Hats Off to Dr. Seuss Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss Blu-ray Movie Review

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 10, 2013

Remember when sitting down to watch a children's television special meant something? When an animated TV special was, well, something special? A warm blast of poignant holiday cheer, a tradition revisited year after year, a stirring small-screen adaptation of a classic children's book... ah, those were the days. Alas, with the advent of the Cartoon Network, twenty-one around-the-clock Disney Channels, and sixty-three Nickelodeon programming blocks, children's television specials are quickly going the way of Saturday morning cartoons. Fortunately, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has set its mind to preserving the Charlie Brown and Dr. Seuss classics of yesteryear. Hats Off to Dr. Seuss is a bundle -- no more, no less -- but it's a bundle of fun, with five featured 1966-73 Dr. Seuss television specials -- How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Horton Hears a Who, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax and Green Eggs and Ham -- as well as additional surprises primed to delight young imaginations and stir up some middle-aged nostalgia in the process.

All five titles in the 5-disc Hats Off to Dr. Seuss collection have been previously reviewed. Click on any of the following links to access more extensive analysis of the specials, their AV presentations and their special features:

Disc 1: The Cat in the Hat (1971)
Disc 2: The Lorax (1972)
Disc 3: Horton Hears a Who! (1970)
Disc 4: Green Eggs and Ham & Other Stories (1973)
Disc 5: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Click on any of the following links to read a detailed review of the each special's video presentation:

Disc 1: The Cat in the Hat - 4/5
Disc 2: The Lorax - 4/5
Disc 3: Horton Hears a Who! - 3.5/5
Disc 4: Green Eggs and Ham & Other Stories - 4/5
Disc 5: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! - 4/5

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Click on any of the following links to read a detailed review of the each special's audio presentation:

Disc 1: The Cat in the Hat - 4/5
Disc 2: The Lorax - 4/5
Disc 3: Horton Hears a Who! - 2.5/5
Disc 4: Green Eggs and Ham & Other Stories - 4/5
Disc 5: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! - 2.5/5

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1: The Cat in the Hat

• The Cat in the Hat Sing-A-Long Mode (HD, 25 minutes): Sing along with The Cat in the Hat as dynamic karaoke-style lyrics appear over-top the entire image. The black bars to either side of the feature presentation are also filled with various designs, some static, some animated.
• The Hoober-Bloob Highway (SD, 25 minutes): An obscure 1975 animated special that, interestingly, isn't actually based on any of Seuss' books. It also happened to be the last Seuss special to air on CBS.
• Daisy-Head Mayzie (SD, 25 minutes): A 1995 Hanna-Barbera animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' last book.

Disc 2: The Lorax

• Dr. Seuss's Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? (SD, 25 minutes): A 1979 animated television special written by Seuss.
• Butter Battle Book (SD, 24 minutes): An animated short film based on Dr. Seuss' The Butter Battle Book, an anti-war parable about tolerance and conflict.
• The Trees! The Trees! The Voice of the Trees! (HD, 11 minutes): An environmental EPK about Geisel's forward-thinking tale, the importance of trees and the purpose of environmental organizations like TreePeople.

Disc 3: Horton Hears a Who!

• In Search of Dr. Seuss (SD, 90 minutes): Kathy Najimy hosts this hyperactive, annoying, overproduced mess of a feature-length special that attempts (and generally fails) to explore the life and works of Dr. Seuss. While a parade of notable celebrities appear -- Patrick Stewart, Christopher Lloyd, and Robin Williams among them -- they do little more than embarrass themselves for an hour and a half. Still, anyone who braves their skits will find a treasure trove of information about the author and his canon, readings of Seuss' tales, and some fairly impressive set and costume designs. Ultimately, young children may enjoy its colorful wares, but adults will be too busy holding back groans to do the same.
• Butter Battle Book (SD, 24 minutes): An animated short film based on Dr. Seuss' The Butter Battle Book, an anti-war parable about tolerance and conflict.
• Daisy-Head Mayzie (SD, 24 minutes): This second animated short is based on a story that wasn't published until after Seuss' death.
• You Can Hear Horton, Horton Can Hear You! (SD, 3 minutes): A karaoke-esque singalong comprised of several Horton songs.

Disc 4: Green Eggs and Ham & Other Stories

• Interactive Puzzles (HD): Four interactive puzzles are included, two for "Green Eggs and Ham," one for "The Sneetches," and one for "The Zax." The mechanics are extremely simplistic -- match puzzles pieces to their place on a nearby puzzle board -- as are the six-piece puzzles themselves. Children are rewarded with a short clip from the corresponding story upon completion.

Disc 5: How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

• Audio Commentary: Voice actress June Foray and animator Phil Roman reflect on their contributions to the film, its endurance as a holiday classic, Boris Karloff's involvement, and the various artisans who lent their talents to the production. It isn't the most extensive commentary I've listened to -- Foray and Roman are more nostalgic than informative -- but their chat is a charming one.
• Dr. Seuss and the Grinch: From Whoville to Hollywood (SD, 16 minutes): A grating EPK that pairs a painful, neverending rap with an admittedly revealing exploration of Dr. Seuss' life, his influences, his original artwork and sculptures, and his creation of the Grinch and the Whos.
• Songs in the Key of Grinch (SD, 8 minutes): Tony-winning composer Albert Hague and "Tony the Tiger" vocalist Thurl Ravenscroft discuss their work on the film. Candid, engaging, and thorough, it's easily the best featurette on the disc.
• Song Selections (3 minutes): An audio player that allows users to listen to four songs -- the film's "Opening," "Trim Up the Tree," "Welcome, Christmas," and "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch."
• "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" Special Edition (SD, 19 minutes): A dated, altogether cheesy look at How the Grinch Stole Christmas that originally aired on TNT in 1994. The late Phil Hartman hosts, but the real draw are the documentary's interviews with animator/producer/co-director Chuck Jones.
• Who's Who in Whoville: Text-based bios for Chuck Jones, Dr. Seuss, Boris Karloff, and June Foray. Yawn.
• Grinch Pencil Test: A whopping three storyboards that trace back to the original production.

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you already own all five Dr. Seuss Blu-ray releases, you won't find anything new here. If you don't, Warner's 5-disc collection will prove to be a welcome dose of childhood nostalgia. The specials are hit or miss -- How the Grinch Stole Christmas being the biggest hit, Horton Hears a Who being the biggest miss -- as are their audio tracks, but the various video transfers and, of course, all the warm memories that accompany them are not. Hats Off to Dr. Seuss is a solid collection that comes with a humble (if hesitant) recommendation.