The Cat in the Hat (film) start until after the 2000 Christmas/comedy film "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", based on another Dr. Seuss book of the same name, became a commercial success. Brian Grazer, who was the producer of "The Grinch", stated, "Because we grew up with these books, and because they have such universal themes and the illustrations ignite such fantasy in your mind as a child — the aggregation of all those feelings — it leaves an indelible, positive memory. And so when I realized I had a chance to convert first "The Grinch" and then, "The Cat in the Hat", into movies, I
The Cat in the Hat about it. This is someone who delighted in the chaos of life, who delighted in the seeming insanity of the world around him." Ruth MacDonald asserts that the Cat's primary goal in the book is to create fun for the children. The Cat calls it "fun that is funny", which MacDonald distinguishes from the ordinary, serious fun that parents subject their children to. In an article titled "Was the Cat in the Hat Black?", Philip Nel draws connections between the Cat and stereotyped depictions of African-Americans, including minstrel shows, Geisel's own minstrel-inspired cartoons from early in his career, and the