Review: Not as bad as the last one, 'The Cat in the Hat' is still missing some feline friskiness

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred In 1957, Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr.Seuss, wrote “The Cat in the Hat” as an educational reading primer for children — something with a little more spirit and pizzazz than “Fun With Dick and Jane.” In doing so, he created one of the most iconic American characters of fiction: a chaos-loving kitty in a tall striped top hat who loves rhyming wordplay and creating fun for children, no matter the consequences.Existing somewhere between Amelia Bedelia and Harold Hill of “The Music Man,” the Cat in the Hat is an insouciant charmer who is now woven into the fabric of American culture.

But the new animated feature (with Bill Hader voicing the title role) is only the second film adaptation of the popular book.After the disaster of the 2003 live-action “The Cat in the Hat” starring Mike Myers, Geisel’s widow Audrey decided she would no longer allow any more live-action adaptations of her husband’s work.Animation seems more suited to the style and imagination of Dr.

Seuss anyway, which is delightfully absurd and surreal.A pity, then, that this long-awaited film feels so limited in its storytelling, which is highly formulaic and bogged down with mawkish and overstated lessons about appreciating family and accepting the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

The Cat in the Hat is first and foremost a fun-loving imp, and unfortunately, this film — far more maudlin than mischievous — doesn’t reflect that character.Movies From a new “Resident Evil” reboot from the director of “Weapons” to Oscar contenders starring Mikey Madison and Tom Cruise, here are the movies we’ll be at this fall.It’s strange, because the right elements are all there to make it work.

Hader’s elastic voice rides in a higher range than usual, but he also mixes it up, expressing the many multifaceted aspects of the Cat’s erratic personality.The world-building of the Cat’s unique ...