Bill Hader or, at least, an animated character that he voices, will don a red-and-white striped top hat in a new adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat.”
The “Barry” star will lead a vocal ensemble that also includes Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Bowen Yang (“SNL”), Xochitl Gomez (“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”), Matt Berry (“What We Do in The Shadows”) and Paula Pell (“Girls5eva”). Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Dr. Seuss Enterprises officially announced the casting on Monday.
“The Cat in the Hat” will open in theaters on March 6, 2026. Although the book is a children’s classic, it has a checkered cinematic legacy. A 2003 live-action adaptation, starring Mike Myers as he was riding high off of “Austin Powers,” collapsed at the box office. It earned $134 million on a $109 million budget and became a money-loser when marketing and distribution costs were factored into the equation. It pretty much ended Myers’ hot streak and received pulverizing reviews. The film was nominated for several Razzies, winning the prize for “Worst Excuse for an Actual Movie (All Concept/No Content)” over such heavy hitters as “From Justin to Kelly” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.” So…the animated version can only improve on that film’s performance.
Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja are writing and directing the movie with Daniela Mazzucato and Jared Stern serving as producers. The story finds The Cat (you know, the one in the hat) cheering up a pair of siblings who are trying to adjust to life in a new town.
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“We are overjoyed to partner with our friends at Dr. Seuss to take audiences of all ages on an adventure into the beloved world of ‘The Cat in the Hat,'” said Bill Damaschke, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. “With this incredible voice cast led by Bill Hader as the fun-loving, agent of chaos himself and our filmmakers Alessandro and Erica at the helm, we look forward to sharing this Seussian cinematic spectacle with audiences everywhere in 2026.”
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation has high hopes for the project. It announced that “The Cat in the Hat” will be the first feature to debut as part of a slate of animated projects that it’s developing with Dr. Seuss Enterprises. The author’s estate previously collaborated with Illumination on adaptations of “The Lorax” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Susan Brandt, president and CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and Hader will executive produce “The Cat in the Hat.” DNEG Animation will be the animation studio partner.
“We are excited to see such an exceptional group of talent join the effort to bring this iconic property to the screen as an animated feature,” Brandt said. “It’s been an amazing experience collaborating with the team from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation so far, as they truly understand what it takes to capture the magic of ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and share his brand of imagination and joy with a new generation of Dr. Seuss fans.”
