The original book cover from 1958
Note: Please do not add "Kelly Preston died on July 12, 2020." or "Audrey Geisel died in December 2018." on here, because this film was planned before their deaths.
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back was the planned sequel adaptation to the 2003 film adaptation of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat with Mike Myers returning as the title character.
Plot[]
The Cat returns to Conrad and Sally's place, while their mother is out doing errands. It would have followed the plot of the book.
Cast[]
- Mike Myers as the Cat in the Hat
- Dakota Fanning as Sally
- Spencer Breslin as Conrad
- Kelly Preston as Joan Walden
- Victor Brandt as the Narrator
The rest are unknown.
Reasons For Its Cancellation[]
- Just like Batman & Robin and Battlefield Earth, the first film was panned by critics, audiences and fans of the book alike, and it was a box-office disappointment.
- Fans of the book were not happy about how many inappropriate jokes were used in the first film.
- Audrey Geisel (who was Dr. Seuss' widow) banned all future live-action film adaptations of her late husband's work after expressing distaste for the film.
- It is also understandable why Mike Myers didn't want to do a sequel after he found out that Audrey Geisel didn't want any more live-action Dr. Seuss film adaptations.
Results[]
- The sequel was permanently cancelled.
- Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat Comes Back remains as a book.
- On December 16, 2015, Steven Spielberg, Reliance, Entertainment One and Participant Media partnered to launch the content production company Amblin Partners, relegating the live-action DreamWorks studio to a brand for adult-themed films produced under the new company.
- There were plans for an animated adaptation of The Cat in the Hat and its possible sequel, which were announced by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, following the success of The Lorax. However, further plans to the film weren't announced since then and the project was replaced by the 2018 film The Grinch.
- In January 2018, the Warner Animation Group announced that they have picked up the rights for the animated Cat in the Hat reboot movie, along with many of Seuss' works. However, it is currently unknown who will be cast in the reboot film.
- There are three animated theatrical films released, Horton Hears A Who (2008) (by 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios), The Lorax (2012) and The Grinch (2018) (by Universal and Illumination).
- A Dr. Seuss Cinematic Universe was formed by Universal starting with The Lorax on March 2, 2012 (to celebrate Dr. Seuss' 108th birthday) and then The Grinch on November 9, 2018 (which was Illumination's final DSCU film and the final film that Audrey Geisel worked on). The Cat in the Hat reboot will be the third installment and will be the first DSCU movie released under the Warner Animation Group as part of Seuss Enterprises' new deal with Warner Bros.
- A British-Canadian-American flash-animated television series titled The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That was commissioned by PBS Kids that lasted from 2010 to 2018.
- The Cat in the Hat is a stand-alone film. Though it has also gained a cult following and positive critical retrospectives.
- A new The Cat in the Hat film will be released by Warner Bros. Animation on November 9, 2026.