The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat

Plot

The special opens on a morning that is so beautiful, even the Grinch wakes up in a good mood. However, his cheerfulness is soon revoked when his reflection in the mirror prompts him to repeat the "Grinch's Oath" and prove himself a Grinch. Meanwhile, the Cat in the Hat goes on a picnic. Their paths cross when the Grinch can't get his car around the Cat's, and things quickly escalate into a fierce car chase after the Cat unintentionally insults the Grinch by calling him "Mr. Greenface."

The Cat returns to the safety of his house, but the Grinch follows him there and tampers with his voice using a device he has invented, the "Vacusound Sweeper", in the process sabotaging other sounds within a 50-mile radius. The Grinch then proceeds to his "darkhouse", a lighthouse that spreads darkness, to tamper with the Cat's sight.

The Cat becomes upset with the Grinch's hijinks and has a psychiatric session with him in a thought bubble to find out what makes him so mean-spirited. Predictably, he gets nowhere with the imaginary Grinch, so he then decides to go over and have a talk with him, but the Grinch makes it so dark that he can't see where he's going, and he crashes his car when he passes a "Dead End" sign.

The Cat attempts to hide from the Grinch in a nearby restaurant, but the Grinch's machine continues to mess with reality, making the restaurant and everything with it literally come crazily to life, and his hijinks result in confusion all over the restaurant. The Cat is now furious with the Grinch and ponders to himself how he can change the Grinch, eventually racing through a door and sending himself hurtling into the Grinch's Dimension. He soon figures it out and rallies everybody in the restaurant to follow him to the Grinch's house.

There, he leads everyone in a song to remind the Grinch of all of the love he received from his mother and implore him to change his ways and be a better person ("Deep down in your brain, must you give her more pain? / Please soften your heart, make Mum happy again"). The Grinch cries when he hears this, disassembles his machines, and continues his change of heart into the next morning. When his reflection tries to convert him back to his old self, though, Max drains out his voice with the Vacusound Sweeper.

Voice cast

Credits

Musical numbers

1. "A Beelzeberry Day" – The Cat
2. "Relax-ification" – The Cat
3. "Master of Everyone's Ears" – The Grinch
4. "Most Horrible Things" – The Grinch
5. "Psychiatry Song" – The Cat
6. "Remember Your Mother" – The Cat / Chef / Musicians and Waiters

Awards

1982 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

Home media

The special was first released on VHS in the mid-80s via CBS/Fox Video's Playhouse Video division, and reissued later in the decade. This release used its working title The Cat in the Hat Gets Grinched. The special retained its normal name on VHS re-releases (including Dr. Seuss Sing-Along Classics by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with CBS Video and Fox Kids Video). It was also re-released on VHS in 2000 by Paramount Home Entertainment. It was later released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The DVD cuts out half of the car chase sequence, ending the chase after the Grinch drives into a mud pit.

The special was released again on DVD by Warner Home Video on October 18, 2011 as part of the Dr. Seuss's Holidays on the Loose! DVD set, along with How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and Halloween Is Grinch Night.