New DVDs include tributes to Dr. Seuss

An eclectic array of children's DVDs has landed on video store shelves, including a couple of 1960s relics, and a pair dedicated to Dr. Seuss — just in time for the opening of "The Cat in the Hat" on Friday.

— "The Best of Dr. Seuss" (Warner, 1942-95, not rated, $19.98).

— "In Search of Dr. Seuss" (Warner, 1994, not rated, $19.98).

With the opening of the live-action "Cat in the Hat" movie, two new DVDs have been released, and both will please fans (young and old).

Two half-hour TV specials and a 10-minute Merrie Melodies cartoon are featured on the "Best of Dr. Seuss" disc. "The Butter Battle Book" (1989); "Daisy-Head Mayzie," introduced by the Cat in the Hat (1995); and "Horton Hatches the Egg" (1942) are all a lot of fun. (Although, visually, "Horton" stands out, showing how much more fluid and fully animated cartoons used to be. Not that kids will notice.)

"In Search of Dr. Seuss" is a 90-minute TV special that has a reporter (Kathy Najimy) getting the full history of Dr. Seuss from the Cat in the Hat (Matt Frewer). While mostly lighthearted and wacky, this show also has its serious moments, exploring Theodor Geisel's strong feelings concerning prejudice and self-worth.

Also on hand in various character guises are Robin Williams, Patrick Stewart, Christopher Lloyd and Billy Crystal, among others. And there are clips from animated specials "The Lorax," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "The Butter Battle Book" and "Horton Hatches the Egg," among others. (As a bonus, there is a 1943 black-and-white "Private Snafu" military cartoon that Geisel wrote and Chuck Jones directed, complete with offensive Japanese stereotypes, which might provide a discussion opportunity for parents.)

Extras: Full frame, trailers, etc.

— "The Trouble With Angels" (Columbia, 1966, PG, $24.95).

— "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows" (Columbia, 1968, G, $24.95).

The incomparable Rosalind Russell stars in these two '60s comedies as a stern mother superior running a Catholic girls school in Pennsylvania. Both films are slight farces that look for all the world as if they were cranked out of the Disney factory (helped by the presence of Hayley Mills in the first film), and they're worth seeing for the many familiar faces that pop up.