'Cat in the Hat' takes page from 'Grinch' film success

By Anthony Breznican
The Associated Press

	MELINDA SUE GORDON Mike Myers stars as the mischievous feline in the film adaptation of "The Cat in the Hat."
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That was the philosophy the filmmakers followed to transform the simple whimsy of "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat" into a candy-colored, in-your-face comedy (opening in Seattle this Friday) starring Mike Myers as the mischievous feline in a towering red-and-white cap.

Apart from casting the lead, the filmmakers said they needed to craft a broader story.

There's no denying the 1957 tale is one tough tome to turn into a feature film: It's about two bored kids who learn how to have responsible fun on a rainy day.

But the book by Theodor Geisel, who won a Pulitzer Prize writing under the moniker Dr. Seuss, is treasured by millions, and tinkering with its story is akin to challenging the childhood nostalgia of three generations.

The adjustments worked for most people in 2000, when Ron Howard directed Jim Carrey in "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," which added pop-culture jokes, a history about the Grinch's childhood and subplots about the Whoville residents.

Producer Brian Grazer, who also produced "The Grinch," sought to follow that movie's formula. He hired a team of three writers to adapt "Cat": Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg and David Mandel, all former "Seinfeld" scribes who worked together on an uncredited rewrite of "The Grinch."

The writers decided to get the cat and kids out of the house and into the neighborhood, where the furry star drives around the streets in the Super Luxurious Omnidirectional Watchamajigger.

Most additions were made out of necessity, they said. Does mom (Kelly Preston) really leave the kids all alone for the day? That's what happens in the book.

The writers, fearing this might worry the audience, created a baby-sitter: the deep, deep, deep sleeper Miss Kwan.

And for the sake of plot, why is it so important to keep the house immaculately clean?

Enter Mr. Humberfloob ("Will & Grace" co-star Sean Hayes). He is mom's obsessively fastidious boss who is coming over for a dinner party and fires anyone who isn't neat. Hayes also voices the story's computer-animated goldfish, who in the Seuss book is the voice of caution and restraint.

There is also a smattering of borderline raunchy humor, which is why "The Cat in the Hat" is rated PG instead of G. (At one point The Cat picks up a particular kind of muddy garden tool and sneers: "Dirty hoe ... ")

Once the script was in place, construction began on replicating Seuss illustrations in the real world.

"He had a very sinuous line and drew very elegant curves that always came to slender points," said Alex McDowell, the production designer who created the film's neighborhood of identical violet houses and gravity-defying trees.

When it came to building a costume for Myers, however, makeup artist Steve Johnson said there was no way to replicate Seuss' drawing of the spaghetti-limbed feline.

He did about 30 makeup tests on Myers and built several full-body suits covered with black and white yak hair, human hair and synthetic fibers.

Ultimately, the filmmakers decided to take a minimalist approach on the facial makeup, leaving Myers' real eyebrows and mouth exposed, while covering his nose and parts of his cheeks. Around that, they constructed a giant cat head with remote-control ears and heavy magnets to grip the various off-kilter caps.

Carrey's makeup in "The Grinch" hid his face much more, but Johnson said that wouldn't have worked in this movie.

"Kids are pretty much afraid of the Grinch, but you want them to like the Cat," he said. "Because, if you think about it, this is just a home-invasion story about a giant crazy cat who barges into the house and wrecks the place."

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company