By Nick Nitkowski

The Cat is Back! It’s “The Cat in the Hat”! We have a brand-new CG animated “Cat in the Hat” film in theaters. Strangely though, this one is being made and distributed by Warner Brothers. It was my understanding that Universal had the rights to the Dr. Seuss IP’s. I would have thought Illumination would have been the company behind animating it much like they did with “The Lorax” and “The Grinch”. But alas, here we are. The important thing is whether this new version is a good movie. Well, the trailers did not sell me on it with that terrible “toot fart” joke. But I gave it a fair chance, and here are my thoughts.

For those who may have been living under a rock for the past century, “The Cat in the Hat” is a popular children’s book. One of many written by well-known author and cheater of spouses Dr. Seuss. This new version takes the character in a brand-new direction where it is his job as part of a massive company to bring happiness to children who are feeling down or bored. Reckless in his endeavors, the Cat in the Hat is tasked with cheering up a brother and sister who are seemingly impossible to cheer up. Should the cat fail, he risks being fired. Thus, shenanigans ensue. 

This is one of those movies where it is perfectly fine distraction for children to enjoy, but for adults, it’s nothing of interest. There’s really nothing here for the adult audience inevitably forced to watch this film. There wasn’t a single joke in this movie that landed with me. Even the “toot fart” joke was placed at a very bad time where the cat was in danger. Nor did it provide any decent emotional beats that easily could have been present in the film but was ultimately proven ineffective.

To the film’s credit, there were moments in the film where kids were fully engaged with it. Especially the scenes that involved the things and the clapping/slapping way of communication. It’s an interesting choice, but I guess you can chalk that up to slapstick humor for the film. Again, it is ineffective for adults, but it is humorous for children. It’s not the “Tom and Jerry” level of slapstick humor. The film also oozes bright colors in every frame that’ll definitely keep the children’s attention. 

Overall, “The Cat in the Hat” didn’t really do anything for me personally, but it clearly entertained the kids, which is who the film is ultimately made for. It is a big, bright, colorful cartoon that is perfect for adults needing something to distract their kids for a little while. I enjoyed the live-action Mike Myers version of “The Cat in the Hat” for all the wrong reasons. On paper, the live-action version is not a good movie, but it is entertainingly bad. This new CGI version on paper is better than the live-action version, but it did not entertain me nearly as much as the bad live-action version did. It’s a crazy conundrum that sounds like it could come from a Dr. Seuss book. The cat may be back, but with not much to share. Children will be pleased through their parents’ blank stare. The box office will determine who this will fare. And there are some post credit scenes, so stay if you care.

.🌟 🌟 ½ stars