4/10
It sounds better than it is
24 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The small screen production "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat" is an animated short film from 1982, so this one has its 35th anniversary this year already. It was directed by Bill Perez, but the real star here is of course the beloved Dr. Seuss who wrote it. Anyway, looking at the title I may actually be wrong with the title of my review as it is almost a bit much and on the cringeworthy side, but it still tells us that this short film of slightly under 25 minutes unites two of the most beloved Dr. Seuss characters in one film. Disney did it, Warner Bros. did it and Dr. Seuss does it too, which should be no surprise as his short films are usually way longer than the ones of the other two I just mentioned. Or I could actually say Marvel as this one here (believe it or not) was actually produced by Marvel. Anyway, the Cat in the Hat and the Grinch both got their own animated short films several years before this one here was made and that's also why I believe that by the early 1980s they may have crossed their peaks already for a little while, especially the Grinch as his first and most famous work goes back way into the 1960s. Never been a big fan of the Cat in the Hat to be honest, so I may be slightly biased if I say that this one here did very little for me in both story/plot as well as dialogues as well, which was a bit shocking as this is usually where Seuss makes up for deficits in other areas. At least the voice acting was good I guess, perhaps the best thing about this one here. But it's just not enough to make up for all the flaws and weak aspects linked to this little movie. Also everything before that just isn't involving enough to make up for this big emotional ending. And I have no idea how this mediocre piece won two Emmys, must have been a pretty weak year in terms of animated television. I give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.
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