Dr. Seuss’ 1957 children’s book, The Cat in the Hat, gets an animated adaptation, following the live-action version in 2003 starring Mike Myers as the Cat. The book, in verse, tells the story of two children stuck at home on a rainy day and the Cat in a striped red hat, who comes to their home and shows them a bunch of magic tricks.
The movie starts with the original story. After his assignment, though, the Cat (Bill Hader) scores high on the emotoscope, with the children deliriously happy, but his Mess-o-Meter score, which tracks the chaos he creates, is off the charts.
The Cat in the Hat (English)
Directors: Erica Rivinoja, Alessandro Carloni
Starring: Bill Hader, Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Xochitl Gomez, Giancarlo Esposito, America Ferrera
Storyline: After creating chaos on his last assignment, the Cat has one last chance to redeem himself
Runtime: 107 minutes
His boss at the Institute for Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC, Mr. Hoogeboom (Giancarlo Esposito), is furious. He wants to fire the Cat, but Sherrie from HR (Quinta Brunson) uncovers a rule stating that employees must be given one more chance before being fired.
Mr. Hoogeboom reluctantly agrees to give the Cat a chance but hands him the flurple folder, which houses the toughest cases. The Cat’s new clients are Gabby (Xochitl Gomez) and her younger brother, Sebastian (Tiago Martinez). Since their mother, Carmen (America Ferrera), a nurse, got a new job, the family has moved to a new town.
Gabby is upset about leaving her old home and misses her school and friends. Sebastian is sad because Gabby does not play with him anymore. The landlady in the new apartment, Patty (Paula Pell), is rather terrifying, with her endless rules, including a no-pet rule, which makes Sebastian nervous about his goldfish, Waffles (Matt Berry).
When Gabby sees the Cat has an instrument called the Go-Backer which can turn back time, she thinks of using it to reverse the family’s move. There is a scuffle and the Go-Backer is lost. Everything comes right in the end with colourful chases, adventures, jokes and the dreadful villain, Something, is defeated.
The humour is a nice mix of subtle and loud visual gags. Mr. Hoogeboom being literally two-dimensional and rolled up like a mat was giggle-worthy. The name, Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC, sounds suitably bureaucratic, and there is a smart pun on Sherrie from HR. The Things with the red vests and blue hair and singular means of communication are funny too. Cardboard cartons being portals to other dimensions are visually striking and work as wonderful metaphors, as anyone who has had to pack and unpack on moving day knows.
And just when you worry that things are getting too metaphorical, there are Sebastian’s underpants swimming around like manta rays, flying like kites or being deployed as weapons. The bright red sofa doubling up as a multipurpose vehicle gives a whole new meaning to couch surfing. The sea circus with the Psychic Narwhal (Titus Burgess) is beautifully visualised.
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The moral, about giving a thought to the sacrifices parents make for their children, is charmingly slipped in and is quite touching. The voice work is good and the visuals burst forth powered by a quirky creativity.
The Cat in the Hat might be a bit too busy at times, and all that red might give a case of retinal fatigue, but the Cat is sweet, and so are the children, the grown-ups, the Things, and even poor Something. After the horrors of Halloween, The Cat in the Hat might just be what the doctor ordered to ease into the tinsel and ugly jumpers for the festive season.
The Cat in the Hat is currently running in theatres
Published – November 07, 2026 01:15 pm IST
