The Cat in the Hat

Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (or simply The Cat in the Hat) is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1957 book of the same name by Dr. Seuss. Directed by Bo Welch and written by Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer, the film stars Mike Myers as the titular character, alongside Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning and Spencer Breslin. It follows siblings Sally and Conrad Walden getting paid a visit by the Cat in the Hat, who plans to lighten up their rainy day with activities that ensue mayhem.

DreamWorks Pictures originally acquired the film rights to the book in June 1996, although production did not begin until after the 2000 live-action film adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (which Universal and Imagine also worked on) was commercially successful. Several actors were considered for the titular character, before Myers landed the role in March 2002. Principal photography commenced mostly in California from October 2002 to January 2003, and 24 houses were constructed for the film's primary setting. David Newman composed the score for the film, while Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman wrote two original songs for the film.

The Cat in the Hat premiered in Universal City, California, on November 8, 2003, and was released in theaters in North America two weeks later by Universal Pictures and internationally by DreamWorks Pictures. The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and was a box-office disappointment, grossing $134 million worldwide on a budget of $109 million. It was nominated for eight awards at the 24th Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture and Worst Director, as well as two awards at the 25th and 30th Golden Raspberry Awards.

The poor reception of the film as well as its disappointing box-office performance, led to Seuss's widow, Audrey Geisel, forbidding any further live-action film adaptations of her husband's works after watching it, including a planned sequel based on the second book, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. An animated re-adaptation of the same name, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures under its Warner Bros. Pictures Animation division, is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 6, 2026.