“The Cat in the Hat” (2026) is a loosely faithful adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic 1957 children’s book about an anthropomorphic cat who inexplicably arrives at kids’ homes when no adults are home on a rainy day and gets them into mischief along with Thing One and Thing Two. This animated film gives the Cat in the Hat (Bill Hader) a back story as an agent at the Institute for the Institution for Imagination and Inspiration, LLC (I.I.I.I.), which cheers up children. When his boss, Mr. Hoogeboom (Giancarlo Esposito), is displeased with the Cat’s metrics and is about to fire him, thanks to his best friend, Gabby from HR (Quinta Brunson), Mr. Hoogeboom assigns the hardest assignment to the Cat: a furple case. The furple case starts with Carmen (America Ferrera) moving her children, Gabby (Xochitl Gomez) and Sebastian (Tiago Martinez), and their goldfish, Waffles (Matt Berry), to a new neighborhood, but Gabby is devastated. Can the Cat keep his job and cheer these kids up or will he lose his job and leave them in a worse situation than he found them? Filled with strong character arcs, amazing vocal talent and some sidesplitting moments, your kids will be thrilled, but adults will need coffee or arrive well rested at the theater to get through this movie without falling asleep and missing the best parts.
“The Cat in the Hat” boasts a perfect ensemble cast. Hader’s voice sounds like his dialogue should look when executed on screen. He knows how to use that tool in such an evocative way, which helps when the story meanders. Out of good will for Hader, you will want to stick around to see what he does with the character and where the character winds up. The opening feels more faithful to the original story with a Pleasantville-esque aesthetic before the scene bursts into color to reveal that it is contemporary. There is a quick “devices are the problem” story line before the Cat returns to I.I.I.I. Bowen Yang, Hader’s fellow “Saturday Night Live” alum, is instantly recognizable. Some of the Cat’s most charming characteristics are when he still acts like a cat: yowling on the street, playing in boxes, and batting an object dangling on a string. His journey is to figure out if he is a benevolent figure helping kids or a sociopath who wreaks havoc for thrills.
The family is credible. Gabby is understandably moping but is still aggravating for putting words in people’s mouths, including her mom and the Cat, and making sweeping assumptions while disavowing her former self. “The Cat in the Hat” copies the broad beats of adolescent girls being the sulky spoil sport trying and failing to be too cool for school and the little brother as the wholesome one who has not lost the magic and can help his big sister get back in touch with happier times. Gabby is on a journey to dispel her misunderstandings and assumptions and remember what and who she loves while accepting her new home thus reconnecting with her better side. Sebastian has a lot of diffuse personality, and his main goal is to have the opportunity to play with his big sister again. Waffles is just trying to not die after the Things classify him as food. Even though the kids’ story takes center stage, their mom’s story is the silent foundation, and the film feels as if it is consciously trying to acknowledge the parents in the audience with a well-deserved thank you.
When the Cat arrives on the scene with a time travel device, the Go Backer, which the Cat wants to use so he and the kids can go wild without losing his job, the kids want to use the Go Backer to return to the past when they were happier, not just reverse the mess that they made. Their adventures model what each of them needs to learn about themselves and the people around them, and it is a clever story device to implement structure on the chaotic Cat’s actions. Hader infuses sarcasm when articulating what the kids are thinking so they can hear how ridiculous they are being. The adventures occur in each family member’s box, which is how they learn about the interiority of themselves and their loved ones’ minds. It is a brilliant story device. It is also often boring and slow even with hilarious moments of Waffles’ accomplishments as a stunt fish or just a reliable scene stealer, Titus Burgess as a toy, the Psychic Narwhal, whose storyline feels ripped out of the “Toy Story” franchise, or the scenes of their busybody, controlling, pill of a landlord, Patty (the genius Paula Pell, another “Saturday Night Live” alum). There is a version of “The Cat in the Hat” which has a tighter focus and is much shorter, but it is not in this part of the multiverse.
“The Cat in the Hat” may have made a misstep when it also used the climactic action beats of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (“MCU”) to elevate the story’s stakes. Is not the arrival of mom to find a messy home scary enough? Apparently not because there is a villain, the Something, who wants to get the Go backer, which could destroy the universe’s fabric. The imagery and storyline felt too close to Dormammu in “Doctor Strange” (2016) or Alioth in Season 1 of “Loki.” It is the same sickly green and mystical purple that are staples in a lot of MCU Disney+ series. Once revealed, the Something’s identity was obvious.
When the movie sticks to its nonsensical vibe, it is much stronger. For instance, there is a joke grenade with the family’s neighbor, Howard, who seems to have a disapproving look anytime Patty is around. My biggest guffaw was the reveal of what Howard was actually up to in his apartment. The animation is reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’ drawing style though there is a variety and glossy sheen that is absent from the book. The Things’ language is amusing with a lyrical quality, but there is a danger that children will take the wrong lesson from their speech and start slapping sense into each other with plausible deniability. Overall “The Cat in the Hat” uses more needle drops than original music otherwise it could have been a musical contender. The movie’s biggest contribution to society may be advocating for keeping things instead of purging.
“The Cat in the Hat” is a well-intentioned movie filled with quality performances and great ideas for a storyline, but the execution can often feel like a slog because the filmmakers could not kill their darlings. What matters is that the kids will love it. It is a smidge alarming that work propaganda got snuck into a movie about childhood mischief without consequences. The Cat is framed as a maverick genius who deserves to be rewarded for his good work instead of being discarded or forced to conform to a standard. It is a terrific lesson on the pulse of our times, but hardly Theodor Seuss Geisel’s original vision.
