THE CAT IN THE HAT (2026)

Genre: CG Animation
Director: Alessandro Carloni, Erica Rivinoja
Cast: Bill Hader, Xochitl Gomez, Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Paula Pell, Tiago Martinez
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 5 November 2026

Synopsis: 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!

Movie Review:

How do you turn a 62-page children’s book with very few words into a feature-length movie? The makers behind the latest Dr. Seuss adaptation manage to do more than a decent job.

Bill Hader produces and voices the titular character, the Cat in the Hat. A happy-go-lucky worker at the I.I.I.I. (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration), his job is to cheer up unhappy kids with funny, exaggerated antics and an assortment of props. But when his performance is deemed unacceptable by his boss, Mr. Hoogeboom (Giancarlo Esposito), the Cat is given one last chance: cheer up a despondent teenager named Gabby (Xochitl Gomez), who has moved into a new home with her younger brother, Sebastian (Tiago Martinez), and their mother, Carmen (America Ferrera) or faced being discharged.

Gabby misses her old school and friends, and hopes the Cat can use a time-travel device called the Go-Backer to turn back the clock. But someone else is after it, too. When the Go-Backer gets lost in one of the family’s boxes, the Cat must enlist Gabby and Sebastian’s help to find it before it’s too late.

Animation veterans Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni, who direct and write the film, have created a vibrant, heartfelt story featuring Dr. Seuss’s classic characters. The film also brings to mind Pixar’s Inside Out, with its exploration of how a teenager handles change and emotional growth.

It’s a meaningful story, to say the least. One part follows the Cat as he matures and comes to understand the true meaning of his job. Another focuses on Gabby, who realizes that her mother, Carmen, is more than a boring nurse consumed by paperwork and career advancement. Beneath all the chaos is a warm, constructive message that could give children something worthwhile to take away.

And then there’s Bill Hader, who is perfect as the overly energetic, lively Cat. He’s genuinely funny without being crass or sarcastic. Add Thing 1, Thing 3 and others, and the rowdiness goes up a notch. Where’s Thing 2? You’ll have to find out for yourself. There’s also Waffles (Matt Berry), the goldfish; Sherri (Quinta Brunson), the good-hearted HR director; the Psychic Narwhal (Titus Burgess), who, for some reason, brings Bing Bong to mind; and Bowen Yang as a nonchalant nepo intern.

DNEG Animation’s work gives the film a whimsical, stylized look. Its aesthetic shifts across three distinct worlds, each with its own feel, while subtle touches of 2D animation add to the visual appeal. And what’s a contemporary animated movie without a few tunes? Hader sings the simple, catchy main theme, while Hilary Duff contributes “CATastrophe.”

Is The Cat in the Hat (2026) better than the 2003 live-action version starring Mike Myers? Definitely. The original story introduced children to chaos, order, imagination and fun. Rivinoja and Carloni expand on that classic without resorting to silly potty humor. The result is a joyful watch for kids and adults alike.

Movie Rating:

(The Cat in the Hat is out of the bag and bringing a whole lot of laugh-out-loud cat-titude!)

Review by Linus Tee