It’s about dang time, Hollywood. It may have taken you forever, but it looks like the long wait paid off!
So, you may or may not be aware that a new Cat in the Hat movie is coming out later this year. And that’s extremely exciting, because we’re finally getting a reboot to that abysmal live-action Cat in the Hat movie from 2003. Seriously, the Cat in the Hat has got to be the single most iconic children’s picture book character ever to be created. He was a response to a debate in the United States about literacy in early childhood. His success led to the creation of Beginner Books; a publishing house centered on producing similar books for young children learning to read. And yet, he was somehow given one of the worst children’s book adaptations in history. No one should have expected Hollywood to immediately try again after the nuclear fallout of that dumpster fire, but twenty-three long years of letting such an egregious crime against creativity go unpunished (especially as the Grinch’s much less bad live-action film was rebooted first!) was brutal, to say the least.
But you know the old saying: it’s better late than never. And I have to say, the trailers actually look good, even if there are additions to the story that’s typical of modern Dr. Seuss films. But hey, there’s basically NO scenario in which this film does worse than the live-action film at this point. It still feels so surreal to see justice finally being served, and it would feel wrong for me not to cover this movie after covering the marketing campaign and release of the Grinch’s reboot. So, I don’t know about you, but it’s time to have some fun – just not too much fun!
Development
Production on a reboot to The Cat in the Hat dates back to 2012 following the financial success of The Lorax, in which Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment announced plans to produce a CGI adaptation of the book. Rob Lieber was set to write the script, while Chris Meledandri was set to produce, and Audrey Geisel was tapped as executive producer. However, the project never came to fruition, which was a HUGE relief considering Universal’s last infamous attempt at adapting the book, as well as their mishandling of The Lorax and The Grinch to a lesser extent.
In January 2018, Geisel made a deal to transfer the rights to the World of Dr. Seuss to Warner Bros. In December 2018, Geisel died at the age of 97. No illness was reported in connection with her death, and although this depressingly prevents her from being executive producer on the Warner Bros.-produced Cat in the Hat film, her decision to transfer the rights to her husband’s works from Universal will be forever appreciated, and it would be great if the film was dedicated to her. By October 2020, it was announced that the film was eyeing for a release date in 2024 and would launch a “Seuss universe” that news outlets began calling the “Seussiverse”. The plans include a spin-off titled Thing One and Thing Two scheduled for 2026 (which definitely got delayed at this point), and an adaptation of Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, which has since been scheduled for a March 2028 release after an initial release date for 2027. Regarding the news, Susan Brandt, president of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, had this to say:
For the first time we’re not just doing one film for one book. We’re going to franchise-build beyond the initial story of these books and find out what happens next. I call it stretching the fabric. How far can it go, to go a little bit deeper with our characters. The Cat in the Hat will not meet the boy in Oh, the Places You’ll Go, nor would the Things go visit the Lorax. While it will all feel like part of the Seuss universe, they live in their worlds, and they’re not necessarily going to interact in the same films. Our goal would be to mirror the way Ted did his portfolio of books. The color palettes are different, the architecture is different, but you look at those and go, ‘That’s a Dr. Seuss book.’ If we properly translate Ted’s characters and his messaging, each one creates a different story, but it’s still Seuss DNA. That’s what we’re going to go try to do.
I have to say, making a cinematic universe based on Dr. Seuss’s works is a fascinating idea, which is already way better than anything Universal did. And while it might have been tempting to put The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch, the Lorax and Horton in the same movie (remember The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat, anyone?), I appreciate that Warner Bros. is refraining from going for massive Marvel-style crossovers where everyone meets up, instead preferring to link each of the films in the universe by style and theme for the sake of the purists. And although they didn’t announce a reboot of The Lorax, it’s fascinating that Brandt mentioned him at all, suggesting that they’re at least considering an attempt to do his book again, which could rectify the mistakes of that film as well. The only thing I have issue with is the Thing One and Thing Two spinoff, especially since The Cat in the Hat Comes Back is right there. But that might be why they’re delaying that film anyway, and I would really appreciate it if the Thing One and Thing Two film gets repurposed as a Cat in the Hat Comes Back adaptation, especially if the Cat in the Hat film is good. (It would also be an actually successful effort to adapt the book after the failure to adapt it as a sequel to the live-action film, which is a chilling timeline to imagine for more reasons than the snow.)
On the same day of the Seussiverse announcement, Erica Rivinoja and Art Hernandez were announced to direct the film. That was a pretty interesting decision, as having two directors that can keep each other in check is something that could be sorely needed for a film rebooting one of the worst children’s book film adaptations ever made and adapting one of the most iconic picture books ever written. The Cat in the Hat marks Rivinoja’s directorial debut, but her screenplays include Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Trolls and the 2019 film The Addams Family, with only The Addams Family getting mixed reception, so that wasn’t a bad choice. By June 2023, it was announced that the film was now eyeing for a release date in 2025 or 2026. Hernandez was also replaced by Alessandro Carloni, who has a much bigger filmography with writing, animating, and art directing credits on many different films, many of which were also pretty good. But the one that’s most relevant is Kung Fu Panda 3, the only other film he co-directed before The Cat in the Hat, which was also pretty good.
By March 2024, it was reported that Bill Hader had been cast as the Cat, who had previously played the character in a Saturday Night Live sketch. The film was also announced to release in March 2026. Later that month, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation president Bill Damaschke announced the rest of the cast, including Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, Xochitl Gomez, Matt Berry, and Paula Pell. Hader was also confirmed to serve as executive producer alongside Brandt, while Jared Stern and Daniela Mazzucato were announced to serve as producers. In March 2025, the film’s release was pushed forward a week to February 2026 to avoid competition with Disney and Pixar’s Hoppers. In April 2025, Hader and Damaschke presented a first look at the film during Warner Bros’ CinemaCon panel. By June 2025, it was announced that America Ferrera had joined the cast. Later that month, an announcement video for the film featuring Hader was released, revealing that the first trailer for the film would be released in July. It also announced that Tiago Martinez, Tituss Burgess, and Giancarlo Esposito had also joined the cast. By August 2025, the film was pushed back to its current release date.
Official Film Synopsis
Before we get to the first official trailer, in order to fully understand it we need to take a look at the official film synopsis, which was released on the same day as the trailer. It revealed a ton of new information about the movie, and offers plenty to dissect about the film thus far:
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!
Right away, there are obvious differences between the film and the book. The first thing I noticed was “a fantastical journey through a world they’ve never seen before”, which is strongly implied (and confirmed by the trailer) to be the Cat in the Hat’s world. While it wasn’t visited in the book, it’s already a WAY better addition than the “Mother of All Messes” in the live-action movie. The second thing I noticed, however, is a much bigger and a bit riskier addition: the Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration. The I.I.I.I. appears to explain the reason why the Cat came to the narrator’s and Sally’s house in the book: to spread cheer to children from another dimension. The Cat being framed as an “agent of chaos” is actually a really nice way to expand on his arc in the book from a being who wants to have fun without consequences to one that realizes the importance of restraint and responsibility. And the threat of him losing his “magical” hat is a nice little steak that, while technically unnecessary, also doesn’t add too much. If the I.I.I.I. doesn’t dominate the story, it should be pretty safe.
The third thing I noticed is small but significant: the absence of Sally and the narrator entirely, who are now swapped with two new kids named Gabby and Sebastian, who are also Hispanic. There’s already precedent for at least swapping the narrator with another child in The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, which features Nicholas “Nick” Brown, a Jamaican American boy who isn’t even Sally’s brother, but her next-door neighbor and best friend. So, while I would have liked to see Sally in the film, this change doesn’t bother me that much personally. And while the subplot of Gabby and Sebastian “struggling with their move to a new town” is also a little unnecessary, it’s still WAY better than the subplot involving Larry Quinn in the live-action movie, and it presents FAR better character development opportunities for Gabby and Sebastian than what Conrad and Sally got in the live-action movie as well.
The first trailer would undoubtedly show much of the information presented in the synopsis, but exactly how much of it would be presented would be interesting. The audience reaction would also be fascinating to say the least, especially compared to the reaction to the Grinch’s first trailer.
The Official First Trailer
And as expected, the official trailer delivered. We open to an insanely fascinating and mysterious visual: a hot air balloon modeled after the Cat’s hat approaching a cross between a house and a skyscraper. The appearance of the structure suggests that this shot is set in the Cat’s world. The next shot shows the Cat navigating what looks like a shanty town on what could be the machine he uses to clean the house in the book (though bouncing on platforms instead of driving on a road, which is hilariously Seussian).
Then, we see the Cat himself getting off his machine and approaching a crate, though it doesn’t look like the red crate that Thing One and Thing Two come out of in the book. As for the Cat’s design, I’m a bit thrown off at how differently he looks compared to the Grinch, the Lorax and Horton in their movies. But Warner Bros. is a different studio from Universal and Fox with a different vision, and they probably wanted to make it visually clear that this movie is part of the new Seussiverse they’re planning. The design is still pretty good though, and it’s definitely better than Mike Myers’ version, so there’s that.
In a sequence that does a great job at communicating the Cat’s penchant for chaos, he is urged (by who I assume is an I.I.I.I. employee) to listen to a sign on the crate to not open the crate. The Cat, of course, is convinced it’s just a “suggestion” before he opens the crate, only to see more nesting doll-style crates with similar “do not open” signs that he also opens before he prepares to open the final crate. We are then shown the Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration (and the Cat’s hilarious face-planted arrival), and I have to say, it looks very Seussian in its aesthetic. He excitedly greets his co-workers, who, fascinatingly enough, are also anthropomorphic animals wearing items that rhyme with their names (except for Ron, and the disinterested way the Cat greets him is hilarious). While they’re obvious additions to the story, they’re very much in the spirit of the book, so it’s a nice little detail.
Another character (who I assume is another I.I.I.I. employee) mentions that he heard that the Cat lost three giraffes on his last mission. This strongly suggests that the movie will show the Cat’s previous attempts to spread cheer to children in the beginning, which is fine as long as they don’t occupy too much of the movie and don’t put too much emphasis on the Cat wanting to have fun without consequences. Though him correcting that he actually lost five giraffes (and then abandoning his gloves as he walks off) is hilarious.
We are then taken to the Cat arriving at Gabby and Sebastian’s house (and an actual scene in the book!), who declares to them that they were going to have the best day ever, only for Gabby to spray a liquid in self-defense that triggers a hilarious facial expression and scream from the Cat. Given Gabby’s struggling with moving, I imagine she’s upset, insecure and distrusting rather than bossy, hypocritical and controlling like Sally was in the live-action movie, so this reaction from her made sense. We then get a montage of the Cat entertaining Gabby and Sebastian in different ways (along with the introduction of the Fish!) before he’s warned by Mr. Hoogaboom, his boss at the I.I.I.I., that he’s taking things “too far”, which the Cat interprets as “toot fart”. It might be bathroom humor, but for once, I’ll take it over those cursed adult jokes in the live-action movie.
In the final scene, the Cat tells Sebastian and the Fish that he was going to leave some “Things” in the house before we finally see him pull his iconic red crate out of his hat and head out to presumably run an errand with Gabby. And out comes not Thing One and Thing Two, but Thing One and Thing…Three? We then discover that multiple Things also came out of the crate, all the way up to Thing Eighteen. This is…an interesting addition, to say the least. It’s a bit more unnecessary than most of the other additions to the story, though there’s also precedent for this in the graphic novel Thing One and Thing Two Have Homework to Do, which introduces Thing Three and Thing Four. It’s also in the spirit of those Thing Three and Thing Four t-shirts that have been popular for years. If the other sixteen Things are more of a gimmick and Thing One and Thing Two remain the focus, then it should be fine. I do like how different all their designs look, though, and it does make you see why they want to make that Thing One and Thing Two spinoff. Speaking of Thing Two, it’s interesting that he’s not in the trailer, though I just hope his design looks about the same as Thing One’s, who looks pretty cute. If I had to guess, perhaps Thing Two went missing and the Cat and Gabby go out to try to find him.
Audience reaction was, perhaps unsurprisingly, overwhelmingly positive, doing even better than the audience reaction to the Grinch’s first trailer. That’s probably because this film is rebooting a much worse live-action film, though; even a subpar trailer would’ve probably won audiences over. If anything, any negativity wasn’t aimed at the film itself, but Warner Bros., with people wondering why it appeared that the company was suddenly committed to animation again under CEO David Zaslav, or even joking that he’d cancel the movie for a tax-write off. And that’s actually hilarious in the best way, especially since I just dove into the topic of Warner Bros. deleting movies and television shows and how other companies have been inspired to do the same.
And who could blame anyone for thinking that Zaslav wasn’t going to let the Cat finally have his day? To be fair, Zaslav may be many things, but even he hasn’t stooped so low as to cancel a film after two trailers came out (at least not yet). If anything, Warner Bros. has just claimed their intent to reverse course. Recently, Damaschke took the stage at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival to say that the studio is now “committed to taking big swings in animation”. He reiterated the 2028 release of Oh, The Places You Will Go and premiered the new Looney Tunes short Daffy Season, which will accompany the Cat in the Hat film. But all Damaschke did was bring back haunting memories of Zaslav’s attempts to shelve Coyote vs. Acme and The Day the Earth Blew Up, his successful attempt to shelve Scoob: Holiday Haunt and his countless other crimes against animation and other projects. The sad part is that Damaschke is probably serious about reversing the damage Zaslav has caused, but as long as Zaslav is CEO, he probably won’t be able to fully enact his vision. It’s a shame that it looks like the merger with Paramount is the only thing that will lead to Zaslav leaving office at this point, and we can only hope that Damaschke remains in his position after the merger, or is at least replaced by someone who is just as committed to animation and the Seussiverse.
The film’s second official trailer (along with the film’s official poster) was released earlier this month, which was titled “Official Trailer 3”. While this was an unusual move, it also feels like a prank that the Cat himself would have done. There’s even speculation that it’s tied directly to the fact that Thing Two appears to be missing. So, what do I personally think of the second third trailer?
The Official Second Third Trailer
And as expected, the second third trailer delivered even more than the first trailer. We open to the Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration again, though this time, the Cat is sent to Mr. Hoogaboom’s office, who tells him how all of his previous assignments have been a disaster. Fascinatingly, we are shown what appears to be a flashback sequence of the Cat trying to entertain what suspiciously looks like the narrator and Sally. On one hand, if that’s actually them, their designs look pretty good. On the other hand, the implication that the Cat messed up and didn’t learn his lesson during his time with them isn’t…great, but it could also simply be deceptive trailer editing.
Mr. Hoogaboom warns the Cat about the “last chance” he had “to prove himself” or he’ll “lose his magical hat” that the synopsis indicated. We are then shown a deeper look into Gabby’s struggle with moving, who states that she’ll “never fit here” like she did at home. The Cat then gets into Gabby and Sebastian’s house by coming out from what hilariously enough looks like a mouse hole. It’s not the simple door he walks through in the book, but you can’t have everything, I guess. He then uses his magical hat to bring life into the house and turn the Fish anthropomorphic like in the live-action movie. If there’s anything this film should dare copy from the live-action film, it’s probably that, since no explanation is given for the Fish’s ability to talk in the book.
The Cat then introduces Gabby and Sebastian to a device called the Go-Backer, which rewinds places to earlier points in time. I’m actually not so sure about this addition, as it leans a bit too heavily into the Cat learning responsibility too early in the story. However, Gabby considers using the Go-Backer to travel back in time to before her family moved, which the Cat warns was too dangerous, suggesting that the Go-Backer isn’t an actual time travel device. The Go-Backer ends up inside the moving boxes, creating three magic satchel pocket dimensions consisting of Gabby and Sebatian’s memories. The Cat then promises that if they help him find the Go-Backer, he’ll help them undo their move. I think it would actually be perfect if they fail to find the Go-Backer. That way, the Cat realizes that restraint and responsibility isn’t achieved just because you have a device that can take care of the boring things for you. It also critically forces the Cat to use his machine at the end of the book to clean the house rather than, you know…the Go-Backer.
We then get a montage of the Cat, Gabby, Sebastian and the Fish navigating the dimensions with Gabby and Sebastian’s memories, and likely the Cat’s world in general, considering that the voice-over describes “some of the most unexplored mysteries of the universe”. Gabby mentions how they’re “never going to get home”, which makes me hope that the movie doesn’t spend too little time in the actual house. The Cat then suggests to Gabby that moving is a chance to “make new memories”, which basically hints at her eventually embracing her new life. I also hope this subplot doesn’t dominate the movie, though integrating it into the Cat’s world seems safe enough to me.
The Cat then warns that the universe will be destroyed if they don’t find the Go-Backer. I don’t know if that means the Cat’s world, Gabby and Sebastian’s world, or both, but that’s actually insane stakes for a film adapting a book with such a simple plot, even compared to the live-action movie. Whether this will end up being a good direction to take the movie is anyone’s guess, but I guess they will end up finding the Go-Backer anyway. I just hope that Mr. Hoogaboom keeps the Go-Backer and punishes the Cat anyway given the risk he posed to all of existence, which would force the Cat to use his machine at the end of the book to clean the house. I just wonder if he’d actually have his hat at that point in order to do it.
We then get a montage of the Cat creating a telenovela using hand shadow puppets. Given Gabby and Sebastian’s Hispanic heritage, I wonder if there was a cultural motivation behind this particular decision from the Cat, which is actually kind of neat. (Even funnier is how the Fish is hooked and Gabby could care less.) The Cat then has an idea to ask the Things for a lead on the Go-Backer, who communicate by slapping each other. When the Fish tells the Cat to try asking them to be quiet, he bribes them with a dead fish from his hat. Naturally, the Fish finds this offensive, which was a hilarious final joke.
So Will This Actually Be A Hit?
Honestly, I’m cautiously optimistic, but more optimistic than cautious compared to The Grinch. Audience reaction to the second third trailer was, unsurprisingly, overwhelmingly positive, faring even better than the first trailer, and I would say even compared to the Grinch’s second trailer. The biggest thing people appreciated was that the second third trailer explained more of the story, and there was definitely a lot more to talk about compared to the first trailer. As far as how it might perform critically and financially, one thing is clear. The live-action film made $134 million worldwide with a pathetic Rotten Tomatoes rating of 10%, so there’s basically no scenario whatsoever in which this film doesn’t outpace it, especially critically, and likely financially. Even if you’re a purist who disagrees with my assessments of the trailers or hates the movie, you HAVE to admit that this movie doing worse than the last cinematic outing is impossible when you compare this movie’s direction with that of the live-action film. And the most important thing here is that this movie rectifies the crimes that were committed back in 2003, which you also have to admit must be done.
The bigger question is how much better this film will do compared to other modern Dr. Seuss films. The gold standard, of course, remains Horton Hears a Who critically, with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 79%, and The Grinch financially, which grossed $553 million at the box office. The more important metric is absolutely the critical one, and while I’m a bit skeptical that this movie will actually reach Horton Hears a Who‘s rating, let alone surpass it, I would at least appreciate it surpassing the 60% Rotten Tomatoes rating of The Grinch, which I think is the absolute lowest this movie’s rating is allowed to go. Of course, it also helps that The Cat in the Hat isn’t a Universal film, which would have very likely bogged down its rating.
Financially speaking, the lack of backing from Illumination does make it less likely that The Cat in the Hat will reach the box office haul of The Grinch, though Warner Bros.’ decision to avoid competition with Hoppers may prove to be a smart move, as there’s no obvious competition with other films releasing around the same time. Now, it’s only a matter of waiting and seeing if Warner Bros. learned from the lessons of Universal’s Dr. Seuss films by making sure that the additions to the story are small and don’t undermine the plot and message of the original story. If this film proves to do that successfully, then this Cat will give us plenty of fun come November.
With still much to show, I’m not sure if I’m going to make a post on every new trailer they put out, but chances are I’ll discuss noteworthy updates on the film as it gets closer to its release. Until this Cat comes back through our mouse holes doors, folks.
