The Cat in the Hat (TV special) After MGM stopped animation production and closed down its animation department for good in 1970, production was moved to DePatie–Freleng Enterprises (marking the company's first Dr. Seuss television special), which was run by Jones' fellow Warner Bros. Cartoons alumnus Friz Freleng and WB's last original production executive David DePatie. Although Chuck Jones and his staff were retained by DePatie–Freleng in the production of the special, Jones left the studio and did not work on any other Seuss projects after "The Cat in the Hat". Other staff members that have worked with Jones such as Dean Elliott and Maurice Noble eventually
The Cat in the Hat there were a lot of Dick and Jane devotees, and my book was considered too fresh and irreverent. But Bennett Cerf at Random House had asked for trade rights, and it just took off in the bookstores." Geisel told the Morgans, "Parents understood better than school people the necessity for this kind of reader." After three years in print, "The Cat in the Hat" had sold nearly one million copies. By then, the book had been translated into French, Chinese, Swedish, and Braille. In 2001, "Publishers Weekly" placed it at number nine on its list of the best-selling children's books