In 1957, Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, wrote “The Cat in the Hat” as an educational reading primer for children — something with a little more spirit and pizzazz than “Fun With Dick and Jane.” In doing so, he created one of the most iconic American characters of fiction: a chaos-loving kitty in a tall striped top hat who loves rhyming wordplay and creating fun for children, no matter the consequences.
Existing somewhere between Amelia Bedelia and Harold Hill of “The Music Man,” the Cat in the Hat is an insouciant charmer who is now woven into the fabric of American culture. But the new animated feature (with Bill Hader voicing the title role) is only the second film adaptation of the popular book. After the disaster of the 2003 live-action “The Cat in the Hat” starring Mike Myers, Geisel’s widow Audrey decided she would no longer allow any more live-action adaptations of her husband’s work.
Animation seems more suited to the style and imagination of Dr. Seuss anyway, which is delightfully absurd and surreal. A pity, then, that this long-awaited film feels so limited in its storytelling, which is highly formulaic and bogged down with mawkish and overstated lessons about appreciating family and accepting the circumstances in which we find ourselves. The Cat in the Hat is first and foremost a fun-loving imp, and unfortunately, this film — far more maudlin than mischievous — doesn’t reflect that character.
It’s strange, because the right elements are all there to make it work. Hader’s elastic voice rides in a higher range than usual, but he also mixes it up, expressing the many multifaceted aspects of the Cat’s erratic personality. The world-building of the Cat’s unique workplace is fantastically colorful and wild, and the voice cast, from Matt Berry to Bowen Yang, delivers fresh and funny performances.
So why does this feel like such a slog? Perhaps co-writers and co-directors Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja tried to do too much. The plot is somewhat faithful to the book, with the Cat tasked with cheering up a pair of siblings, Gabby (Xochitl Gomez) and Sebastian (Tiago Martinez), left alone at home on a rainy day. They’ve just moved to a new part of town, and preteen Gabby is beyond distraught, furious with her well-meaning mother (America Ferrera)
Meanwhile, the Cat is on his last life at work, with his boss (Giancarlo Esposito) frustrated that “mess-o-meter” ratings are so high, even if he scores well on the “emot-o-scope.” He sets the Cat up to fail, threatening to fire him if there’s even one mess, then tempting the Cat with a dangerously devious device, the Go-Backer, to clean up his mess. Even with the assistance of his friend Sherri (Quinta Brunson) and Gary the intern (Yang), a hilariously snooty nepo hire, the Cat is in an impossible position — can his adventure with Gabby and Sebastian work in his favor?
The Cat and the kids dive into their cardboard boxes to find the misplaced Go-Backer and discover vast, amazing worlds informed by their interests and imaginations. But if the Go-Backer is misused, it threatens to tear reality apart, and hot on their heels is a Thing, who has evolved into a terrifying monster with Gollum-like tendencies, obsessed with the Go-Backer. If they don’t figure it all out, it’s going to be much more than just a mess.
There’s a bit of a stakes problem here, but everything that happens in this imagination world is metaphorical, of course, in service of Gabby’s thunderous revelation that her mother was once a creative person too. There are too many sappy life lessons in a film that should just be silly, simple fun. They’re nice sentiments, but is the Cat in the Hat really going to be the conduit for this? He’s merely a feline purveyor of trouble and witticisms.
For all the talent on display here, from Hader to Yang to Berry, who voices the kid’s goldfish, Waffles — no longer an antagonist but, rather, an ally to the Cat — the film misses the mark when it comes to Seussian whimsy. There are some mixed animation styles that lend to the visual appeal, but the “real world” we spend the most time in is gray and bland, despite the Cat’s presence. Some moments are appealingly weird, especially those with the gang of Things (who are clearly being set up for a sequel), but with the exception of one or two bits, most of the humor feels forced, the cloying emotional themes overriding everything else, even Hader’s exceptional gifts.
Even though it started out as an educational text, “The Cat in the Hat” should be fun. This adaptation? Not fun (enough).
Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.
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