Character mistake: After the things let the dog out, Larry calls Joan and tells her that the kids let him out, and he will get him (the dog). Later, when he's downtown with the dog, he has the line about "when Joan finds out you've escaped, Conrad's out and I'm in". Where is the surprise? He already called her, so she knows!
The Cat in the Hat (2003)
1 character mistake - chronological order
Directed by: Bo Welch
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Dakota Fanning, Mike Myers, Kelly Preston, Spencer Breslin
Continuity mistake: When Conrad first puts the spider lock in his pocket it is put in his left pocket, but when he takes it out, he takes it out of his right pocket.
Cat in the Hat: Don't worry, I have three plans. Plan A: Mess up a perfectly clean house. Done that! Plan B: Cut your losses and ditch the kids. That could work.
Sally: What about that one?
Cat in the Hat: Plan C: Trick Mom's boyfriend into handing over dog and lock. I don't know. I still like Plan B.
Trivia: When the kids are signing the contract and discover the Spray & Neuter certificate, the date of birth on the certificate is 25 May 1963, which is Mike Myers' own birthday.
Question: What year is this film set in? The clothing and architecture don't make it clear. Is it meant to be timeless?
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Chosen answer: Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Suess as we know him, published most of his books between the late 1930's and the late 1980's. "The Cat in the Hat" was first published in 1957. Dr. Seuss' works generally tell the stories of fantastical characters in imaginary places, meant to be timeless. Illustrations and animated adaptations show buildings and objects with unusual proportions, odd shapes and bizarre functions. The live action film of "The Cat in the Hat, " however, is rooted to reality by its decidedly human child protagonists in an ordinary house in an ordinary neighborhood. The production design, costume design and set decoration of the 2003 film seem also to have the goal of achieving a certain timelessness. No date reference is given. However, there a decidedly stylized quality of 1950's-1960's suburban architecture and design, complete with its generic forms, chimneys, picket fences, and colors such as yellows and avocado greens, reflecting the common decor of the time. Similar to the 1971 TV short, which seems to provide a reference point for the design aesthetic of the film, nothing appears exceedingly futuristic nor rooted in period styles like victorian or colonial. I have also posed your question to Rita Ryack, the film's costume designer, whom I found on Facebook. If she sees my questions and decides to respond, I will add her insights to this answer.