The new animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat follows the mischievous feline as he tries to lift the spirits of siblings Gabby and Sebastian after their family moves. The film stars Bill Hader as the Cat, Xochitl Gomez as Gabby, Tiago Martinez as Sebastian and Matt Berry as Waffles the goldfish. America Ferrera voices the children’s mother.
The Cat’s assignment becomes complicated when his destructive antics put his job at risk. He brings a time-travel device called the Go-Backer, hoping it can undo the damage, but the device unleashes a monster and goes missing. The Cat and the children set out to find it, exploring magical worlds hidden within the family’s moving boxes.
Those adventures also give the film room to explore the children’s adjustment to their new home. Gabby misses her old school and the marching band she played in, and feels that her mother is too preoccupied with work to understand her creativity. The siblings’ distance from one another adds another challenge for the Cat as he tries to help them reconnect.
The review praises the film for combining colorful, imaginative settings with humor that does not crowd out its more heartfelt moments. Hader’s performance gives the Cat an energetic, hopeful quality, while Gomez makes Gabby’s frustration feel sympathetic. Berry’s Waffles, meanwhile, is presented as a companion to the Cat’s chaos rather than a stern voice of caution.
The story’s themes are described as cohesive, though the plot can feel messy and its conflict resolves somewhat neatly. The film opens in theaters on November 6, 2026.
Sources: Comic Book Resources.