‘The Cat in the Hat’ is certainly iconic. But as far as that is concerned, this latest animation could not escape the curse of being the latest IP adapted to the screen with all the bells and whistles. However, it trades depth for excess. There’s no arguing that the visuals are bright and the animation is stunning.
One thing we can all agree is that this animation is far too clever and cunning for the beloved source material that it puts to the screen. ‘The Cat in the Hat’ is already familiar to many children by the time they reach preschool or kindergarten. This makes the animation less of an introduction to the character than a new take on a beloved classic.
‘The Cat in the Hat’ was written and directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja. The aim of this animation is to expand the story beyond the original 1957 book. In fact, it offers a new generation with a different take than Universal Pictures’ 2003 live-action “Cat in the Hat” movie starring Mike Myers.
‘The Cat in the Hat’ is voiced by Bill Hader. He gets a final chance to keep his job by cheering up siblings Gabby (voiced by Xochitl Gomez) and her younger brother Sebastian (voiced by Tiago Martinez). This happens after they move to a new home with their single mother, Carmen (voiced by America Ferrera). Other voice casts you should expect in this animation include Matt Berry and Giancarlo Esposito.
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In the new digitally animated “The Cat in the Hat,” Hader, who is one of the film’s executive producers, doesn’t stumble into the black hole of misjudgment that Mike Myers did back in 2003, when he starred in a live-action “The Cat in the Hat.”
We can all agree Thatte directors of this animation have avoided the earlier version’s pitfalls. But they have also made a few mistakes of their own. The new “Cat in the Hat,” it goes without saying at this point, makes no attempt to be a faithful adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s most fabled books.
It’s admirable work, animated with vivacious passion and wit that certainly had the children in my screening howling in delight at the excess put to screen. At the same time, it’s arguably far too much for its own good, ironically becoming part of the problem it critiques by combating the noise with more noise.
The main problem with this animation is that it refuses to focus on one idea at a time. Actually, it mistakes fast-paced movement for a natural escalation of stakes. There are no fewer than three villains in this story, with numerous other side characters from Sebastian’s fish Waffles (Matt Berry) and the Cat’s friend, Sherri (Quinta Brunson), who each have their own arcs that never quite gel with the main narrative.
‘The Cat in the Hat’ is out in US cinemas now, in the UK on 4 December and in Australia on 30 December.
