Warner Bros. Pictures Animation is making its first feature under its newly rebranded label a familiar one. The studio has released a new trailer for The Cat in the Hat, bringing the beloved Dr. Seuss mischief-maker back to the big screen with a full animated adventure and a stacked voice cast to match.
Bill Hader leads as the titular Cat, joined by Quinta Brunson, Giancarlo Esposito, Xochitl Gomez, America Ferrera, Tituss Burgess, Matt Berry, Bowen Yang, Paula Pell, and Tiago Martinez. Watch the trailer below.
Directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, who also wrote the screenplay from a story by Caroline Williams, this version expands well beyond the familiar rainy-day premise. Here, the Cat works for the I.I.I.I. (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC), an organization whose entire purpose is delivering joy and chaos to children who need a little extra magic. His latest assignment takes him to Gabby and Sebastian, two siblings struggling after a move to a new town. The catch: if he pushes things too far one more time, he could lose his magical hat for good.
The film marks the first theatrical animated feature based on the 1957 Seuss story. The last adaptation was the 2003 live-action version starring Mike Myers. Animation is provided by DNEG, the studio behind Netflix’s Oscar-nominated Nimona, employing an illustrative style that grows wilder as the story’s fantastical worlds expand. Daniela Mazzucato produces.
The Cat in the Hat is also the first feature released under the Warner Bros. Pictures Animation banner since the label rebranded in 2023, previously known as Warner Animation Group, which launched with The Lego Movie in 2014. Under new label president Bill Damaschke, the division is positioning itself around filmmaker-driven stories built on what he describes as “hope, humor, and heart.” Also in the pipeline is Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, directed by Jon M. Chu and Jill Culton, starring Ariana Grande and Josh Gad, set for March 17, 2028.
The Cat in the Hat opens in theaters and IMAX on November 6, 2026, with international rollout beginning November 4.