The Charge

"I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam-I-Am."—Theodore Seuss Geisel AKA Dr. Seuss

The Case

I am a huge fan of Dr. Seuss. I grew up on his books (when I was young of course) and my parents tell me that One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish was never very far. While I was a little wary of In Search of Dr. Seuss at first, I found the film to be extremely enjoyable. This honestly is a film for the whole family.

Kathy Lane (Kathy Najimy, Sister Act) is a reporter looking for the "inside scoop" on the life of Ted Geisel, more commonly known and loved as Dr. Seuss. When she arrives at his home, the Cat-in-the-Hat (Matt Frewer, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids), reluctantly takes her on a song and dance tour of the life of Mr. Geisel. Amidst his purring and preening, Kathy catches a glimpse of Dr. Seuss' life and works through a magical book. The film contains animated and choreographed sequences from many of Dr. Seuss' stories, several of which include various celebrities. Among them are:

• Christopher Lloyd (Clue) as a Hunch of the Hunches in Bunches
• Patrick Stewart (X-Men) as Sergeant Mulvaney of And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
• Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire) as a father reading The Cat In The Hat to his children

The film did a great job incorporating many elements of pop culture, including gospel music and even forms of rap. It also discussed some of the more historical and culturally relevant works Dr. Seuss produced throughout his prolific career. The Cat in the Hat includes discussions of the Sneetches (and their relation to the Holocaust), the Butter Battle (alluding to the Cold War), and the Lorax (the destruction of the environment.) Amusingly enough, he also mentions how the American school system originally viewed Dr. Seuss' books, which surprisingly enough was not in a good light. (Remember reading is NOT supposed to be fun, and children should not be learning to use their imaginationsÉ erm). My favorite sketch of the film was Green Eggs and Ham, which was rapped by Kathy Lane and a bunch of little Sam-I-Am's.

As I stated earlier, this really is a film for anyone who likes Dr. Seuss. The entire documentary is done in a Seussical style, with enough humor and illustrations to appeal to young children (as long as they are old enough to sit through the historical portions), and enough historical detail to appeal to the adults.

The animation in the film is not anywhere near today's standards, with most of it stylized to match Dr. Seuss' illustrating style. The sound quality of the film was excellent and extremely clear.

In Search of Dr. Seuss is free to go. Everyone rejoice. Green eggs and ham for all.

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