Cat in the Hat

November 13 – 19

Fri Nov 13 – 3:30 & 7 pm
Sat Nov 14 – 7 pm
Sun Nov 15 – 1:30 & 7 pm
Mon Nov 16 – 7 pm
Tues Nov 17 – 7 pm
Wed Nov 18 – 3:30 pm Afternoon show ONLY
Thurs Nov 19 – 1:30 & 7 pm

Animation / Adventure / Kid & Family
Rated G — 1 hr 45 min

Meet the Cat in the Hat you don’t know! In the wonderfully whimsical tradition of Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat comes to the big screen in his animated theatrical feature film debut, an all-new, epic adventure with an edge, where mischief, magic and mayhem reign supreme. Doing what he does best, the Cat–voiced by Bill Hader–spreads joy to kids in his hilarious, signature and singularly irreverent way, transporting them and audiences on a fantastical journey through a world they’ve never seen before. In the film, our hero takes on his toughest assignment yet for the I.I.I.I. (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC): to cheer Gabby and Sebastian, a pair of siblings struggling with their move to a new town. Known for taking things too far, this could be this agent of chaos’s last chance to prove himself… or lose his magical hat!

The film is loosely based on the 1957 children’s book by Dr. Seuss. Written and directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, it is the second feature-length adaptation of the book following the 2003 live-action film. Bill Hader stars as the voice of the titular character, alongside Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Xochitl Gomez, Giancarlo Esposito, and America Ferrera.

A visit from this mischievous agent of chaos and fun is a bored kid’s dream. But the filmmakers wanted to explore one question previous adaptations never quite tackled: why he does it. The answer to that mystery drives the film’s story. But before taking this character, voiced by Bill Hader, to all these new places, Rivinoja and Carloni wanted to make sure they paid tribute to the famous book.

Sussigan, the art director, spoke about how freeing animation is for filmmakers, particularly with modern trends that embrace wild creativity and never-before-seen concepts like the mythical figures in DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island. Still, he said it was important for them to “maintain the spirit of what made Dr. Seuss” unique. He described details such as “the famous hash marks” and “how wacky [Seuss went] with negative spaces” as “the design ‘North Stars.’”

Scholar Philip Nel analyzed Dr. Seuss’s work, particularly The Cat in the Hat, and he described that character as part of the American archetypal tradition of tricksters who use charm to manipulate people and disrupt societal order. Through the Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC, the filmmakers explore this idea more deeply than any previous adaptation. It’s “a question we ask in our movie,” Carloni said. Viewers can ask whether the Cat “is a con artist” or whether there’s something deeper behind his antics. “Instead of answering it right away, we let the movie” explore that idea.

The Cat deals with something relatable to people who try their best at work but don’t always get the results their boss expects. It’s not a spoiler or wild guess to assume that this filmmaking team hasn’t made a beloved cultural icon like the Cat in the Hat into a fraud. Even knowing that, seeing how he learns that for himself is what will make this film worth watching and, perhaps, as meaningful and iconic as the book that first introduced him.