THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

After a few days at home to rest (and to, you know, go to my day job), I was back at the theater tonight to take in another string of new releases! Did I feel a little silly going into my opening night showing of The Cat in the Hat in my local Regal’s biggest auditorium by myself? For sure. I would have seen Godzilla Minus Zero tonight, but it’s a school night; gotta be energized for the children! I had pretty low expectations for this iteration of the classic story—the trailers, though they improved, inspired little confidence—so imagine my surprise when I enjoyed this!

While the animated Cat in the Hat shared a lot with the 2003 live-action adaptation, the film did plenty to set itself apart, and a lot of the time, it was in a positive way. While Mike Myers is hard to beat, especially comedically, I really liked Bill Hader’s interpretation of the character. He was nearly as funny, way more kid-appropriate, and more morally straight. The Things, while partaking in silly humor like farts and slaps, were more palatable here (I’m not a fan of the live-action Things at all), and Fish (who I will not call Waffles—his name is Fish) was impeccably voiced by Matt Berry. I don’t think you could have picked a better voice for him! Gabby and Sebastian’s story and growth alongside the Cat was much stronger, too. Sure, Conrad and Sally learned how to have fun the right way (to follow some rules and let loose, respectively), but Gabby and Sebastian learned how to live with their past instead of in it while also appreciating the innumerable sacrifices their mom had made for them. Good stuff!

Unfortunately, just like its live-action predecessor, there was way too much going on here. The story was never rushed, but it was far too long and tossed in too many unnecessary supporting characters. That abundance can be appreciated to a point—Cat asks in the credits if the audience enjoyed the “pasta people”, and you know what, I guess I did—but there were too many things and too many Things to keep track of. On the bright side, a lot of those side characters had at least one or two solid lines or moments. I was especially partial to Gary (Bowen Yang was delightful here) and The Psychic Narwhal (Tituss Burgess! Where have you been?). The animation was a bit underdeveloped(?) at times (not sure how to describe it), but on the whole, I liked the unique (and changing) style. I was also delighted by the music from a random cast of characters whom I love! No one is going to appreciate this movie employing Tim Minchin, Michael Fitzpatrick (of Fitz and the Tantrums), Lorne Balfe, and the USC Trojan Marching Band like me!

While The Cat in the Hat (2026) doesn’t exist in the same stratosphere as the best animated movies of the year like Wildwood and Forgotten Island, I was really surprised by how solid this movie was! The film righted some of the wrongs of the live-action adaptation (there’s an actual emotional core to this story! Carmen remembered the Cat!) while also losing some of its much-beloved bite, but in no world is this a movie that I’d steer my future kids away from. For a studio that has been so easy to make fun of in the last couple years (their mismanagement of the Looney Tunes and their merger with Paramount rubbed me the wrong way), Warner Brothers may have a winner in The Cat in the Hat. Don’t expect an encore, though.