The Cat in the Hat is one of the best known of the Dr. Seuss range of children.s books. Adaptation of the book into a full length feature film has meant some elaboration to create a more complex story but it still is very much aimed at younger viewers. As such it is a visual feast with bright colours and obviously a large cat with a hat is the leading character.
The story is focussed on two children, Sally (Fanning) and Conrad (Breslin). Their mother Joan (Preston) is a real estate agent who is forced by her boss to host a dinner party at her house for their clients. Her less than jolly boss has warned her that her house must be tidy or she will be fired. Meanwhile her babysitter has just left and her kids are left all alone. Sally is a well behaved kid, very organised and is much too serious, while Conrad is mischievous, unruly and untidy. Then the Cat (Myers) arrives and the entire day is thrown into chaos by his antics. And the house is getting less clean and tidy by the minute as more and more creatures come to play. There is a subplot also going on regarding Joan.s boyfriend who is not fond of the kids and is trying to get them sent to boarding school.
The story is rather silly but is meant to be so, to give a fun feeling. And yes the Cat does have a hat. While aimed at the younger audience there are some jokes aimed at an adult level. Although parents should probably be warned that the overall message of balance may be a little lost amongst the mess and jumping on couches! |
So how does this DVD Scrub Up?
The visuals are presented in the Anamorphic Widescreen format with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Animated backgrounds are predominantly utilised for this presentation combined with real people performing the acting.
The video is composed of extremely vivid colours as a deliberate ploy to create a sense of fun and also to make the whole viewing experience to appear semi-real. For example extreme colour combinations such as green walls and fans, purple suits, bright pink dresses are utilised. Shadow detail is also very good.
Overall it is a very clean transfer with no artefacts evident from either the film source or the transfer process. All images are also sharp and overall the visuals look very fresh and very appealing to the eye.
The layer change occurs at 52:26 and occurs mid scene with a noticeable pause in both audio and visuals.
|
The only audio track is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 version which complements the visuals very effectively.
All dialogue comes across as clear and distinct and there are no problems with the audio sync. The rear speakers are predominantly utilised for the musical numbers and also for several sequences that help provide some ambience when required.
The musical score consists of many bright and happy simple tunes that support the story.
|
|
|
