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Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: The Cat's Playhouse, The
Columbia/Tri-Star // G // October 21, 2003
List Price: $14.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Show
It can be difficult for parents to choose viewing materials for their children. They want something that the kids will enjoy and want to watch, and yet something which fits with the family's values. Thus, it's nice when there are brand-names that can be trusted in situations such as these. Two such names are Dr. Seuss and Jim Henson. These two giants of imaginative entertainment come together in The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, a television series from 1996. (I believe it ran on the Disney Channel, but don't quote me on that.) The episodes from this series have been gathered on six VHS releases in the past, and we've now gotten our first DVD volume of the show, entitled, "The Cat's Playhouse".
The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss takes familiar characters from the works of Dr. Seuss and re-interprets them, Muppet-style. The characters all look-like their 2-dimensional representations from Seuss' books, but they've been given that trademark Muppet pizazz. The three 24-minute episodes contained in "The Cat's Playhouse" all feature The Cat in the Hat (voiced by Bruce Lanoil). The Cat lives in a house with Terence McBird and several smaller cats in hats. Each episode features a main story and 2 short stories which also deal with the central theme. The Cat uses his Wubbulouscope in order to see other parts of Seussland and find different stories. The three episodes are as follows:
"The Cat in the Hat Cleans Up His Act" -- The Cat's house is so messy that he can't find his trademark red bowtie. So, Terence McBird and three small cats agree to help The Cat in the Hat clean the house in order to find the bowtie. In the first story that The Cat sees through the Wubbulouscope, Jane Kangaroo and her son are tired of raking leaves from their tree, so they buy an artificial tree from Yertle the Turtle. But, they soon learn that fake trees aren't very practical. In the second story, Matthew Matroon must clean his room, which is piled with junk. Obvious, the episode teaches that keeping things clean can be hard work, but it's well worth it.
"The Cat in the Hat's Indoor Picnic" -- The Cat plans to take his friends on a picnic, but when they head outside, they find that it's raining. They are very disappointed, Terence McBird most of all, but the ever positive Cat decides that an indoor picnic can be just as much fun. So, they take the food and set up indoor games and rides in order to simulate their picnic. Sam I Am makes a cameo appearance here. In the first side story, the Princess is going on a picnic, but she's not sure of the destination. So, she imagines all of the fun places where one could hold a picnic. In the second story, Morton (son of Horton, who heard a who) and Jr. Kangaroo are searching for the McPoodle bird. But, when Jr. gets hurt, Morton doesn't want to continue the search without him, as some things are only fun when doing things with friends. This episode teaches youngsters to make the most of a bad situation, and that this is easier when one is amongst friends.
"The Cat in the Hat's Big Birthday Surprise" -- It's Terence McBird's birthday and The Cat in the Hat is planning a surprise party. However, Terence fears that no one has remembered his birthday and begins to get very upset with this friends. Once again, Sam I Am makes an appearance. The first side story features a boy who has just turned 8 and he's visited by the birthday Glurk, who takes the boy on a birthday adventure. In the second story, it's the Princess' birthday, and she's given many presents, but she's told that they are too precious to play with. She feels very blue until she opens her final present, which is a puppy!
The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss is an interesting show, which should hold the attention of youngsters (my 2-year old seemed fascinated by it). However, in the pantheon of Jim Henson productions, the show is mediocre at best. The Muppets look fine and the show is well-paced, but to me, it all feels like a dress rehearsal for Bear in the Big Blue House, which would premiere in 1997. The lessons taught in The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss are all timely and well thought out, but they are also very heavy-handed at times, and one feels that the balance between teaching and entertaining isn't equal. The show makes nice use of the Seussian language and this should aid the little ones in developing their verbal skills. The show certainly isn't bad, but there are better children's shows out there.
Video
The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss wubbles onto DVD courtesy of Columbia/Tri-Star Home Entertainment. The show is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The episodes look very good, as the images are very sharp and clear. They are so sharp in fact, that they reveal some artifacting and shimmering whenever a green-screen is in use. The colors look very good, and this shot-on-video production shows no grain, and very little video noise.
Audio
The DVD features a Dolby Digital stereo audio track. This track offers clear dialogue with no obvious defects. The stereo effects occur randomly, but are accurate and effective. The occasional songs in the show sound good as well.
Extras
There are no special features on this DVD, save for bonus trailers.
To be quite honest, I've never been a big fan of Dr. Seuss, but I've always liked the Muppets, so the combination of the two was bittersweet for me. I enjoyed the look of the show, and the Henson magic has put a new spin on the familiar works of Dr. Seuss.
It can be difficult for parents to choose viewing materials for their children. They want something that the kids will enjoy and want to watch, and yet something which fits with the family's values. Thus, it's nice when there are brand-names that can be trusted in situations such as these. Two such names are Dr. Seuss and Jim Henson. These two giants of imaginative entertainment come together in The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, a television series from 1996. (I believe it ran on the Disney Channel, but don't quote me on that.) The episodes from this series have been gathered on six VHS releases in the past, and we've now gotten our first DVD volume of the show, entitled, "The Cat's Playhouse".
The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss takes familiar characters from the works of Dr. Seuss and re-interprets them, Muppet-style. The characters all look-like their 2-dimensional representations from Seuss' books, but they've been given that trademark Muppet pizazz. The three 24-minute episodes contained in "The Cat's Playhouse" all feature The Cat in the Hat (voiced by Bruce Lanoil). The Cat lives in a house with Terence McBird and several smaller cats in hats. Each episode features a main story and 2 short stories which also deal with the central theme. The Cat uses his Wubbulouscope in order to see other parts of Seussland and find different stories. The three episodes are as follows:
"The Cat in the Hat Cleans Up His Act" -- The Cat's house is so messy that he can't find his trademark red bowtie. So, Terence McBird and three small cats agree to help The Cat in the Hat clean the house in order to find the bowtie. In the first story that The Cat sees through the Wubbulouscope, Jane Kangaroo and her son are tired of raking leaves from their tree, so they buy an artificial tree from Yertle the Turtle. But, they soon learn that fake trees aren't very practical. In the second story, Matthew Matroon must clean his room, which is piled with junk. Obvious, the episode teaches that keeping things clean can be hard work, but it's well worth it.
"The Cat in the Hat's Indoor Picnic" -- The Cat plans to take his friends on a picnic, but when they head outside, they find that it's raining. They are very disappointed, Terence McBird most of all, but the ever positive Cat decides that an indoor picnic can be just as much fun. So, they take the food and set up indoor games and rides in order to simulate their picnic. Sam I Am makes a cameo appearance here. In the first side story, the Princess is going on a picnic, but she's not sure of the destination. So, she imagines all of the fun places where one could hold a picnic. In the second story, Morton (son of Horton, who heard a who) and Jr. Kangaroo are searching for the McPoodle bird. But, when Jr. gets hurt, Morton doesn't want to continue the search without him, as some things are only fun when doing things with friends. This episode teaches youngsters to make the most of a bad situation, and that this is easier when one is amongst friends.
"The Cat in the Hat's Big Birthday Surprise" -- It's Terence McBird's birthday and The Cat in the Hat is planning a surprise party. However, Terence fears that no one has remembered his birthday and begins to get very upset with this friends. Once again, Sam I Am makes an appearance. The first side story features a boy who has just turned 8 and he's visited by the birthday Glurk, who takes the boy on a birthday adventure. In the second story, it's the Princess' birthday, and she's given many presents, but she's told that they are too precious to play with. She feels very blue until she opens her final present, which is a puppy!
The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss is an interesting show, which should hold the attention of youngsters (my 2-year old seemed fascinated by it). However, in the pantheon of Jim Henson productions, the show is mediocre at best. The Muppets look fine and the show is well-paced, but to me, it all feels like a dress rehearsal for Bear in the Big Blue House, which would premiere in 1997. The lessons taught in The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss are all timely and well thought out, but they are also very heavy-handed at times, and one feels that the balance between teaching and entertaining isn't equal. The show makes nice use of the Seussian language and this should aid the little ones in developing their verbal skills. The show certainly isn't bad, but there are better children's shows out there.
Video
The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss wubbles onto DVD courtesy of Columbia/Tri-Star Home Entertainment. The show is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The episodes look very good, as the images are very sharp and clear. They are so sharp in fact, that they reveal some artifacting and shimmering whenever a green-screen is in use. The colors look very good, and this shot-on-video production shows no grain, and very little video noise.
Audio
The DVD features a Dolby Digital stereo audio track. This track offers clear dialogue with no obvious defects. The stereo effects occur randomly, but are accurate and effective. The occasional songs in the show sound good as well.
Extras
There are no special features on this DVD, save for bonus trailers.
To be quite honest, I've never been a big fan of Dr. Seuss, but I've always liked the Muppets, so the combination of the two was bittersweet for me. I enjoyed the look of the show, and the Henson magic has put a new spin on the familiar works of Dr. Seuss.
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