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The Cat in the Hat is an upcoming American animated fantasy comedy film based on the 1957 children’s book by Dr. Seuss. Written and directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, it is the second feature-length adaptation of the book following the 2003 live-action film. Bill Hader stars as the voice of the titular character, alongside Xochitl Gomez, Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Paula Pell, Tiago Martinez, Giancarlo Esposito, America Ferrera, Bowen Yang, and Tituss Burgess.

An animated adaptation of The Cat in the Hat was originally announced by Illumination Entertainment in 2012, following the commercial success of The Lorax, with Rob Lieber set to write the script, but the film never came to fruition. Warner Bros. picked up the rights to the book in January 2018. Rivinoja and Art Hernandez were hired to direct in October 2020 before the latter was replaced by Carloni in June 2023. Most of the cast was announced in March 2024, with DNEG providing animation. Additional casting took place in June 2025.

The Cat in the Hat is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on November 6, 2026, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Voice cast

  • Bill Hader as the Cat in the Hat, a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a magical red-and-white striped top-hat and works for Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC[1][2]
  • Xochitl Gomez as Gabby, Sebastian’s older sister and one of the Cat’s newest clients. Based on Sally from the original book.
  • Tiago Martinez as Sebastian, Gabby’s younger brother and one of the Cat’s newest clients. Based on the unnamed narrator from the original book.
  • Matt Berry as the Fish, Gabby and Sebastian’s talking pet fish who dislikes the Cat
  • Quinta Brunson as Sherri, one of the Cat’s co-workers at IIII, LLC
  • Giancarlo Esposito as Mr. Hoogeboom, the Cat in the Hat’s boss who is exasperated by him[3]
  • America Ferrera as Gabby and Sebastian’s mother[4]

In addition, Bowen Yang, Paula Pell, and Tituss Burgess have been cast in undisclosed roles.[1][5]

Production

In 2012, following the financial success of The Lorax, an animated film adaptation of Dr. Seuss‘ eponymous book, Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment announced plans to produce a CGI adaptation of The Cat in the Hat. Rob Lieber was set to write the script, with Chris Meledandri as producer, and Audrey Geisel as the executive producer, but the project never came to fruition.[6]

In January 2018, Warner Bros. Pictures picked up the rights to an animated Cat in the Hat film for Warner Animation Group, later renamed Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, as part of a creative partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises.[7] In October 2020, Erica Rivinoja and Art Hernandez were announced as directors,[8] but in June 2023, Hernandez was replaced by Alessandro Carloni.[9]

In March 2024, it was reported that Bill Hader had been cast in the titular role.[10] Later that month, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation president Bill Damaschke formally confirmed Hader’s role, with the addition of Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, Xochitl Gomez, Matt Berry, and Paula Pell announced to be part of the voice cast; Hader would also serve as executive producer alongside Dr. Seuss Enterprises president and CEO Susan Brandt. Jared Stern and Daniela Mazzucato were announced to serve as producers, while Carloni and Rivinoja would both write and direct the film, with DNEG Animation handling animation.[1] In June 2025, it was reported that America Ferrera had joined the voice cast.[4] Ferrera was confirmed alongside Tiago Martinez, Tituss Burgess, and Giancarlo Esposito later that month.[5]

Marketing

A first look at the film was shown during Warner Bros’ CinemaCon panel at the beginning of April 2025, along with presenters Bill Hader and Bill Damaschke. It featured details such as the Cat’s field of work and his previous failed assignments, his co-workers who are similar in fashion (anthropomorphic animals wearing items that rhyme with their names), and the introduction of additional Thing characters besides Thing One and Thing Two.[11] An announcement video for the film featuring Hader was uploaded on June 30 of the same year to various media platforms, revealing that the first trailer for the film would be released on July 1, with the debut of the new on-screen logo for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, following its rebranding in 2023.[12][13]

Release

The Cat in the Hat is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on November 6, 2026.[14] It was originally expected to release sometime in 2024 or 2025, and scheduled for March 6, 2026 before it was moved up a week to February 27, 2026, in March 2025.[8][9][10][1] This shift was reportedly made to avoid competition with Pixar‘s Hoppers.[15] In August 2025, the release date was moved to its current date of November 6, 2026.[14]

Shared universe

The Cat in the Hat is intended to launch a shared universe with two other animated films. One of the two films is a spin-off titled Thing One and Thing Two. The other, an adaptation of another Dr. Seuss book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, is scheduled to be released on March 17, 2028.[16][17] In April 2025, the name of the shared universe was revealed to be “The Seussiverse”.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d D’Alessandro, Anthony (March 18, 2024). “Revamped Warner Bros Animation Sets ‘Cat In The Hat’ With Bill Hader, Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang & More; Eyes Spring 2026 Release”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  2. ^ “Animation film category WIP Features: The Cat in the Hat”. Annecy Festival. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  3. ^ @IGN (July 1, 2025). “Who’s who in The Cat in the Hat trailer?” (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  4. ^ a b Koc, Demet (June 11, 2025). “‘The Cat In The Hat’ Adds America Ferrera, More Details Revealed At Annecy 2025″. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  5. ^ a b @warnerbros (June 30, 2025). “Breaking News brought to you by Bill Hader. The new trailer for #TheCatInTheHat arrives tomorrow!” (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).[non-primary source needed]
  6. ^ Minovitz, Ethan (March 18, 2012). “The Cat In The Hat comes back as animated feature”. Big Cartoon News. Retrieved March 18, 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ^ Kit, Borys (January 24, 2018). “New ‘Cat in the Hat’ Movie in the Works From Warner Bros”. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  8. ^ a b “Warner Animation Group Dr. Seuss Enterprises Expand World Dr. Seuss Feature Films” (Press release). Warner Bros. October 1, 2020. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  9. ^ a b D’Alessandro, Anthony (June 9, 2023). “New Warner Bros Pictures Animation Boss Bill Damaschke On Group Rebrand, New Mission, ‘Flintstones’ Pic & More”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Sneider, Jeff (March 14, 2024). “Dr. Seuss-ive Exclusive: Bill Hader to Lead WB’s Animated ‘Cat in the Hat’ Movie Due in 2025”. The InSneider. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  11. ^ a b @THR (April 1, 2025). “At #CinemaCon, Bill Hader shows off his animated #CatInTheHat movie, which WB Animation head Bill Damaschke says the film will launch a “Seussiverse”. A work-in-progress trailer is shown. In the footage, a zebra breaks through the screen and a scene of chaos erupts, with other zoo animals and fireworks at a family home. The Cat in the Hat is wanted for the crime. The Cat in the Hat’s home world is shown. He greets Giraffe with a Carafe and Pig in a Wig. He accepts a new job, and is threatened that he may lose his hat if he fails. He meets two kids, who spray him in the face with something that hurts his eyes. Thing 1 and Thing 3 are introduced and are adorable. There are also Things 2, 8 and many more bit.ly/3XF6Oqx” (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  12. ^ Lindain, Liz (June 30, 2025). “Iconic Dr Seuss Story ‘The Cat In The Hat’ Sets Date for Official Trailer”. Parade. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  13. ^ D’Alessandro, Anthony (June 9, 2023). “Newly Appointed Warner Bros. Pictures Animation Boss Bill Damaschke On Group Rebrand, New Mission, ‘Flintstones’ Pic & More”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  14. ^ a b D’Alessandro, Anthony (August 21, 2025). “Warner Bros Pictures Animation’s ‘Cat In The Hat’ Leaps To November 2026”. Deadline. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  15. ^ D’Alessandro, Anthony (March 19, 2025). “Warner Bros. Sked Shakeup: ‘Weapons’ Armed For August, Paul Thomas Anderson Moves To Fall, ‘The Bride’ Walking Down Aisle In 2026 & So Much More…”. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  16. ^ Dick, Jeremy (October 1, 2020). “New The Cat in the Hat Animated Movie Will Launch Dr. Seuss Cinematic Universe”. MovieWeb. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  17. ^ D’Alessandro, Anthony (January 27, 2025). “Jon M. Chu & Jill Culton’s Dr. Seuss’ ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go!’ Feature Gets 2028 Release”. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2025.