- Image from Cat in the Hate courtesy of Warner Bros. Animation

The Cat in the Hat Animated Trailer Shows Imaginative Visuals and a New Take on the Classic Story

Originally posted on Total Apex Entertainment
By Liesel Booker | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 9:43 AM ET

The trailer for Warner Bros. Animation’s The Cat in the Hat looks like the movie is trying to appeal to a new generation of viewers. Rather than fill the trailer with nostalgic overtones, Warner Bros. teases that the movie will finally answer an age-old question: just where did the Cat in the Hat come from, anyway?

The Cat in the Hat Trailer

The trailer opens with a whimsical visual of a hot-air balloon shaped like the Cat’s iconic Hat. It turns out that the Cat is from a 2D-animated magical world and works for the “Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC,” a company that sends its workers to the real world to encourage imagination. The Cat has other coworkers with rhyming names, such as “Pig in a Wig” and “Yak with a Pack.” Unfortunately, it seems that the Cat has been messing up his missions. According to the trailer’s description, he risks “losing his magical hat” if he screws up the mission with the two kids and the grumpy fish from the book.

Creative Visuals

The most interesting thing about the trailer is its use of different animation styles for the two different worlds. The Cat’s world is animated in 2D, while the real world is animated in 3D. In an age when most animation companies like Disney and DreamWorks have basically given up on 2D animation, it is refreshing to see the 2D style come back, even though computers still likely had a hand in animating the 2D sections.

Is The Cat in the Hat Bill Hader?

Yes, Bill Hader is voicing the titular Cat, and judging by the trailer, he seems to bring a lot of whimsy to the role. After the 2003 live-action version was panned by both critics and audiences, the animated version is wise to take the story in a new direction. It looks like the visuals alone will make the movie worth seeing, but when you add in the clever twist on the story, this movie appears promising. The Cat in the Hat is set for release on February 27, 2026.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Entertainment and was syndicated with permission.

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