The Cat in the Hat is getting back to its animated roots more than 20 years after the release of the classic Dr. Seuss tale — or is it tail? — in a live-action setting.
According to Deadline, The Cat in the Hat is the first animated feature to be produced by the revamped Warner Bros. Pictures Animation division in conjunction with Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
The trade publication said Saturday Night Live alum and Barry star-director Bill Hader will star as the titular Cat in the Hat. Joining Hader will be current SNL star Bowen Yang, Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness breakout star Xochitl Gomez. Other members of the voice cast include Matt Berry — who plays the vampire Lazlo Cravensworth in the hit comedy series What We Do in the Shadows — as well as Girls5eva series star Paula Pell.
Released by Universal Pictures in 2003, the live-action version of The Cat in the Hat starred SNL alum and Austin Powers star Mike Myers in the title role opposite the likes of Spencer Breslin, Dakota Fanning, Kelly Preston, Sean Hayes and Alec Baldwin.
When Will The New ‘Cat In The Hat’ Movie Be Released?
Deadline reported that the new animated version of Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat will be released on March 6, 2026. The film will be written and directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja. Carloni previously directed Kung Fu Panda 3 and served in the animation department on nearly 20 animated films including Shark Tale, Shrek the Third, Bee Movie, Kung Fu Panda 2 and How to Train Your Dragon and its two sequels.
Rivinoja has written screenplays for both live-action and animated films. She wrote 17 episodes for Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s hit animated series South Park and wrote the stories for the original Trolls movie in 2016 and the first animated Addams Family film in 2019.
In the live-action realm, Rivinoja wrote the story for Tiffany Haddish’s breakthrough film Girls Trip and collaborated with several writers including the film’s star, Sacha Baron Cohen, on the screenplay for 2020’s Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm.
The release of The Cat in the Hat will come nearly 70 years after Dr. Seuss published the book the movie is based upon in 1957. For the new film, Warner Bros. Studios Animation is teaming with DNEG Animation to produce the film. DNEG’s projects include 2023’s Nimona, which was nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar, as well as the 2021 animated feature Ron’s Gone Wrong.