Team PCheng

“The Cat in the Hat,” starring Bill Hader, America Ferrera and Xochitl Gomez, opens in PH cinemas NOVEMBER 6, F

Erica Rivinoja, whose writing credits include “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2,” “Trolls” and “South Park,” grew up with “The Cat in the Hat.” So when Warner Bros. Pictures Animation called her to see if she would be interested in directing the Cat in the Hat movie they wanted to make, Rivinoja jumped at the chance to work on the film, and for her directorial debut no less. 

“I love the book, and I grew up with the book,” says Rivinoja. “I really wanted to make sure that when we were doing this movie, we kept what everybody loves about the book – the Cat in the Hat, his chaos making, and the fun the children have. I think that’s the most important part of this character and why he’s so iconic – he just creates giant messes, has a ton of fun, lets children be children, and then just leaves. And I think that’s why he’s so memorable for so many people and so many generations.”

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/K1u45XGxb6Q

Rivinoja’s fellow director for the animated film Alessandro Carloni, who is Italian, came across the beloved book in his early teens when he was learning English. Carloni loved the book not just because of how it helped him learn the language, but also because the Cat in the Hat reminded him of someone very special to him. “I was personally charmed by the story because the Cat in the Hat was very much who my father was,” shares Carloni. “My dad was working really hard when I was little, and he would come home just as me and my sister would go to sleep. He would make sure to come in and give us as much fun as he could in the few moments he had with us before we would go to sleep. And he would do it by being silly, absurd, and playful, which is very much who the cat is. And making that comparison was important to me, mostly because what the book does is it teases this character, this agent of chaos, this whirlwind of playfulness and fun, and it leaves you wanting more.”

Speaking of more… In the animated film, the original Thing 1 and Thing 2 from the book will have a few more friends. “We thought, “They’re the original creators of chaos – what would happen if there were more of them, and they came from some crazy land where there were hundreds and hundreds of them? You think the Cat in the Hat is chaotic. The Things are that to the extreme,” says Rivinoja. “It was amazing to get to lean into this phenomenon. Everybody knows Thing One and Thing Two – it’s still a huge Halloween costume. And it was really fun to get to lean into that and create even more of them. Designing them was fun.”

The movie expands on the book by exploring what happens to the Cat after visiting the two children who were home alone and bored. “By the time the Cat leaves and mom comes back home, [the kids] not only seem to be entertained and having a good time, but they seem to be sitting up a little straighter. They seem to be a little more confident,” says Carloni. “So, we started asking ourselves, ‘What does the Cat really do? Is he really just a wacky guy out there that wants to have a good time, or could it be that deep down there’s more to him? Could it be that he’s actually the greatest child psychologist ever, the greatest emotional support animal? The character who’s able to meet the child, know exactly what he or she needs, and give it to them disguised as just a fun day of rule breaking?’” 

And so the I.I.I.I. (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC) was born. “In order to discover the truth about the Cat, we decided to just stick with him at the end of the book as this crazy, furry, lunatic leaves, and follow him,” continues Carloni. “And we discover that he returns to his office to get his next assignment. We discover this is the Cat in the Hat’s actual job, to connect with the kids who are bored, perhaps on a rainy day, but perhaps also the kids who are in a special moment of need in their life. And he’s able to give them exactly what they need.”

Rivinoja and Carloni are hoping that the film will inspire different generations. “We wanted to make sure that this movie appeals to everyone – to young kids who are reading that book right now, but there’s also a sense of nostalgia for parents and grandparents who read it when they were young,” says Rivinoja. “And we just really love that for kids – because so much of their lives right now is spent, on screens or not just being messy – it was really important for us to get that message out that it’s okay to just make a mess sometimes, to have fun, to be silly, and to just really live in the moment.”

“The Cat in the Hat,” starring Bill Hader as the voice of the Cat, America Ferrera, Xochitl Gomez, Tiago Martinez, Matt Berry, Bowen Yang and Giancarlo Esposito, opens in cinemas Friday, November 6. #TheCatInTheHat