The Cat in the Hat (2026 film)
Upcoming animated film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cat in the Hat is an upcoming American animated fantasy comedy film loosely 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 Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Xochitl Gomez, Giancarlo Esposito, and America Ferrera.
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- Erica Rivinoja
- Alessandro Carloni
| The Cat in the Hat | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Caroline Williams |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by | Dan Molina |
| Music by | Lorne Balfe |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
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.
Premise
As his last chance to prove himself to his incredibly exasperated boss, and to keep the stripes on his hat, the Cat in the Hat is given his toughest assignment as an agent of the I.I.I.I. (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC): to cheer up siblings Gabby and Sebastian, who are struggling with their move to a new town.
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 the Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC[1][2]
- Matt Berry as the Fish, Gabby and Sebastian's pet fish who was given the ability to talk and move from his fishbowl by the Cat
- Quinta Brunson as Sherri, the HR director at the IIII, LLC
- Xochitl Gomez as Gabby, Sebastian's older sister and one of the Cat's newest clients. She is based on Sally from the original book.
- 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]
- Tiago Martinez as Sebastian, Gabby's younger brother and one of the Cat's newest clients. He is based on the unnamed narrator from the original book (who is named Conrad in the 2003 film).
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, WBPA 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]
Music
On June 12, 2026, Lorne Balfe announced that he would be composing the score for the film.[11][12]
On July 8, 2026, Page Six reported that Hilary Duff would "perform a song" for the film, and confirmed that the track would be titled "Catastrophe".[13]
"The Cat in the Hat Theme Song" performed by Fitz and Tim Minchin featuring Hader was released as the lead single from the soundtrack on September 9, 2026 via WaterTower Music with the soundtrack set to be released on October 30th.[14]
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.[15] 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 a new on-screen logo for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, following its rebranding in 2023.[16][17] The film's third official trailer was released on June 9, 2026, with the debut of another new on-screen logo for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation.[18]
Release
The Cat in the Hat is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on November 6, 2026.[19] It was originally expected to be released sometime in 2024 or 2025, and scheduled for March 6, 2026, before it was moved up a week to February 27 of the same year, in March 2025.[8][9][10][1] This shift was reportedly made to avoid competition with Disney and Pixar's Hoppers.[20] In August 2025, the release date was moved to its current date.[19] The film will be accompanied by a Looney Tunes short film, titled Daffy Season.[21]
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.[22][23] In April 2025, the name of the shared universe was revealed to be "The Seussiverse".[15]
