Back in late 2000, Jim Carrey starred in a live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Inevitably, this led Hollywood to pursue more cinematic takes on Seuss, and 2003’s The Cat in the Hat followed this path.

Along with their single mother Joan (Kelly Preston), Conrad (Spencer Breslin) and Sally Walden (Dakota Fanning) live in Anville. When left with babysitter Mrs. Kwan (Amy Hill), they receive strict orders to enter their living room.

However, one sluggish Mrs. Kwan falls asleep, the Cat in the Hat (Mike Myers) appears and entices them to live it up. With the Cat’s shenanigans on full blast, the kids enjoy themselves until they need to deal with the consequences of these antics.

Although Universal clearly hoped Hat would continue to massive profits they earned for 2000’s Grinch, this didn’t occur. While Grinch made a then-sizable $350 million worldwide, Hat wound up with a much less impressive $133 million.

With a $109 million budget, Hat clearly lost money. Granted, the burgeoning DVD market of 2004 probably meant it recouped a good chunk of that cash, but the movie’s box office disappointment meant it ended a potential string of live-action Seuss movies.

Since I didn’t like Grinch, I went into Hat with low expectations. Given that factor, I can’t say it disappointed.

But that also doesn’t mean I think Hat becomes a good movie. While perhaps not quite as awful as the 2000 Grinch, it doesn’t work.

Actually, I could argue Hat does flop as badly as Carrey’s Grinch and I just dislike it less due to those expectations. Grinch came with so much talent that it created elevated expectations.

Of course, Hat boasts a pretty good roster of its own. In addition to the actors named, we find Alec Baldwin and Sean Hayes, and screenwriters Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel all worked on Seinfeld.

One issue may stem from a major participant not mentioned: director Bo Welch. The acclaimed production designer of hits like 1985’s Color Purple and 1988’s Beetlejuice, Hat became Welch’s first – and last – project as director.

Unsurprisingly, Welch brings a lively sense of Seussian whimsy to the project. However, he can’t tell a coherent story, so Hat seems off-kilter and without real thrust most of the time.

Welch makes a Hat that feels frantic. It wants to badly for us to love it but it fails, as it simply seems overeager and manic.

This becomes an absolutely desperate attempt to amuse us. The film bludgeons the viewer with forced frivolity that never feels organic or especially amusing.

It doesn’t help that Hat struggles to fill its 82 minutes given the brevity of the Seuss source. Even the 1971 animated version found it difficult to expand to 25 minutes, so going more than three times as long pushes it even more.

That means a lot of scenes that exist for no narrative purpose and a lot of filler. Thanks to the need to expand the simple story to 82 minutes, the film turns into a collection of comedic scenes without much actual connection to the loose narrative.

Myers plays the Cat like a pushy version of Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion and can’t provoke many laughs no matter how hard he tries – and boy, does he try hard. Myers appears to understand the slight nature of the project and attempts to carry it all on his own.

Talented though he is, he can’t achieve this. He tries so hard to delight that he comes across as obnoxious too much of the time.

Baldwin does offer some mirth as the unctuous and conniving neighbor, and Fanning pulls off the uptight kid who needs to learn to loosen up. Breslin seems overly annoying off the bat, however, and he never gets more likable.

At 82 minutes, at least Cat in the Hat doesn’t take up too much of the viewer’s time. That seems like a pretty poor “recommendation”, however.

Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The film came with a solid presentation.

No serious issues with sharpness manifested. A few shots could lean a little soft, but the majority of the flick appeared accurate and concise.

Neither jagged edges nor moiré effects marred the proceedings, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws remained absent.

As expected, the film’s palette leaned toward primary hues. These felt bright and vivid.

Blacks appeared dark and tight, while low-light elements came across as well-depicted. This wound up as an appealing image.

I also liked the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, even if it might not quite live up to expectations. Given the antics on display, I anticipated a consistently wild and wacky soundfield.

This didn’t manifest, as the audio failed to go as bonkers as the shenanigans implied. Still, that didn’t make this a bad mix.

Indeed, the Cat’s frivolity meant the various channels enjoyed a good level of activity and movement. We got plenty of material from all around the room and the bits blended well.

Audio quality satisfied, with speech that came across as natural and distinctive. Music showed nice range and punch.

Effects felt accurate and bold, without distortion. Though perhaps a little more restrained than I’d prefer, the soundtrack nonetheless satisfied.

The disc comes with plenty of extras, and we begin with an audio commentary from director Bo Welch and actor Alec Baldwin. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific look at the source and its adaptation, cast and performances, visual design, music, effects and related topics.

While Welch and Baldwin make this a chatty affair, it doesn’t reveal a lot of useful information. The end product remains reasonably engaging but it fails to provide a particularly good view of the production.

12 Deleted Scenes occupy a total of 16 minutes, 38 seconds. Most of these offer little bits and bobs without much narrative purpose - and some come with multiple iterations that vary only slightly - though I enjoy the chance to see these moments without final effects.

The biggest exception comes from a sequence in which the Cat and the kids rescue their dog from Larry at a TV store. While not especially amusing, it offers a substantial segment.

A collection of Outtakes occupies six minutes, 22 seconds and brings the usual goofs and giggles. However, we get some improv bits that add life to the compilation.

Dance Along with the Cat breaks into four sections: "Learn Steps 1 Thru 4" (3:09), "Learn Steps 5 Thru 8" (2:15), "Practice the Cat Dance" (1:10) and "Dance-A-Long with the Cat" (2:42). These clips teach kids some moves. Nothing here will entertain adults - well, other than the extremes to which the reels go to hide the fact Mike Myers doesn't portray the Cat here.

With The Dirt on DIRT (2:26), we hear from Welch, animation supervisors Keith Roberts and Craig Talmy, production designer Alex McDowell, and actors Mike Myers and Dakota Fanning. Though brief, this becomes a fairly efficient look at how the movie brought an amazing cleaning gadget to life.

Seussville USA (3:39) involves Welch as he leads us through the design of the movie's town. It becomes another short but solid reel.

Next comes The Mother of All Messes (2:40), a piece with Myers, Fanning, Welch, Talmy, Roberts, producer Brian Grazer, visual effects supervisor Douglas Smith, and actor Spencer Breslin. They discuss visual effects and design in this enjoyable little piece.

More character elements arrive under The Cat (2:39), The Hat (2:26), The Fish (2:31) and The Kids (3:00). These feature Welch, Myers, Breslin, Talmy, cat suit designer Steve Johnson, costume designer Rita Ryack, digital effects supervisor Chris Sjoholm and actors Kelly Preston and Sean Hayes.

These clips examine cast and performances, costumes, and visual effects. Some lean fluffy - especially "Kids" - but all come with reasonable informational value.

The SLOW (2:17) brings notes from Myers, Fanning, Breslin, Grazer, and unnamed designer. We find details about the Cat's vehicle in this decent overview.

With The Cat Stacks (1:49), we hear from Welch, Myers, Preston, Talmy and Roberts. It covers some of Cat's magical movements in another useful reel.

The Music (2:28) features Welch and composer David Newman as they - shocker - discuss the movie's score. We get interesting notes about the unusual instrumentation.

Next comes The Real Dr, Seuss (2:55), a quick look at the creator with Myers, Grazer, Baldwin, author's widow Audrey Geisel, publisher's son Chris Cerf. It brings basics but seems too short to really dig into the topic.

The Purrr-fect Stamp (3:04) involves Breslin, Fanning, Geisel, US Postmaster General John E. Potter and AFI Director/CEO Jean Picker Firstenberg. They talk about how Dr. Seuss became a stamp in this moderately interesting reel.

An attempt to capitalize on the popularity of 2000’s live-action Grinch film, 2003’s Cat in the Hat becomes another iffy adaptation of a Dr. Seuss tale. Frenetic and clumsy, the movie never satisfies. The Blu-ray comes with very good picture and audio as well as a nice array of supplements. This turns into a quality release for a weak film.