History YMMV / TheCatInTheHat

* FranchiseOriginalSin: The live-action movie is frequently decried for, among its many other faults, following the original book only in ''very'' BroadStrokes. This adaptation actually doesn't follow it very closely either though, which is especially a contrast from the other animated Dr. Seuss specials. It just happened this didn't have any of the other glaring issues the movie had (crass adult humor, the fact it wasn't animated, UncannyValley visual effects, and virtually no focus) to bring it down along with it, and as much as it deviated from the source, it still kept true to the Seuss spirit. The latter point was helped no doubt by Ted Geisel himself being involved with its production.

** An odd case with the Cat himself. While many consider the makeup to be UncannyValley, it at least looks somewhat faithful to the Cat's appearance in the book, similar to the Grinch in ''Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas''. However, unlike the Grinch, in which the makeup was known to be extremely uncomfortable for Jim Carrey, who practiced stress-relief techniques to focus on his role, there are several moments throughout the movie where Mike Myers visibly struggles with the extreme discomfort of his costume, which really hurts the authenticity of his performance and makeup. Not helping matters is you can easily see where the costume ends and Myers' actual face begins.

* UncannyValley:

* WTHCostumingDepartment: Even the world of Creator/DrSeuss could not find a home for The Cat as brought to life by Mike Myers, whose suit and makeup made for some hardcore UncannyValley and pales to [[Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas the Grinch's]] design when donned by Creator/JimCarrey.

* UncannyValley: The game's character models are based directly off the film's live-action characters and designs, which can cause this effect.

* MisBlamed: Between his WagTheDirector antics on previous films, and credited screenwriters Alec Berg, Dave Mandel and Jeff Schaffer (who did the uncredited re-writes for ''The Grinch'') being responsible for the well-received ''Film/EuroTrip'' just a few months later, Mike Myers was widely accused of rewriting the screenplay and at the very least having added all the smutty humor, if not outright destroying what had once been a good adaptation. In reality though, Myers' contribution extended to no more than the occasional ad-lib on the set. That said, Berg, Mandel and Schaffer's screenplay apparently ''was'' put through the rewrite process, allegedly by studio executives, just not by Myers.

* {{Narm}}: A minor case. "Chat" in the song is pronounced how an English-speaker might read it ("shat"), but in French the final letter of most words is not pronounced (unless accented or directly preceding a word beginning with a vowel), so the proper way to say it would be "sha." What makes it funny is the fact that, as pronounced, the word ''does'' mean something: it refers specifically to a ''female'' cat!

* IconicOutfit: The Cat's iconic red-and-white striped stovepipe hat, particularly in late '90s rave culture.

* FranchiseOriginalSin:
** For ''Series/TheWubbulousWorldOfDrSeuss'', which came out 25 years later. In said show's [[SecondSeasonDownfall second season]], the Cat, instead of being the trickster that he was in the 1957 book as well as in Season 1, is a kind and excited host. In this special, however, he is still somewhat of a trickster like his book counterpart.
** The live-action movie is frequently decried for, among its many other faults, following the original book only in ''very'' BroadStrokes. This adaptation actually doesn't follow it very closely either though, which is especially a contrast from the other animated Dr. Seuss specials. It just happened this didn't have any of the other glaring issues the movie had (crass adult humor, the fact it wasn't animated, UncannyValley visual effects, and virtually no focus) to bring it down along with it, and as much as it deviated from the source, it still kept true to the Seuss spirit. The latter point was helped no doubt by Ted Geisel himself being involved with its production.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Compared to the original book, the Fish has little to no influence on the plot itself. He only attempts to stop the Cat's antics about halfway through his visit inside the house, and once Thing 1 and Thing 2 enter the picture, the Fish is nowhere to be seen for the rest of the movie. His absence also leaves the Cat without a CloudcuckoolandersMinder, making him much more unhinged than he was in the book.

** The Things. WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic pointed this out in his review of the movie; in illustrations and animation, you can get away with designing characters without upper-lips since it would look like mustaches or wrinkles, but in live-action doing that only makes characters look downright ''creepy''.

* VindicatedByHistory: As outlined elsewhere on this page, the movie was ''widely'' hated upon its release. However, similar to what happened with ''WesternAnimation/BeeMovie'', it later found popularity in the late 2010’s as an internet meme. As a result, many people who've decided to WatchItForTheMeme have said that the film's visual style and humor manage to hold well on their own merits, despite it not being a good adaptation of the book. The film has since garnered a fanbase online who have created countless memes and even fan art. Its turnaround from being prominently featured on the DarthWiki/SoBadItsHorrible[[invoked]] page on this site for many years to gaining a large, genuine following makes it one of the best examples of how initially panned children's media is often the subject of strong reappraisal.

* WhatAnIdiot: During the scene where the gang tries to rescue Nevins, Conrad points out that two people cannot drive the same car at the same time (after the Cat gives Sally a steering wheel).\\
'''You'd Expect:''' That the Cat would catch on and drive the car on his own.\\
'''Instead:''' He suggests that they should ''all'' drive. This causes the Cat to start losing control of his vehicle, prompting Conrad to ask where the brakes are.\\
'''You'd Then Expect:''' Since there his one brake pedal per driver, The Cat would tell Conrad where it's located, so he could use it to stop the car.\\
'''Or:''' He would slam his own brake pedal.\\
'''Instead:''' He sees it as another occasion to make a dumb joke, and ''tears the brakes off the car body, even throwing it off the vehicle''.\\
'''Predictably:''' They crash the vehicle and are forced to carry on by foot.
** The Cat makes it clear to Conrad that his only rule is not to open the crate, and even places a living lock on it.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' Conrad would figure out that the Cat is not kidding about this and follow his rule.\\
'''Instead:''' He still picklocks and opens the crate. As a result, he causes the Mother-of-all-Messes.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: This film definitely qualifies: Despite it being based on a book meant for kindergarteners, the movie dealt with a lot of extremely crass humor and rather dirty things that should not be exposed to kids. Dr. Seuss's widow was actually so disgusted by this that she decided not to be a part of any film adaptation of her late husband's works, other than declaring that any future adaptations would only be animated from now on.

* NightmareFuel:
** "There is a [[TakeAThirdOption third option]]. It involves... murder."
** "I'll get you. [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident And it'll look like a bloody accident.]]"

!!The original book:

!!The animated special:

!!The live-action film:

* MemeticMutation:
** You're FIIRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEE-DUH!
** "You're not just wrong, you're stupid!"
*** "And you're ugly, just like your mum!"
** In early 2017, a screenshot from the movie of The Cat holding a baseball bat became a popular meme, mostly due to its alarming resemblance to the Costanza/"Shiggy Diggy" meme.
** "Dirty hoe!"[[note]]One of many infamous {{double entendre}}s in the movie.[[/note]]
** "CHA-CHING!"[[note]]This line comes immediately after a scene where Conrad compares the slide they're on to a theme park. The Cat chimes in "You mean like at...''Universal Studios?!''", holds up ''tickets to the park'', and then says this line. WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic suggested this be the new Dr. Seuss logo, complete with [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMovie Dr. Lickboot]] saying "We've got to have...MONAAAAY!".[[/note]]
** As of late 2019-early 2020, comparisons between Myers's off-putting costume and the so-called "digital fur technology" of ''Film/{{Cats}}'' are not uncommon, with some calling this film's cat [[DamnedByFaintPraise the less creepy of the two]].
** Hank Humberfloob became one in early 2020 after the spread of coronavirus with the scene when he cleans his hands with hand sanitizer.

* JerkassWoobie: Conrad might be a destructive sociopath, but you can’t help but feel bad for him, since his mom’s boyfriend verbally abuses him behind her back (which is TruthInTelevision) and towards the end of the film, he nearly loses his sister and actually decides to willingly accept responsibility for wrecking the house.

* WeirdAlEffect: Did you know that both characters portrayed by the Cat in the infomercial were based on real personalities? No? Most probably, none of the kids in the audience for ''The Cat in the Hat'' were aware of it either. Mike was parodying ''Amazing Discoveries'', a series of infomercials that aired on late-night TV from 1989 to 1997, and specifically its host, Mike Levey, who always wore sweaters and most often had a British pitchman showing him some "astounding" product which had just come on the market for public consumption, and about which Levey usually asked inane questions. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSB4BvLSrjU Here's one of those shows.]] (Sadly, Mike Levey passed away from cancer in August of 2003. ''The Cat in the Hat'' was released in November of that year, so Levey never got a chance to see himself being parodied up on the big screen.)

* VindicatedByHistory: As outlined elsewhere on this page, the movie was ''widely'' hated upon its release. However, similar to what happened with ''WesternAnimation/BeeMovie'', it later found popularity in the late 2010’s as an internet meme. As a result, many people who've decided to WatchItForTheMeme have said that a lot of the jokes in the film are ActuallyPrettyFunny despite it not being a good adaptation of the book.

* ValuesDissonance: The [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign made-up Eskimo words]] during "Cat, Hat" were most likely the best that the uninformed creators could do on a TV schedule and budget, and cultural sensitivities at the time most likely wouldn't have cared. From the 90s onward, it would be considered more than a little insensitive and in the age of Google translate, it'd be considered downright lazy, especially since all of the European languages are included without flaw.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Although it doesn’t make the movie any less awful, the tie-in merchandise and storybooks are drawn in the style of the original book, and get rid of the crude jokes, looking like something Dr. Seuss would approve of. It doubles as MisaimedMarketing.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: The [[Creator/UniversalPictures Universal]][=/=]Creator/DreamWorks[=/=][[Creator/ImagineEntertainment Imagine]] [[VanityPlate logos]]. All three animated in the style of the original book, with some gags thrown in (Mr. Krinklebine even appears in Imagine's ripples). The movie may be reviled, but most admit the logos were easily the greatest part of it.

** The matador scene from the song near the beginning has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the song or the rest of the movie. Arguably the entire song could count as this, but that bit especially. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Originally]], the matador scene was the setup for a [[DeletedScene deleted verse]] which can be heard on the soundtrack CD and accessed on the "Deleted Scenes" feature on the DVD. Needless to say, this BLAM could have been averted if the verse was left in the final cut. Thank goodness that was cut.

* UncertainAudience: The reason why the film failed. It tried to appeal to Dr. Seuss fans but it appealed to fans of raunchy jokes and vice versa. As [[WebVideo/CinematicExcrement Smeghead]] put it:
--> "These jokes are too stupid for adults and too dirty for kids. Who the hell was their target audience supposed to be?!"

* FranchiseOriginalSin: For ''Series/TheWubbulousWorldOfDrSeuss'', which came out 25 years later. In said show's [[SecondSeasonDownfall second season]], the Cat, instead of being the trickster that he was in the 1957 book as well as in Season 1, is nothing more than the host of the show and sounds like he's yelling at the top of his lungs. In this special, however, he is still somewhat of a trickster like his book counterpart.

* BileFascination: It's a Dr. Seuss movie ''loaded'' with gags and lines that wouldn't be out of place in an ''Austin Powers'' movie. One just ''has to'' see why this did not go over well with Seuss' family.
* CantUnHearIt: Millennials ironically like to read the Cat's lines from the book in the voice of Mike Myers.

** It's pretty obvious that poor Mike Myers was trying his best to make this film at least bearable, but there was simply nothing he could do to save the disaster. Same goes for Sean Hayes.

* WTHCastingAgency: The film got lots of flak for casting Creator/MikeMyers as the Cat (after Creator/TimAllen left the film) due to his track record of humor being inappropriate for the typical age demographic of Dr. Seuss readers (although he was notable as another kids' icon, WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}); both he and director Bo Welch were legally forced into the film due to Universal being angry over Myers cancelling a movie adaptation of ''Series/{{S|aturdayNightLive}}prockets''. Unfortunately, many of the fears from parents ended up being realized once the film came out.
* WTHCostumingDepartment: Even the world of Dr. Seuss could not find a home for The Cat as brought to life by Mike Myers, whose suit and makeup made for some hardcore UncannyValley and pales to the Grinch's design when donned by Jim Carrey.

* CommonKnowledge: A lot of people have given the Cat flack for being a {{Jerkass}} (and in all fairness, he is), but when he came into the house, the only jerkish things he did was simply put Mrs. Kwan in the closet and had the Fish thrown into a teapot, but was otherwise rather harmless. He was even willing to leave before the kids begged him to stay.

* HilariousInHindsight:
** Rhyming and "son of a b----"? Well, [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight The Mad Hatter]] had that in common.
** Also, this, ''Film/Catwoman2004'' and ''Film/{{Garfield}}'' are three cat-related films released in the early 2000's and have cat puns in the reviews before ''Cats'' came out with similar negative reviews with said puns.

* HarsherInHindsight:
** In the wake of the 2020 Coronavirus scare, people mass-buying hand sanitizer, and health experts advising against shaking hands, [[https://web.archive.org/web/20200316040759if_/https://twitter.com/AgedWell_/status/1239401038668533760 this scene]] is now being viewed by some as being darkly prophetic, though others instead see it as HilariousInHindsight in the vein of BlackComedy.

* FirstInstallmentWins: While it did receive a sequel in the form of ''The Cat in the Hat Comes Back'', the original will forever remain the most iconic and the one all the various adaptations take from.

** Mr. Humberfloob was brilliantly played by Sean Hayes and spawned the "You're FIRRRRRRRRRRRRE-DUH!" meme as well as others since the COVID-19 pandemic.

* ScapegoatCreator: Those who love Dr. Seuss like to blame Jeff Schaffer, David Mandel and Alec Berg (the screenwriters) for making such a racy film based on a kid's book.

* TearJerker: The ScreenToStageAdaptation of "The Cat In The Hat" shot in London has the scene where the boy tells The Cat to put Thing 1 and Thing 2 back into the red box. He lessons and then lets out the Things and one of them gets very excited and wants to have more fun. The Cat shakes his head and Thing 1 and Thing 2 respond by crying as they sadly go inside the box and the cat then carries the box and meows sadly as he leaves.

** The entire Kupkake-inator scene, being a reference to ''Amazing Discoveries'', is a bit awkward when you consider that Mike Levey, the host of [=AD=], died several months before the film's release.
** As part of their distractions to keep Joan from getting home and discovering the mess, Things 1 and 2 pretend to be motorcycle police officers. One of them begins to choke, and the other begins to perform the Heimlich. When the scene cuts back to them, one has the other in a headlock, and the other's going "Police brutality! Illegal choke hold!" With the death of Eric Garner by exactly the same method (chokehold) and accusations of police brutality (subsequently helping to fuel the Black Lives Matter movement), this ''really'' isn't funny anymore.

** The "love each other very much" bit was re-used in ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory''.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: It's not hard to agree with the Fish that the Cat should leave.