Animated Cat in the Hat Draws Mixed Reviews

The new animated “The Cat in the Hat” gives Dr. Seuss’ mischievous feline a high-stakes adventure, but its reviewers found the result more hectic and saccharine than delightful. The film, directed by Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni, runs 107 minutes and is rated PG for action, peril, mild language and rude humor.

Bill Hader voices the Cat, who works for a company that sends agents to cheer up unhappy children. After he racks up poor scores for the destruction he causes, his next assignment becomes a last chance to keep his job: lift the spirits of Gabby and her younger brother, Sebastian, whose single mother has moved them to a new town.

The children and Cat lose a device that can reverse time, setting off a search through strange worlds inside moving boxes. A threatening creature also wants the device, and the story raises the stakes to the possible destruction of the universe. One reviewer found that escalation excessive; another objected to the film’s structure and its sentimental lessons about family and home.

The reviews also differed on the movie’s look. One praised its distinct animation styles and voice cast, while the other found the visuals unremarkable. Both noted that Hader’s dry, rapid-fire delivery brings comic energy to a film otherwise heavy on sweetness. The animated release also steers away from the live-action 2003 version starring Mike Myers, which both reviews regarded as a poor precedent.