The Cat in the Hat is back.
The mischievous character has a new look and a new voice in “The Cat in the Hat” movie starring Bill Hader as the titular troublemaker. This new animated comedy, directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, is not the first of its kind or name, but it does add a new sci-fi element – with portals and time travel, this Cat is here to save the universe. He also looks notably different from other adaptations, with a smoother, 3D computer animation compared to the hand-drawn style of others.
Speaking to USA TODAY on the red carpet at the premiere, Hader said he hadn’t seen the other versions and didn’t base his Cat on them, but he grew up reading Seuss’ books.
“It's pretty wild, reading the stories and growing up with
the cartoons they had, you know, in the early '80s to now being the voice of it,” Hader said.
Before you head to the theaters to see what the Cat in the Hat is up to next, take a look back on his earlier forms across books, movies and TV.
'The Cat in the Hat' (1957 book)
Theodor Geisel wrote “The Cat in the Hat” after a challenge from a Houghton Mifflin editor to write a book using only words from a vocabulary list for young learners. His zany, colorful stories became the antidote to boring board books and revolutionized children’s literature. The Cat and his friends – the little Cats, the Things and more – would appear in several Geisel works. In 2026, his estate published “Sing the 50 United States!”, a newly uncovered, unfinished manuscript featuring the Cat.
'The Cat in the Hat' (1971 animated TV special)
The Cat’s first silver screen foray was a 25-minute TV special written by the author himself. Allan Sherman voiced the Cat, who visits two children left home alone for an afternoon of trouble, mess and fun.
'Dr. Seuss on the Loose' (1973)
Allan Sherman reprises his role as the Cat in the Hat to host “Dr. Seuss on the Loose,” a collection of three classic Seuss tales: “The Sneetches,” “The Zax” and “Green Eggs and Ham.”
'The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat' (1982)
The Grinch and the Cat in the Hat come face-to-face in this 1982 TV special, featuring Mason Adams as the Cat and Bob Holt as the Grinch. This was the last Cat in the Hat adaptation that aired before Geisel’s death in 1991.
'The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss' (1996)
In 1996, the Cat got a dramatic makeover – in puppet form. This live-action children’s TV series ran from 1996 to 1998 on Nickelodeon, produced by the Jim Henson Company. Puppeteers Martin P. Robinson and Bruce Lanoil performed as the Cat in the Hat.
'The Cat in the Hat' (2003)
The 2003 film is the second and last live-action Dr. Seuss adaptation, following “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” in 2000. Geisel’s widow, Audrey, told the Associated Press that she did not think Mike Myers was an appropriate casting and would never allow live-action Seuss portrayals again. It has an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
“I never saw 'Austin Powers,’ but I knew 'Yeah, baby!’ and I didn’t want 'Yeah, baby!’ at all,” Geisel said of Myers’ casting.
The film also starred Kelly Preston, Alec Baldwin, Spencer Breslin and Dakota Fanning.
'The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!' (2010-2018)
For three seasons, Martin Short played the Cat in “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!” The PBS series follows the Cat on adventures with fish, Thing 1, Thing 2 and kids Sally and Nick.
'The Cat In the Hat and Linda' (2014 SNL sketch)
OK, technically this isn't an authorized Seuss adaptation, but the 2014 SNL sketch is worth a mention only because of Hader in the Cat suit. In this NSFW sketch, the children find out that their mother had a relationship with Cat. Hader told USA TODAY that it may have been the reason he got the role 12 years later.
"I found out through reporters having talked to Erica and Alessandro that they were like 'Oh, yeah, we saw that sketch and we thought that Bill would be good (as Cat),'" Hader said on the red carpet. "If that's true, that's very strange."
'The Cat in the Hat' (2026)
The second feature Cat in the Hat film is in theaters now, starring Hader, Bowen Yang, Quinta Brunson, America Ferrera, Giancarlo Esposito and more. The Cat is on the brink of being fired from his job entertaining human children. But then he finds the Go-Backer, a stopwatch that can reverse time.
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, covering buzzy releases, chatting with authors and diving into the culture of reading. Find heron Instagram, subscribe to our weeklyBooks newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cat in the Hat gets a new look. See all movies, TV specials and books over the years
