| The Cat in the Hat | |
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.png) Teaser poster | |
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| Based on | The Cat in the Hat byDr. Seuss |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Cat in the Hat is an upcoming American animatedfantasy comedy film based on the 1957 children's bookof the same name byDr. Seuss. Produced byWarner Bros. Pictures Animation, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and A Stern Talking To, the film is written and directed byAlessandro Carloni andErica Rivinoja (in Rivinoja's feature directorial debut). It is the second feature-length adaptation of the book following the2003 live-action film. The film starsBill Hader in the title role, alongside the voices ofXochitl Gomez,Matt Berry,Quinta Brunson,Paula Pell, Tiago Martinez,Giancarlo Esposito,America Ferrera,Bowen Yang, andTituss Burgess.
An animated adaptation ofThe Cat in the Hat was originally announced byIllumination Entertainment in 2012, following the commercial success ofThe 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, withDNEG providing animation.
The Cat in the Hat is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on November 6, 2026, byWarner Bros. Pictures.
Meet the Cat in the Hat you don't know! In the wonderfully whimsical tradition of Dr. Seuss,The Cat in the Hat comes to the big screen in his animated theatrical feature film debut, an all-new, epic adventure with an edge, where mischief, magic and mayhem reign supreme.
Doing what he does best, the Cat—voiced by Bill Hader—spreads joy to kids in his hilarious, signature and singularly irreverent way, transporting them and audiences on a fantastical journey through a world they’ve never seen before.
In the film, our hero takes on his toughest assignment yet for the I.I.I.I. (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC): to cheer Gabby and Sebastian, a pair of siblings struggling with their move to a new town. Known for taking things too far, this could be this agent of chaos's last chance to prove himself...or lose his magical hat!
— Warner Bros. Pictures Animation[1]
In addition,Bowen Yang,Paula Pell, andTituss Burgess have been cast in undisclosed roles.[2][6]
In 2012, following the financial success ofThe Lorax, an animated film adaptation ofDr. Seuss'eponymous book,Universal Pictures andIllumination Entertainment announced plans to produce a CGI adaptation ofThe Cat in the Hat. Rob Lieber was set to write the script, withChris Meledandri as producer, andAudrey Geisel as the executive producer, but the project never came to fruition.[7]
In January 2018,Warner Bros. Pictures picked up the rights to an animatedCat in the Hat film for Warner Animation Group, later renamedWarner Bros. Pictures Animation, as part of a creative partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises.[8] In October 2020,Erica Rivinoja and Art Hernandez were announced as directors,[9] but in June 2023, Hernandez was replaced byAlessandro Carloni.[10]
In March 2024, it was reported thatBill Hader had been cast in the titular role.[11] Later that month,Warner Bros. Pictures Animation presidentBill Damaschke formally confirmed Hader's role, with the addition ofQuinta Brunson,Bowen Yang,Xochitl Gomez,Matt Berry, andPaula 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, withDNEG Animation handling animation.[2] In June 2025, it was reported thatAmerica Ferrera had joined the voice cast.[5] Ferrera was confirmed alongside Tiago Martinez,Tituss Burgess, andGiancarlo Esposito later that month.[6]
A first look at the film was shown during Warner Bros'CinemaCon panel at the beginning of April 2025, along with presentersBill Hader andBill 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.[12] 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 forWarner Bros. Pictures Animation, following its rebranding in 2023.[13][14]
The Cat in the Hat is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on November 6, 2026.[15] 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.[9][10][11][2] This shift was reportedly made to avoid competition withPixar'sHoppers.[16] In August 2025, the release date was moved to its current date of November 6, 2026.[15]
The Cat in the Hat is intended to launch a shared universe with two other animated films. The first,Thing One and Thing Two, is expected to be released in 2026. The other, an adaptation of another Dr. Seuss bookOh, the Places You'll Go!, is scheduled to be released on March 17, 2028.[17][18] In April 2025, the name of the shared universe was revealed to be "The Seussiverse".[12]
