Question: When The Central Park Rangers are called in action it mentions the Simon and Garfunkel concert and their actions being under speculation - was this a real event (their questionable actions), and if so what was the problem, or was it just a fictional jokey reference?
Answer: I believe that this refers to an incident I was involved in. I was a new ranger riding Captain Cutter, an ex-race horse that we had Nick named Captain Goofy due to his propensity to suddenly spin in circles without warning. We were leading buses of handicapped people through shoulder-to-shoulder crowds when Goofy did his thing sending people scattering in all directions. It was over pretty quickly. I did not realise at the time that it was news.
Question: At the salmon run, what does the foreign bear say?
Answer: A good translation would be "I almost froze to death while I was going over the huge icy mountain pass, it was something which I only barely survived! Barely!
Question: What kind of bird is Nigel? He looks a lot like an Albatross to me.
Chosen answer: Nigel is a pelican - he appears to be modelled on a Brown pelican (although that particular species is not actually native to Australia).
Question: What's the name of the song that Anna's band sings for their audition? And is there anywhere I can hear it or buy it or has someone actually released it?
Answer: It's called 'Take Me Away' by Christina Vidal. It's on the movie soundtrack.
Question: How old are Lizzie, Gordo and all their classmates meant to be in the film?
Answer: In the TV show, they are 13-14 years old. Assuming this is after the TV show, and we never see Lizzie, Gordo or Miranda celebrating their 14th birthdays (we see Kate celebrating her '14th' birthday and Gordo celebrating his Bar Mitzfah a year late), Lizzie and Miranda are 13-14, Gordo is 14 and Kate is 15 (it is mentioned in an earlier episode that she was held back a year in Kindergarten.) This is only an assumption, due to the TV show.
Question: If Peter Pan says that the Lost Boys fell out of their prams and weren't claimed in 7 days so they were sent to Neverland. This would make them infants. Why then are they like 7-12 years old if Neverland doesn't make you age?
Answer: It's not that you never age, it's that you never grow up, i.e. pass into puberty and become an adult.
Question: Why, on the cover of the video and DVD of Daddy Day Care, is there a dog when there is no dog in the film?
Answer: This dog belongs to the Klingon kid - he brings it in when it is Pet Day.
Question: Near the end of the movie, Edward Gracey says to Ramsley that the letter is written in Elizabeth's hand. If Mr. Gracey knew what Elizabeth's writing looks like, wouldn't he have realized that the fake letter Ramsley wrote was in fact fake and not from Elizabeth?
Chosen answer: Considering Ramsley's intelligence, he would have been able to make "couterfeit" handwriting.
Question: What year is this film set in? The clothing and architecture don't make it clear. Is it meant to be timeless?
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.
Question: Dr. Claw's claw has a red light built into it. During the film it is shown to be flashing. I've just always wanted to know what this means?
Answer: Probably just a common trope seen in movies to indicate something is on or working. It adds a hint of in-movie realism. While it's shown that the claw can be operated manually or through will, it isn't implied the light does anything or tells us anything.
Question: Was the ending a suicide or just an accident?
Answer: An accident. They were inexperienced pilots trying dangerous barnstorming stunts. A fitting end for two adventurers afraid of nothing.
Answer: This was a real event. The Simon and Garfunkel free concert drew a crowd of over half a million people and the Central Park Rangers were investigated for being a little "over-enthusiastic" in their methods of crowd control. It was 1981 though, not 1985 as stated.
Absolutely correct and thank you - I was there at the concert and it was 1981. I love the movie Elf but that incorrect reference is a slight irritant - LOL.