Business Fortune: Cat in the Hat Movie Campaign: Open to Fun

Cat in the Hat Movie Campaign Lets Fans Play Inside Amazon

Amazon Ads and Warner Bros. launch a Cat in the Hat movie campaign with a mini game, Alexa jokes and ads before the Nov. 6 release.

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Amazon Ads have rolled out a multi-platform campaign for Cat in the Hat called ‘Open to Fun’ in build up to the release of the movie on November 6. The announcement was made on Monday October 26 via a Business Wire.

Key Info

The campaign has been created by Amazon Ads’ brand innovation lab. It includes a custom Amazon Brand Store page, interactive mini-game and two Alexa experiences.

What is ‘Open to Fun’?

The campaign sees Dr Seuss’ feline trouble-maker become part of consumer’s daily lives. The custom Amazon Brand Store page (Live until November 8) has trailers, unique content and a direct ticket link. The media campaigns will appear on Prime Video, IMDb, Twitch, Amazon homepage and Top of Search. Build up peaks in the run-up to the release.

What can fans do?

Play games! The interactive mini-game is available on the Amazon Brand Store page. The objective is to capture the Things by tilting your phone. You can hear narration from Hader and compete with friends. There are two Alexa experiences, ‘Cat-ffirmations’ a daily positive affirmation narrated in the Cat’s voice and ‘Cat in the Hat Jokes’, a quick joke from the Cat.

"By turning cherished IP into an immersive experience across Amazon, we’re showing our fans how they can bring their favourite characters to life." said Lauren Anderson, US Head of Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab. The movie is the first release from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s relaunch.

Bill Damaschke, President of the studio said "the new slate marks the start of a new era of animation at Warner Bros." during its launch at Annecy in June.

The Movie

The movie was written and directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja. Bill Hader stars as the Cat alongside Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang and Xochitl Gomez. The release date had been moved from February 27 to November 6 due to the festive period.

Long term tracking shows the movie will have a huge box office opening with a projected domestic total of $40 million to $50 million. This would be higher than other recent family releases but would need to surpass the $53 million from The Lego Batman Movie to be the best.

Other Info

The movie was made using big puppets, physical sets and CGI.

Other Cast Include: Matt Berry, Giancarlo Esposito, America Ferrera, Tituss Burgess and Paula Pell.

The brand innovation lab create bespoke experiences for Prime Video, Amazon Music, Twitch, Alexa, FireTV and Amazon Store.

The book was released in 1957 and was made into a live action movie starring Mike Myers in 2003.

Amazon has used their own store, speakers and advertising to promote this Warner Bros animated movie. The mini-game and Alexa routines are live now. The Brand Store page is live until November 8, two days after release. Whether this helps with ticket sales remains to be seen.

Business Fortune believes, we will get our first real insight of how the movie is doing from the opening weekend figures.

FAQs

What is the Open to Fun campaign for The Cat in the Hat?

A multi-platform campaign between Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Amazon Ads. Includes a brand store page, mini-game, two Alexa experiences and advertising.