By Grady Andersen, Staff Writer 

The 2026 release of “Cat in the Hat” prides itself on whimsy fun but whiffs completely on that very mark. 

The latest animated release of Dr. Seuss’ most recognizable character has been in the works since 2012 but was dormant until Warner Bros. picked up the rights from Illumination in 2018. The film features a very strong cast including SNL alums Bill Hader (Cat) and Bowen Yang (Gary), and stars Matt Berry (Fish), Quinta Brunson (Sherri), America Ferrera (Gabby) and Giancarlo Esposito (Dr. Hoogeboom).  

The plot focuses on the main themes of change and family, with a time machine as the story’s central object. The two children, Gabby and Sebastian, Cat goes to visit recently moved and are not fans of the sudden change in their lives. When Cat shows them a time machine device meant to help him clean up messes, the kids instead see it as an opportunity to return back to the old days. However, over the course of the movie, they slowly realized that this move may have been beneficial after all.  

“The Cat in the Hat” is the definition of mediocrity, plain and simple. Hader had his moments voicing Cat where he seemed to truly embody the character. However, the film had moments that make the audience ask if that was the best take. Cat makes some jokes that made the audience laugh the first time but ultimately get repeated to the point of blandness. As someone who truly loves Hader’s work, there should be less of him in this film. His style of humor did not come across well. 

On top of this, there needs to be more Brunson in this film. The scenes with her and Hader probably contain some of the most fun dialogues in the whole film. The scenes with her and Yang are also few but very entertaining. The whole film could have used more scenes with the secondary characters. 

The animation and music might be the most interesting things about the movie, but they were also mediocre. For an animation studio that produced a strong and visually appealing film in “Nimona,” it comes nowhere close to it. Parts of the film have that Illumination-style sheen, but then it just disappears. The theme song that Hader sings at the beginning of the film is catchy, and the overall soundtrack is good, but nothing to write home about. 

In all reality, the most entertaining part of the film is the short story before it with “Looney Tunes” characters. A short film that originally premiered to accompany the World Cup was added to show before the start of the movie in theatres, honoring the late Eric Bauza, who voiced Daffy Duck in the film.  

While it may have more appeal for younger audiences, “Cat in the Hat” is not a required watch for Dr. Seuss fans. It delivers a good story, but not one that draws you in.