| The Cat In The Hat Comes Back | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Erica Rivinoja |
| Produced by | Christopher DeFaria |
| Written by |
Erica Rivinoja Maya Forbes Wallace Wolodarsky |
| Based on |
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss |
| Starring |
Jack Black Owen Laramore Avery Tiiu Essex Lily Grace Rothschild Kelsey Grammer Idris Elba Gugu Mbatha-Raw Keegan-Michael Key Amy Poehler Julia Louis-Dreyfus |
| Music by | John Powell |
| Cinematography | Yong Duk Jhun |
| Edited by | Sim Evan-Jones |
| Production company |
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date | November 6, 2026 |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100 million |
| Box office | $940 million |
The Cat In The Hat Comes Back is a 2026 animated comedy film directed by Erica Rivinoja, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, 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. In the film's ensemble voice cast, Jack Black, Owen Laramore, Avery Tiiu Essex, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus reprise their roles from the first film, alongside Lily Grace Rothschild, Idris Elba, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Antonio Banderas, Keegan-Michael Key, and Amy Poehler.
In the film, a pink stain the Cat in the Hat accidentally leaves and spreads throughout the house when he returns on a snowy day, the Cat leaves increasingly small cats living in his hat in charge of cleaning up the mess while he, Conrad, and Sally journey to the Cat's homeland, San Imagination, where he works for the I.I.I.I. (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC) and recruit his friends and family (including a human child he adopted) to the cause, all while staying ahead of Ivo Diggo Bones, a pirate dog and the Cat's arch-enemy who wants to get revenge on him. Known for taking things too far, this could be the Cat's last chance to prove himself, or he'll lose his hat.
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back was released in the United States on November 6, 2026 by Warner Bros. Pictures. Like its predecessor, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing over $940 million worldwide and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2026, while surpassing the first film as the highest-grossing Dr. Seuss film adaptation.
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. In the second film, he is revealed to work at the I.I.I.I. (aka the Institute for the Institution for Imagination and Inspiration) and is known by them to take his assignments too far.
- Owen Laramore as Conrad Walden, an imaginative, caring, and outgoing boy who is Joselyn's son and 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.
- Avery Tiiu Essex as Sally Walden, a well-behaved girl who is Joan's daughter and Christopher's younger sister. She used to be cynical despite her well-behaved appearance, notably toward her brother's former accident-prone lifestyle, but she let go of her egotistical approach and learned to take others seriously and unleashed her fun side at the end of the first film, and is even Conrad's best friend.
- Lily Grace Rothschild 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 Conrad'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 Christopher, and becomes a member of the Williams family and Christopher's girlfriend at the end of the film.
- Kelsey Grammer as GrandCat, Diamond's well-intentioned-yet-condescending adoptive grandpa and the Cat's father who is prejudiced against humans because of the way humans treated him like a stray all his life.
- Idris Elba as Ivo Diggo Bones, a mean-spirited beagle and the Cat in the Hat's arch-enemy who is a captain of 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 Christopher and Sally to Cat Land, he becomes more keen on revenge than ever.
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Mary Vary Canary, a yellow canary who is Council Cat's majordomo.
- Lily Grace Rothschild as Daisy-Head Mayzie, a girl whose head a daisy occasionally pops out of and a good friend of the Cat in the Hat and Diamond.
- 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 Williams, Christopher 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 March 25, 2027, grossing $370 million in North America and $570 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $940 million, a box office success as it beat its $100 million budget.
Critical response[]
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 87% approval rating based on 270 reviews, the same approval rating earned by the original. The site's consensus reads, "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back is as much fun as The Cat in the Hat, making up for a fun diversion filled with worldbuilding, animation, humor, and heart for moviegoers who surely will not be disappointed". On Metacritic, like the first film, it has a score of 71 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, the same "A" grade earned by the first film and above the A- grade earned by Thing One & Thing Two.