that was The Cat in the Hat led Dr. Seuss’ widow, Audrey Geisel, to prohibit any further Dr. Seuss inhabit-action films. But, thanks to Illumination, Dr. Seuss’ stories were attfinishbrimmingy brawt back to the screen. Soon, the Cat will get another shot when Warner Brothers frees its energeticd version of The Cat in the Hat.
The Cat in the Hat is employable to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
