Quinta Brunson Says Kids Already Know and Love The Cat in the Hat

Quinta Brunson wants audiences to know that the new animated Cat in the Hat is not introducing children to an unfamiliar character. The Abbott Elementary creator said many kids already encounter Dr. Seuss’s classic story in school, and may know it before they even start preschool or kindergarten. “For a lot of kids, it’s going to be exciting for them to go see the movie of the book that they already know and love, and has helped them learn to read,” Brunson told Reuters. In her view, the film gives young fans a chance to see a familiar story brought to the screen in a fresh way. The Warner Bros. movie is written and directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, and expands the world of the original 1957 book. It also offers a different screen version from the 2003 live-action adaptation starring Mike Myers. The new story follows the Cat, voiced by Bill Hader, as he gets one last opportunity to save his job by cheering up siblings Gabby and Sebastian after they move to a new home with their mother, Carmen. Xochitl Gomez voices Gabby, Tiago Martinez voices Sebastian and America Ferrera voices their mother. Matt Berry and Giancarlo Esposito are also part of the cast. Rivinoja said the original book provided a starting point for a much bigger world, noting that its short length left room to add characters, places and more of the Cat’s personality. Hader said the directors’ own energy helped shape his performance. Keeping up the character’s relentless pace was not always easy, he said, but Carloni and Rivinoja encouraged him to bring more of his personality to the role. The filmmakers’ goal, according to the report, was to make a version that could appeal both to longtime readers and to a new generation discovering the Cat.