Review: 'The Cat in the Hat' finally gets the Seuss feline right

SALT LAKE CITY — Dr. Seuss has given us some of the most beloved characters in children's literature. The Grinch, Horton, the Lorax and, of course, the Cat in the Hat.

While some of those characters have made the jump from the page to the big screen with varying degrees of success, the Cat has had a particularly rough go of it.

I think the problem is that filmmakers have struggled to understand what makes the Cat so appealing in the first place.

He's mischievous, unpredictable and chaotic. But there's a fine line between mischievous and obnoxious, and previous versions of the Cat have had a tendency to cross it. His antics often felt more annoying than playful, and at times he seemed more like a villain than a friend.

Well, I'm happy to report that the new animated "The Cat in the Hat" finally seems to understand the assignment.

It's not a perfect movie, but it's a fun one, and for the first time in a while, I actually enjoyed spending time with that ridiculous cat.

A new adventure for an old friend

"The Cat in the Hat" follows siblings Gabby (Xochitl Gomez) and Sebastian (Tiago Martinez), who are having a difficult time adjusting after their family moves to a new town.

The Cat (Bill Hader) works for an organization dedicated to bringing joy and imagination to children who need it. Unfortunately, his methods don't always sit well with his bosses, and he's running out of chances.

His latest assignment is to help Gabby and Sebastian, but if he makes another mess of things, he could lose his magical hat for good. Guess what happens.

What worked

They finally got the Cat right

I've always liked the idea of the Cat in the Hat, but I've never been a fan of his movie adaptations. There's a difference between a character who causes trouble because he's playful and one who causes trouble because he's selfish or just plain irritating.

This version understands that difference.

The Cat still makes terrible decisions, creates problems that didn't need to exist and has a remarkable ability to make a bad situation worse.

But there's something genuinely likable about him.

Instead of dropping the Cat into a house and watching him create chaos for an hour and a half, he actually has a purpose. More importantly, he has something on the line.

We learn more about him, understand some of his motivations and actually start to care about what happens to him.

There's also a fun element of uncertainty surrounding his intentions. The other characters aren't always convinced he's doing the right thing, and frankly, sometimes neither are we.

The movie doesn't ask us to believe the Cat is suddenly responsible or trustworthy. He's still the Cat in the Hat. But now there's a little more going on beneath that striped hat than a desire to make a mess.

Bill Hader is fantastic

I don't know who first suggested Bill Hader voice the Cat in the Hat, but I'd like to shake that person's hand.

Hader is the star of this movie.

His energy and timing are just about perfect for the character. He brings a manic enthusiasm to the role without making the Cat exhausting to listen to.

The Cat needs to be loud, unpredictable and constantly moving from one ridiculous idea to another. In the wrong hands, that can get old in a hurry.

Hader has a way of delivering even the most ridiculous lines with such confidence that you can't help but laugh. And when the movie asks him to bring a little more sincerity to the character, he's more than capable of doing it.

I've always been a fan of Hader, but this feels like one of those animated roles where the actor and character are an especially good match.

There's actually a story worth following

Let's not get carried away here. "The Cat in the Hat" isn't some brilliant piece of storytelling that will change the way we look at animated movies.

But it isn't trying to reinvent cinema. It's trying to entertain us, and it does a pretty good job.

One of my frustrations with previous adaptations has been that the Cat's antics often felt like a collection of gags loosely tied together.

This time, the chaos has a reason for existing.

The Cat has a mission. The children have their own struggles. And the trouble they get into actually affects what happens next.

It's not especially complicated, but it gave me a reason to care about the characters and what they were trying to accomplish.

There are also some genuinely funny moments throughout the movie. Not every joke lands, but enough of them do that I found myself laughing a fair amount.

What didn't work

The movie loses some steam

As much as I enjoyed the movie, there were stretches where I started to feel its length.

The biggest issue comes toward the latter half of the second act.

The story has established its characters, introduced the central conflict and given us a pretty good idea of where things are headed. But instead of moving toward the finale, it feels like the filmmakers decide to spend a little more time wandering around.

There are sequences that are entertaining enough on their own, but they don't always feel necessary.

At times, I got the impression the movie was trying to fill some space before it was ready for the big finish.

Thankfully, this didn't pull me out of the experience. I was still invested in the characters, and Hader was entertaining enough to keep me engaged even when the story started spinning its wheels.

Conclusion

I went into "The Cat in the Hat" hoping for a fun animated movie, and that's pretty much what I got.

It has some pacing problems, not every joke works and the story isn't going to surprise anyone with its brilliance.

But I laughed, I enjoyed the adventure and, perhaps most importantly, I actually cared about the Cat.

And for a character who has spent so much time making a mess of things, it's nice to see him finally get something right.

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