1994 American television film
In Search of Dr. Seuss is a 1994 American television film chronicling the adventures of a news reporter, Kathy Lane (Kathy Najimy), who enters the world of Dr. Seuss by opening a magical book. Also starring (in order of appearance) are Matt Frewer, Christopher Lloyd, Andrea Martin, David Paymer, Patrick Stewart, Andraé Crouch, Robin Williams and Eileen Brennan.
Plot
Kathy Lane, a reporter, goes to Theodor Geisel's La Jolla, California, home and meets a strange character. Kathy tells him that the editor of The Ferncrest Times demands from her an article on Dr. Seuss. When she uses him as a source, the character reveals himself to be the Cat in the Hat. Kathy finds 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 political cartoon that would become The Sneetches. The Cat leads Kathy to a door that leads to a beach. On the beach, they read The Sneetches. The Cat tells Kathy about Seuss being a target during World War I. She ends up in a kitchen in which she meets Mr. Hunch from Hunches in Bunches. They eat lunch and learn more about his childhood. Mr. Hunch shows her a book based on his childhood, McElligot's Pool.
Kathy notices Horton the Elephant and ends up in a jungle. She reads Horton Hatches the Egg. The Cat in the Hat appears and tells her about Seuss in the 1920s. Kathy wanders into "The World of Advertising". The Ad Man and Ad Woman explain Dr. Seuss in the advertising business. The room rocks and Kathy is transported to Mulberry Street, where she meets Marco. She helps Marco to devise a story to tell his father after he walks home 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 turns into a tale with an elephant, the mayor, planes with confetti, a Raja, a band playing music, and more. Marco keeps the story as a horse pulling a cart. He leaves.
Sgt. Mulvaney brings Kathy to a revolving door that is shown to represent the way people rejected Dr. Seuss's first book for publishing. The Sergeant disappears through the door. Kathy follows but ends up in a hall with the Cat in the Hat. The Cat explains to Kathy some of Dr. Seuss's dark political cartoons. An alarm sounds and he disappears. Kathy walks into a room and meets The Voice of America. The Voice of America shows Kathy the documentary, Hitler Lives, which was made by Geisel and his wife.
The Voice of America further reveals that Dr. Seuss's initial drawings of Yertle the Turtle depicted the character with a Hitler-esque mustache and a Nazi uniform. A live-action version of the story is shown in a gospel song. Kathy meets again 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, in which she is chased by multiple Sam-I-Ams who attempt to make her eat green eggs and ham. Kathy ends up in the mountains where the Grinch had lived. A woman reads to her How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
Kathy shows up at the Street of the Lifted Lorax, where the Cat tells her that while the Grinch was professinally successful for Dr. Seuss, his personal life was not, and he explains what happened to Seuss during the late 1960s. She 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 that represented The Butter Battle Book.
Kathy and The Cat in the Hat visit the library, at which they sing Oh, the Places You'll Go!, after which they are transported back to Dr. Seuss's house. Dr. Seuss is quoted: "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. Funny things are everywhere."
Stories featured
The film features many of Dr. Seuss's stories, although 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 re-edited; 1973)
- Hunches in Bunches (live-action)
- McElligot's Pool (live-action)
- Horton Hatches the Egg (originally a Merrie Melodies cartoon produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions in 1942 and directed by Bob Clampett; this cartoon is re-edited and re-dubbed by Frank Welker)
- And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (originally a 1944 George Pal Puppetoon; re-edited and retold by J. D. Daniels)
- Hitler Lives (short documentary by Warner Bros. in 1945; re-edited and re-dubbed by Frank Welker)
- 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 re-edited, but the story is retold by Eileen Brennan, while Boris Karloff and June Foray remain the 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 were omitted from the special, or were not properly spoken for the telling of the book, are added in this version and voiced by Charles Durning, who reprised his role as the grandfather, Frank Welker and Malachi Pearson)
- Oh, the Places You'll Go! (live-action)
