The Cat in the Hat (film) was also committed to shooting Disney's "The Santa Clause 2", which was also delayed because Allen wanted a script rewrite. Due to a scheduling conflict with "The Santa Clause 2", he dropped out his role. In March 2002, the role of the Cat was given to Mike Myers, even though he had an argument with Grazer about starring in a cancelled film based on his "Saturday Night Live" sketch "Dieter". Myers stated in an interview that he was a long-time fan of the original Dr. Seuss book, and that it was the first book he ever read. Makeup for the
The Cat in the Hat most important academic controversy" of the Cold War era. Academic Louis Menand contends that ""The Cat in the Hat" transformed the nature of primary education and the nature of children's books. It not only stood for the idea that reading ought to be taught by phonics; it also stood for the idea that language skills—and many other subjects—ought to be taught through illustrated storybooks, rather than primers and textbooks." In 1983, Geisel told Jonathan Cott, "It is the book I'm proudest of because it had something to do with the death of the "Dick and Jane" primers." The book led