SUBMITTED BY Lincoln

November 6, 2002 — There's a fantastic article in The Hollywood Reporter today about Cat in The Hat and how they created the neighborhood (22 houses) from SCRATCH in three months:

As you drive over the 118 freeway into Simi Valley, Calif., you may notice a very strange-looking housing development peaking up over the hillside. Pink siding, blue roofs and orange chimneys dominate the landscape -- not exactly the look families are searching for in their quest for the perfect dwelling. But for the residents of Anville, it's the perfect community. Trees look like they are trying to touch the ground, houses are built to the perfect dimensions of any imaginative child, and one bright blue traffic light regulates all the residents' comings and goings. This is the locale for Universal Pictures/Imagine Entertainment's newest Seussian adaptation -- "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat." Starring Mike Myers and set to be released during the holiday season in 2004, the production has transformed the private ranch of Grazin Acres into the bedroom community of Anville. But building 22 houses with 22 attached garages in three months is quite a feat -- ask any homeowner who has worked on a remodel. And it couldn't have been done without the vision of production designer Alex McDowell, best known for his recent work on "Minority Report" and "Fight Club." With director Bo Welch's impetus and design sense, the production team was challenged with creating only five sets but making sure they all maintained a minimalist look centered on a child's perspective.

Click below for the rest of the article!