Here’s Why We Never Saw Any Live Action Dr. Seuss Movies After ‘The Cat in the Hat’

The year 2000 was an interesting one. It was the year of the Sydney Olympics, the year the world survived the Y2K scare, and, of course, the year Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas debuted as one of the first big movies of the new century. The big-budget, yuletide picture defied the odds and became a classic that is still beloved today. And, following such a successful release, it was only a matter of time before Universal Pictures followed up their seminal family flick with another Seuss adaptation.

It wouldn’t be until 2003 that moviegoers would return to the live-action world of Dr. Seuss with The Cat in the Hat. Unlike the Grinch, though, reception to the Mike Myers-led film was more mixed to negative. While some appreciated the more adult humor and brazen execution, The Cat garnered a lot of flack from Dr. Seuss’ widow, Audrey Geisel. Geisel had always been protective of her husband’s work, and her opinions on Universal’s second attempt at Seuss adaptation were made clear.

Audrey Geisel was Protective of Dr. Seuss’ Work

Following the passing of Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss), his wife, Audrey, was fiercely protective over who was able to touch his work. 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 alive, Dr. Seuss never even accepted merchandising deals, let alone anything on the scale proposed by Universal. But, per Orlando Sentinel, the theme park’s designers won her over with their impressive designs, which remained faithful to Seuss’ illustrations, and their assurance that they could deliver on their concepts.

The company took a similar approach a few years later when they sought her blessing on How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Per Time Magazine, Universal was an early contender in a feverish bidding war when the film rights to The Grinch began making the rounds. Geisel was even quoted as saying: “We like Universal… We’d already worked with them, and their word was their bond.” She even expressed enthusiasm over director Ron Howard, saying she liked “the grown Opie.” But her enthusiasm didn’t mean it would be a guaranteed sell. As Empire Online recalls, actor Jim Carrey invited Geisel to the set. Carrey, who was not officially cast at the time, invited Geisel to the set. Director Ron Howard explained that Carrey was so determined to play the Grinch that Howard said: “…he would get the rights for the whole story and give it to another producer, if that’s what it took.” At the time, Carrey was filming Man on the Moon, and remained in character throughout the shoot, even while meeting Geisel. Howard recalled: “…for a while he was talking to her like 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 totally enthralled.” Howard claims that Geisel was so enthralled by Carrey, that when it came time for the director to show her his concepts, she said: “I love it, and I want Jim Carrey to play the Grinch.”

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Per Time Magazine, Geisel’s approval came on the contingency of script approval. She didn’t want any obvious adult humor or overtly dark jokes in the film, and rejected several gags, such as (ironically) a dead and stuffed Cat in the Hat in the Grinch’s cave. As Time says, Geisel claimed they went through eight drafts of the script before they found a medium that made her happy. 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 addition to being a huge winner in the year it came out, it remains one of the most successful holiday movies of all time. With the movie destined to become a classic, it was only a matter of time before Universal sought to adapt another Seuss movie. But The Cat in the Hat would prove a hard 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 successful was how well it brought to life the unique world of Dr. Seuss, while making the relatively short source material work over nearly two hours. It honored Geisel’s wishes perfectly and reinvented the story for a new generation. The same could not be said for 2003’s The Cat in the Hat. Featuring Mike Myers as the titular cat, it has a relatively similar set-up to the Seuss classic but takes a jarring turn. The Cat’s humor is filled with a slew of innuendos—including a joke about a garden tool that really had no place in a family film—and violent gags. The Cat even makes a joke about committing murder. It was, essentially, everything Geisel vetoed when it came to the previous adaptation.

Reviews for the film were negative, and it currently holds a 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. But perhaps no one liked it less than Audrey Geisel. According to Today.com, Geisel disliked nearly everything about the adaptation. She didn’t think Myers was right for the role, saying “I never saw Austin Powers, but I knew ‘Yeah, baby!’ and I didn’t want ‘Yeah, baby!’ at all.” Equally, she did not enjoy the film’s adult content, and its treatment of the character she viewed as the spokesperson for the Dr. Seuss industry. Of the overall experience, she said “The layers of skin … have to get tougher. 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 allowed to make another live-action adaptation of her husband’s iconic and beloved work. She would spearhead the creation of Illumination’s animated feature, The Lorax, which Variety reports solidified a happy collaboration between the animation house and the Seuss company. Warner Brothers is joining the world of Dr. Seuss now with their own animated adaptation of The Cat in the Hat.

After the release of How the Grinch Stole Christmas was met with such praise, it seemed a Dr. Seuss cinematic universe was in bounds. However, the critical and emotional failure that was The Cat in the Hat led Dr. Seuss’ widow, Audrey Geisel, to forbid any further Dr. Seuss live-action films. But, thanks to Illumination, Dr. Seuss’ stories were carefully brought back to the screen. Soon, the Cat will get another shot when Warner Brothers releases its animated version of The Cat in the Hat.

The Cat in the Hat is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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