| The Cat In The Hat Comes Back | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Erica Rivinoja Arturo A. Hernandez |
| Produced by | Ron Howard Brian Grazer |
| Screenplay by | Maya Forbes Wallace Wolodarsky |
| Story by | Erica Rivinoja Arturo A. Hernandez Maya Forbes Wallace Wolodarsky |
| Based on | The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss |
| Starring | Jack Black Owen Laramore Pippa Blaylock Devyn McDowell Idris Elba Benicio del Toro Amy Poehler Julia Louis-Dreyfus |
| Music by | John Powell |
| Cinematography | Stephen W. Childers |
| Edited by | Vanara Taing |
| Production companies |
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation Imagine Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date | December 25, 2026 |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100 million |
| Box office | $745 million |
The Cat In The Hat Comes Back is a 2026 American computer-animated comedy film directed by Erica Rivinoja and Arturo A. Hernandez and loosely based on the 1958 book at the same name by Dr. Seuss, serving as the sequel to 2023's The Cat in the Hat. Jack Black, Owen Laramore, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus reprise their roles from the first film with Pippa Blaylock replacing Brooklynn Prince, alongside new additions to the cast including Devyn McDowell, Idris Elba, Benicio del Toro, and Amy Poehler. In the film, the Cat in the Hat returns to Sally and Cody's house on a snowy day. When a pink stain he accidentally leaves spreads throughout the house, the Cat enlists the help of an increasingly small cats living in his hat to clean up the mess while he takes Cody and Sally to visit his hometown, Cat Land. During the visit, the Cat Land is threatened by its biggest enemy, the Dogs, sky pirates led by the Cat's fierce enemy, Ivo Diggo Bones, who wants to get revenge on the cats.
Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Imagine Entertainment, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back was released theatrically in the United States on December 25, 2026 by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the animation, voice cast, humor, and worldbuilding, although it received criticism for its script and minor inferiority to the original film. The film grossed over $745 million worldwide, being one of the highest-grossing films of 2026, and surpassing the first film as the highest-grossing Dr. Seuss film adaptation and the highest-grossing animated feature released by Warner Bros. to date.
Cast[]
- Jack Black as the Cat in the Hat, a six-foot tall anthropomorphic tuxedo cat who is the father of the Little Kitten in the Hat and the Big Kitten in the Hat, the adoptive father of Diamond, and the husband of the Molly in the Hat. He has an overly optimistic and happy-go-lucky attitude in a way that he has a positive outlook on life where he enjoys having fun without much on his mind, a flexible versatility (as he can become different shapes), and wears an oversized red bow tie and a magical red and white top hat which can reveal many humorous gadgets.
- Owen Laramore as Cody A. White, an imaginative, caring, and outgoing boy who is Joselyn's son, Sally's older brother He used to be taken less seriously due to his imagination's mess-prone nature, but is now a hero to his family after he, Sally, and the Cat saved the house from A Messy, Messy Land at the end of the first film, and is even now Sally's best friend.
- Pippa Blaylock as Sally White, a well-behaved girl who is Joselyn's daughter and Cody's younger sister. She used to be cynical despite her well-behaved appearance, notably toward Cody's former accident-prone lifestyle, but she let go of her egotistical approach and learned to take others seriously and unleash her fun side at the end of the first film, and is even Cody's best friend. She was previously voiced by Brooklynn Prince in the first film.
- Devyn McDowell as Diamond McDonald, a fun-loving, energetic, and outgoing girl who is The Little Kitten in the Hat and the Big Kitten in the Hat's adoptive sister, The Cat in the Hat's and the Molly in the Hat's adoptive daughter, and Cody's love interest. When she was three years old, her parents died in a car accident, and she was found by the Cat and raised her as one of his and Molly's kids. She later chooses to live in the human world with Sally and Cody, and becomes Cody's girlfriend at the end of the film.
- Idris Elba as Council Cat, an old Maltese cat who is the opportunistic-yet-condescending chairman of the Cat Land government and the lead Cat Land council, who is dedicated to traditions. However, he is also prejudiced against humans because of the way humans treated him like a stray all his life.
- Benicio del Toro as Ivo Diggo Bones, a mean-spirited beagle and the Cat in the Hat's arch-enemy who is a captain of sky pirate dogs and hates humans (a lot more than Council Cat) and cats. His goal is to dispose of Diamond once and for all as revenge to get on the cats for causing his misery by striping him of one hand, which was swallowed by shark, who also swallowed a clock during a battle. When he finds that the Cat brought Cody and Sally to Cat Land, he becomes more keen on revenge than ever.
- Amy Poehler as The Molly in the Hat, a white and ginger cat who is the easygoing, sweet wife the Cat in the Hat, the mother of the Little Kitten in the Hat and the Big Kitten in the Hat, and the adoptive mother of Diamond.
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Joselyn White, Cody and Sally's single mother. She is a real-estate agent working the Humberfloob Real Estate office.
- Lilly Singh as Cat A
- Nancy Cartwright as the Big Kitten in the Hat, and Cats B, C, D, E, F, and G
- E.G. Daily as the Little Kitten in the Hat, and Cats H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O and P
- Tabitha St. Germain as Cats Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z
Reception[]
Box office[]
In the United States and Canada, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back was projected to gross $180 million in it opening weekend. The film closed from theaters on April 25, 2027, grossing $306 million in North America and $439 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $745 million, a box office success as it beat its $100 million budget.
Critical response[]
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 75% approval rating based on 270 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back might not contain the same amount of how fun it is to have fun of the original film, but it's still a fun diversion for the kids with great animation, hilarious humor, and a good excuse to expand a franchise's universe". On Metacritic, it has a score of 67 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, down from the "A+" earned by the first film and above the A- grade earned by Thing One & Thing Two.