MOVIE OF THE WEEK (11/6/26): THE CAT IN THE HAT

"Yeah ... I know a thing or two ... or four ... or five ... Or ..." The titular character (voiced by Bill Hader) tries to do some explaining to Sebastian (voiced by Tiago Martinez) and Gabby (voiced by Xochitl Gomez) in a scene from co-directors/co-writers Erica Rivinoja's & Alessandro Carloni's inventive take on Dr. Seuss' THE CAT IN THE HAT. Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. © 2026 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

CAST: Bill Hader | Xochitl Gomez | America Ferrara | Quinta Brunson | Giancarlo Esposito | Matt Berry | Paula Pell | Titus Burgess | Tiago Martinez 

WRITER: Erica Rivinoja & Alessandro Carloni (screenplay) Caroline Williams (screen story) | Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel (book)

DIRECTOR: Erica Rivinoja & Alessandro Carloni 

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THE STORY: Taking the 1957 story by Dr. Seuss to new and very unexpected places that ever before, THE CAT IN THE HAT features Bill Hader as the film's titular character, who – in this incarnation – has a job working for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration. His latest clients? Gabby (Xochitl Gomez) and her younger brother Sebastian (Tiago Martinez), a pair of young Hispanic siblings who have literally just moved into a new apartment in a new neighborhood with their hard-working nurse mother, Carmen (America Ferrara). While Carmen is seeing a brighter future for her family with her new high paying job, Carmen is openly lamenting leaving her friends and school marching band behind. Sebastian, however, is just lamenting the loss of time Gabby has been spending with him as late ...

With Gabby and Sebastian under strict orders to not cause any problems when Carmen heads off to her first day at work, the duo find their worlds upended even more once a new feisty feline enters their lives. With the family's new landlord Patty (Paula Pell) being very strict when it comes to the rules to not make noise and no pets in the building – and the Cat's boss Mr. Hoogeboom (Giancarlo Esposito) ready to fire him for his next infraction – the trio's initial meeting needs to go off without a hitch. But once Gabby discovers that the Cat has a device that could potentially reset her life to the way it used to be, things are about to go haywire ... Especially since someone – or should that be something – is also looking for the same device.

THE REVIEW: "Let's write a Dr. Seuss movie for the Adult Swim generation and the kids that watch shows like Rick & Morty with their parents, just without the profanity and more appealing to people of all ethnic backgrounds." While this may not have been the pitch co-writers/directors Erica Rivinoja & Alessandro Carloni made when pitching their vision for the film, some iteration of this statement had to surely cross their mind. For in watching the film, nearly everything about it – the visuals, the pacing, the language between the characters, etc. – seems perfectly structured for the TikTok generation ... While in the end coming up with right amount of heart and inspiration to be timeless.

Hader – who also served as an executive producer on the film – is no stranger to edgy, message-filled and yet sentimental animation world. After all, he has worked on a score of 2D projects having served as a contributor to the South Park franchise for years, Sausage Party and M.O.D.O.K. alongside more family-friendly fare such as Finding Dory, Inside Out and Toy Story 4. All those experiences have resulted in a performance where he knows how to use his voice to take center stage AND play the background well, which is why The Cat in the Hat could more accurately be named "The Cat in the Hat with his friends and their fish.' (Know that Matt Berry is excellent in his role as Waffles, Gabby and Sebastian's pet goldfish.)

The strongest performance, however, lies with Xochitl Gomez as Gabby. Embodying the familiar childhood fears of being thrust into a new situation, wishing for her old life back, dealing with a sibling and parent who don't understand you, the character is one boys and girls of all ages can understand. While it might be a bit of a stretch to say the character, much like the aforementioned Inside Out franchise provided a bring to talk about fears and growing older, it's also not. As opposed to making Gabby a character used to drive a story, the story is driven by Gabby and the titular character who, by making each other grow through their actions, allows the audience to fully invest in the their adventure. 

Pell, along with Quinta Brunson (who plays Sherrie from HR) and Titus Burgess (who plays a physic, sassy narwal) respectively make their secondary characters deliver at every turn, a fact which further makes Rivinoja and Carloni deserving of any and all kudos they receive. In addition to taking Dr. Seuss original work and expanding it to an intensely rich universe, their visuals, sounds and dialogue make the film sizzle with life at every turn. This isn't a standard kids' tale with a basic life lesson, cutesy dialogue and pacing; this is an intense, humorous – and, at times, frightening for young eyes – tale with potential to be a favorite whether you are six, 16 or older. Moments in this version of CAT matter, which is what in turn makes it true to the spirit of the original but expanded for the modern audience. People used to play football in leather helmets and basketball used to not have dunking once upon a time; it's a safe bet the evolution of both sports was for the better.

Now, will there be purists who think the film is too loud (ironic given the nature of its titular character), goes way too far beyond the original source material and is generally too ADHD for its own good? Certainly, and that's understandable. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has people still woozy from its multiverse – discovering one in THE CAT IN THE HAT might be a bit much for some.

However, much like the world itself, a classic tale – if done right – can stand for updating when it is done this well. It all adds up to a near classic animated adventure that, despite some of his past controversies, would likely make the late Theodor Geisel proud and earns its hat's stripes in spades. After all, this is a story of a fictional talking cat being left unsupervised with two young children who also have a talking fish – who's to say the good doctor wouldn't have added more wuzzles and fuzzles if he could today? 

RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):