When chaos is a talkative cat

Hollywood is trying once again to export the creations of the writer and illustrator Dr. Seuss (The Grinch). The Cat in the Hat, a children's story about the clash between the desire to have fun and the rules of conduct, returns in an animated and quite transformed version. A move to a new house is the trigger for the action: a mother and her two children have moved into a small apartment in another city, a fact that causes the girl's complaints. A cat that speaks and generates chaos around it will intervene to encourage the youngsters with games that have unpredictable consequences.

The film's creators integrate the magical adventure—which includes moderate eccentricities—in a way that is as correct as it is unmemorable, with some heart-tugging moments for the characters (overly underscored by sickly-sweet music). The visual work is also unimpressive, so everything conveys a certain professional competence that is far from brilliant. We are not facing completely dead family cinema, like Candy Cane Lane or other nonsensical works, but the soft drama about generational misunderstandings can create feelings of déjà-vu. There is no shortage of the usual approach to the fantasy action blockbuster: the adventure is resolved with a massive battle, a mix of Avengers: Endgame and Toy Story, against a giant monster. From the wildly happy ending, a vague lesson can be drawn: is making a mess part of childhood, as one of the characters concludes?