The Cat in the Hat is back, and he’s got chaos down pat. Warner Bros Pictures Animation has dropped the trailer for its first animated adaptation of the beloved Dr. Seuss book, featuring Bill Hader (Barry) as the trouble-making feline in all of his playful charm.
The former Saturday Night Live cast member is joined by Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Bowen Yang (Wicked), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Xochitl Gomez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Matt Berry (Toast of London), Tiago Martinez, Paula Pell (Girls5eva), and Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul). Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, whose previous credits include Kung Fu Panda 3 and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, are directing the movie.
While the story’s enduring legacy has seen various adaptations over the years, the new pic is set to be an “expansive new universe”, separating it from the 2003 live-action movie directed by Bo Welch and starring Mike Myers, alongside the 1971 animated television special for CBS. What won’t change, though, is the sheer amount of shenanigans the Cat will get into with his companions, Thing One…and Thing Three? (Where’s Thing Two? That’s anyone’s guess.)
“Doing what he does best, the Cat 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,” reads the official synopsis for The Cat in the Hat.
“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!”
The Cat in the Hat brings on the chaos in theatres on 26 February 2026.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Yna Z.
