{"id":1241307,"date":"2026-02-27T15:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=610310"},"modified":"2026-02-27T15:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:36:11","slug":"cat-in-the-hats-new-animated-movie-might-finally-reclaim-dr-seuss-character-from-mike-myers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/cat-in-the-hats-new-animated-movie-might-finally-reclaim-dr-seuss-character-from-mike-myers\/","title":{"rendered":"Cat in the Hat\u2019s new animated movie might finally reclaim Dr. Seuss\u2019 character from Mike Myers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our long national Cat in the Hat<\/em>-related nightmare is nearly over. For decades, the classic Dr. Seuss character from the 1957 picture book of the same name<\/a> was a quaint, urbane charmer who created chaos and weathered it with equal aplomb. From the direct sequel book<\/a> to the 1971 animated TV special<\/a> and its spinoffs to the endless brand activation<\/a> that followed, he was a pretty chill character \u2014\u00a0goofy and anarchic, but always a gentleman, to the degree that description can apply to a guy who walks around naked except for a hat and bow tie.<\/p>\n

Then, in 2003, Saturday Night Live<\/em> veteran and all-around comedic screamer Mike Myers turned the poor Cat into a live-action monstrosity, with a deeply weird Brooklyn\/Jewish comic accent<\/a> and a lot of mugging to the camera. For the past couple of decades, kids have been growing up on that version of The Cat in the Hat<\/em>, who\u2019s missing a lot of the odd whimsy of the original. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation \u2014 the recently rebranded studio previously known as Warner Animation Group \u2014 has a corrective coming in 2026, though, and the first teaser trailer points at a version of the character who looks, sounds, and feels a little more like Seuss\u2019 version, give or take the inevitable fart jokes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Warner Bros.\u2019 animated movie is clearly expanding significantly on the Cat\u2019s world and his background, while still retaining some of the framing from the original picture book, which has the Cat showing up to entertain a couple of kids on a rainy day when they\u2019re home alone, to the horror of their persnickety pet fish.<\/p>\n

In this reimagining, written and directed by Kung Fu Panda 3<\/em> director Alessandro Carloni and former South Park<\/em> staff writer and producer Erica Rivinoja, the Cat is an agent of the IIII \u2014 the Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration \u2014 who takes the assignment to cheer up two siblings struggling with their move to a new town. After a series of botched assignments, the Cat has to prove himself or risk losing his position and his magical hat.<\/p>\n

Bill Hader stars as the Cat, in a stunty bit of casting possibly inspired by his 2014 turn as the character in a Saturday Night Live<\/em> sketch that puts a slightly more adult spin on the character\u2019s drama and his arrival in the kids\u2019 household. Also featured in the animated movie\u2019s voice cast: What We Do In The Shadows<\/em>\u2019 Matt Berry<\/a>, Paula Pell, Giancarlo Esposito, America Ferrera, SNL<\/em>\u2019s Bowen Yang, and Tituss Burgess.<\/p>\n

The Cat in the Hat<\/em> hits theaters on Feb. 27, 2026.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n