The Guardian has published a review of the animated film The Cat in the Hat, in which Saturday Night Live alumnus Bill Hader takes on the role of the Dr Seuss character. The reviewer, Jesse Hassenger, writes that the film is an improvement on the 2003 version but is also far too long and strangely corporate, according to The Guardian.
According to The Guardian, Hader brings plenty to the film, and the review credits him with an appealing energy. The Guardian's summary of the review does not address other elements of the production, including the cast beyond Hader and the animation, so those points are not reported here.
The review places the new film in a line of earlier work. It notes that over a long enough timeline, perhaps every living Saturday Night Live alumnus will play the Cat in the Hat. It credits Mike Myers with starting what the review calls an "unexpected tradition" by playing the character in a 2003 film that The Guardian describes as notoriously and almost defiantly ghastly.
According to The Guardian, the animated version is an improvement on that earlier film. The review also finds the new film far too long and strangely corporate, and the headline of the review calls the production a mess. The review's headline and summary present these points as the reviewer's assessment.
The source material for this report is limited to the review's headline, opening, and summary, so other details of the film are not reported here. Information on box office results, audience response, or release arrangements is not included in the summary available for this report. Readers who want the full text of the review can find it on The Guardian's website.