The Cat in the Hat returns to the big screen in an animated feature that puts a more appealing spin on the character than the 2003 live-action adaptation. The film opens in theaters on November 6 and stars Bill Hader as the mischievous Cat.
Rather than stretch the children’s book into a feature-length story directly, writer-directors Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni build a larger adventure around its central idea: the Cat arrives to encourage imagination and mischief. He works for an imagination-focused organization alongside other anthropomorphic animals, a setup that gives the film room for colorful visuals and playful references to Dr. Seuss’s world.
The story follows siblings Gabby and Sebastian, voiced by Xochitl Gomez and Tiago Martinez, as they adjust to moving to a new city with their mother, Carmen, played by America Ferrera. The Cat’s fantastical world is bright and offbeat, contrasting with the more grounded look of the children’s home life. The film finds regular laughs in visual gags and slapstick, while some jokes have an extra layer for adults.
Hader brings comic energy and vocal versatility to the title role. Matt Berry also makes a strong impression as Waffles, the family’s pet fish, whom the Cat gives the ability to speak. Berry’s bombastic delivery provides a steady source of humor as the overwhelmed fish reacts to the chaos around him.
The adventure takes off after the Cat loses a device that can rewind recent events. The search leads him, Gabby and Sebastian into the moving boxes still filling the family’s apartment, where toys, objects and drawings become larger-than-life environments. The imaginative sequences include several distinctive touches, with everyday items finding unexpected ways to come alive.
The main weakness is the film’s length. At just under two hours, it loses momentum in the third act as it juggles the search for the device, a pursuing creature called Something, the Cat’s threatened job and a subplot involving the family’s strict landlord. The number of competing storylines makes the film feel stretched as it approaches its conclusion.
Even so, the movie remains an enjoyable watch thanks to its humor and likable performances. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are reimagined as a larger group of chaotic creatures unleashed in the children’s apartment. Their antics bring a mischievous, Gremlins-like energy, and the film even includes a self-aware joke about their potential as franchise characters.
Sources: IGN.