One thing I love about book-to-screen adaptations of classics like The Cat In The Hat is how each new iteration reimagines a character we already love. Bill Hader’s version comes over two decades after the Mike Myers movie, and one peculiar new thing I noticed about his animated take on the character is the fact that he has a flip phone. Random, right?
When CinemaBlend spoke to Hader about his latest role, I had to ask about the little detail I noticed about his The Cat In The Hat. Here’s how the SNL alum responded:
Because Cat in the Hat's real. Cat in the Hat doesn't need to fit in with whatever's happening now, you know?
For some reason, it just feels right that The Cat would have a flip phone (and one that even has a crystal-clear video chat function). Plus, this detail about The Cat definitely adds to his unique character in a cute way, as it's revealed in the film that he’s been doing house calls to bring play into the lives of kids for multiple generations. So, perhaps the flip phone tells us that he's a bit old school. Bill Hader also said this about the topic:
I think it was funny that it was a flip phone. I have friends who have flip phones, and they remember things better than me. They are not as distracted as me. They seem much happier than me.
Hey, maybe The Cat is onto something. I mean the character is all about bringing playtime and wonder to kids. Why would he need a smartphone for that?
These days, a lot more people are ditching their smartphones for more primitive technology like flip phones to get away from things like social media addiction. Chris Pine, for example, had one for four years before switching to the latest technology and finding himself wanting to “immediately go back”. Other famous people known to have a flip phone are Christopher Nolan, Anna Wintour and Rihanna – so The Cat can count himself among icons.
A lot of other Y2K trends have been coming back lately, too. For example, both Kylie Jenner and Ariana Grande recently admitted their love for wired earphones (and I’m totally with them). I’ve seen a lot of younger people out with their digital cameras at concerts too. When you think about it, The Cat In The Hat’s “dumb phone” is very in with the kids.
There’s already The Cat In The Hat trend; maybe this could be part of a new wave of less phone dependence and more focus on fun and creativity, like the character itself has been teaching kids since the picture book came out back in 1957.
You can check out the new The Cat In The Hat movie in theaters now.
