In Search of Dr. Seuss is a feature film chronicling the adventures of a news reporter (Kathy Najimy) who enters the world of Dr. Seuss by opening a magical book. Also starring in the film (in order of appearance) were Matt Frewer, Christopher Lloyd, Andrea Martin, David Paymer, Patrick Stewart, Andrae Crouch, Robin Williams, and Eileen Brennan.
It came to DVD in 2003 and again in 2008 as a bonus feature for the TV movie Horton Hears a Who!.
Plot[]
A reporter named Kathy Lane comes to Theodor Geisel's home in order to do a report on the famous Dr. Seuss, where she meets a strange character. Kathy tells him the editor for The Ferncast Times demands her an article on Dr. Seuss. When Kathy asks to use him as a source, he reveals himself to be the Cat in the Hat. Curiosity allows her to open a magical book labeled "Open a book, open your imagination", which pulls her into the world of Dr. Seuss. The Cat in the Hat shows Kathy a door which leads to a beach. On the beach, they read The Sneetches. The Cat then tells Kathy about Seuss being a target during World War I. Kathy then falls into a kitchen where she meets Mr. Hunch from Hunches in Bunches. They eat lunch and read McElligot's Pool.
Kathy then notices Horton the Elephant and ends up in a jungle. She then reads Horton Hatches the Egg. The Cat in the Hat appears again, and explains to her about Seuss in the 1920s. Soon, Kathy wanders into a room which is explained to be "The World of Advertising". The Ad Man and the Ad Woman explain to Kathy about Dr. Seuss in the advertising business. The room soon rocks and Kathy is transported to Mulberry Street where she meets Marco. She helps Marco come up with a story to tell his father when he gets home from walking from school.
The story changes as Kathy and Marco add exciting things to it. The story starts out as a horse pulling a cart. But it soon turns into a tale with an elephant, the mayor, planes with confetti, a Rajah, a band playing music and other things completely random. Soon, Marco keeps the story as a horse pulling a cart. He then leaves.
Sgt. Mulvaney then appears and brings Kathy to a revolving door that is shown to represent the way people rejected Dr. Seuss' first book for publishing. The Sargent then goes through the door and disappears. Kathy follows but ends up in a hall with the Cat in the Hat. The Cat explains to Kathy about some of Dr. Seuss' dark political cartoons. An alarm goes off and he disappears. Kathy soon walks into a room and meets The Voice of America. The Voice of America then shows Kathy the documentary, Hitler Lives, which was made by Geisel and his wife.
A live action version of the story Yertle the Turtle is then shown in a gospel like song.
Kathy meets back up with the Cat in the Hat, who tells her his own origin story as told by a father reading to his two daughters.
After the story, Kathy ends up in the story of Green Eggs and Ham where she is chased by multiple Sam I Ams who try to get her to eat green eggs and ham.
After that, Kathy ends up in the mountains where The Grinch had lived. A lady reads her the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Next, Kathy shows up at the Street of the lifted Lorax where the Cat tells her that while the Grinch was successful for Dr. Seuss professionally, his personal life wasn't and explains what happened to Seuss during the late 1960s. She then put in a payment (15 cents, a nail, and the shell of a great, great, great grandfather snail) written on paper in a bucket after which The Once-Ler hoisted up the bucket with all those things, collected them, brought down a speaker and told the story of The Lorax. After planting a new Truffula Tree, marching music sounded, indicating a butter battle which represents The Butter Battle Book.
The finale segment of the film saw Kathy & The Cat in the hat visit the library where they sing Oh, the Places You'll Go!, later they were transported back to Dr. Seuss' house, thus ending Kathy's adventure. The film ends with a quote from Dr. Seuss: "I hope for the children a world of peace and they would never lose their sense of wonder and discovery. From there to here, from here to there. Fun things are everywhere".
Cast[]
- Kathy Najimy as Kathy Lane
- Matt Frewer as The Cat in the Hat
- Christopher Lloyd as Mr. Hunch
- Graham Jarvis as The Farmer
- Brady Bluhm as Marco
- David Paymer as Ad Man
- Andrea Martin as Ad Woman
- J. D. Daniels as Marco
- Patrick Stewart as Sgt. Mulvaney
- Billy Crystal as Radio Voice (The Voice of America)
- Andraé Crouch as Yertle The Turtle
- Bright Eyes as Mack
- Zelda Williams as Daughter
- Eleanor Columbus as Daughter
- Robin Williams as Father
- Howie Mandel as Sam I Am Voice-Over
- Eileen Brennan as Who-Villain
- Terry Lindholm as Once-ler
- Paul Winchell voiced some of the Sneetches
- Frank Welker dubbed the voices of Horton, Maysie, the elephant bird, Grandfather Yook, Chief Yookeroo, and VanItch
- Bob Holt voiced the Once-ler, the Lorax, Sylvester McMonkey McBean, and some of The Sneetches
- Boris Karloff voiced the Grinch (Archive footage)
- June Foray voiced Cindy Lou Who
Stories featured[]
The movie features many of Dr. Seuss's stories, though they are edits of older adaptations, while some of the adaptations are newly created live-action versions. It also includes some of his political work, including excerpts of his short subject Hitler Lives.
- The Sneetches (originally from DePatie-Freleng Enterprises's special, Dr. Seuss on the Loose and was edited; 1973)
- Hunches in Bunches (live-action)
- McElligot's Pool (live-action)
- Horton Hatches the Egg (originally created by Warner Bros. in 1942 and directed by Bob Clampett; this cartoon is not only edited, but re-dubbed by Frank Welker)
- And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (originally created by George Pal in 1944; and the story is re-told by J. D. Daniels)
- Yertle the Turtle (live-action)
- The Cat in the Hat (live-action)
- Green Eggs and Ham (live-action)
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (originally the famous Chuck Jones television special created in 1966; this cartoon is not only edited, but the story is re-told by Eileen Brennan, while Boris Karloff and June Foray remain their voices of The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who.)
- The Lorax (originally created by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises in 1972; the present day scenes of the Once-ler are re-created in live-action.)
- The Butter Battle Book (originally created by Ralph Bakshi in 1989; some of the verses that weren't in the special, or weren't said the correct way for the telling of the book, are added in this version and voiced by Frank Welker.)
- Oh, the Places You'll Go! (live-action)