Seuss’ troublemaking character has lost his Hat and needs two homesick children’s help finding it.
This is the premise of The Cat in the Hat, the main trailer for a new Warner Bros. Pictures Animation film. Bill Hader provides the voice of the title character. Released on June 9th, the trailer offers insight into the plot ahead of its November 6th wide and IMAX release in North America. It premieres internationally on November 4th.
The trailer starts with the Cat being called into his boss’s office at the I.I.I.I., the Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC. The Cat learns that every job he’s done has failed. His next task is to brighten Gabby and Sebastian’s days as they adjust to a new life in their new town. Being prone to going overboard, the Cat might get his final chance to make a good impression or lose his magic hat.
At first, the kids are wary of the strange fellow, but they soon come to like him. However, soon after, the Cat loses his Go Backer, which lets him travel back in time. The Cat proposes a bargain to Gabby and Sebastian: help him find the gadget, and he will undo their move.
What follows is an adventure through a colorful world of memories, with the universe’s future potentially hanging in the balance. Meanwhile, the Cat tries to convince Gabby and Sebastian that a new home means new memories.
The trailer also shows the siblings’ talking fish, voiced by Matt Berry, whose newfound ability to speak is thanks to the Cat. The mischievous Things also feature in the trailer, although Thing 2 appears not to be there. America Ferrera voices the kids’ mother, and Quinta Brunson plays one of the Cat’s coworkers at the institute.
According to director Erica Rivinoja, who spoke to FilmInk last year, if the Cat is chaos, the Things are “extra chaos on top of that,” though very cute.
Other cast members include Xochitl Gomez, Giancarlo Esposito, Tituss Burgess, Bowen Yang, Paula Pell, and Tiago Martinez.
Having worked on Trolls and South Park, Erica Rivinoja directed the film with Alessandro Carloni, a filmmaker known for works such as Kung Fu Panda. They co-wrote the screenplay, adapting a story by Caroline Williams from the Dr. Seuss book. DNEG Animation, famous for Nimona and That Christmas, created the animation.
Daniela Mazzucato and Jared Stern have produced the film. Executive producers include Hader, Susan Brandt, Bill Damaschke, Kelly Marcel, Steve Zissis, Tim Story, and Alex Timbers. Dan Molina edited the movie, and Lorne Balfe composed the music. Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute the movie worldwide.
The Cat in the Hat is the first long feature by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. Launched under Bill Damaschke, the studio released the movie, which the director described as the studio’s “doorway into our own Seussiverse.” Another Seuss adaptation, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, is also in development at the studio.
Before reaching theaters, the film has changed its premiere dates twice. It was scheduled for March 6th, 2026, then moved up to February 27th to avoid Pixar’s Hopper. In August 2025, the premiere was rescheduled for November. The studio claimed the holiday window would give the movie a long theatrical run, plus merchandising opportunities and partnerships, though the film was completed for February by then.
Dr. Seuss’ original book about a brother and sister who stayed at home on a cold, rainy day when the Cat came to them with Thing One and Thing Two, made a mess, annoyed their pet fish, and cleaned everything up with a magical machine was published in 1957. The last time the character appeared on the big screen was in a 2003 live-action film with Mike Myers.
