November 8, 2003 (Universal City premiere)
November 21, 2003 (United States)
The Cat in the Hat (also known as Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat) is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film directed by production designer Bo Welch in his feature-length directorial debut, and written by Alec Berg, David Mandel, and Jeff Schaffer, based on the 1957 book by Dr. Seuss. The film stars Mike Myers as the Cat in the Hat, alongside Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning, and Spencer Breslin.
The Cat in the Hat was the second and final live-action film adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book after How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). The film's premiere was held in Universal City, California, on November 8, 2003, and was released in theaters in the United States on November 21 by Universal Pictures. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics and was a box-office disappointment, grossing $134 million against a budget of $109 million. It was nominated for ten awards at the 24th Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture and Worst Director.
The negative reception of the film caused Seuss's widow, Audrey Geisel, to cancel future live-action adaptations of her husband's works, including a planned sequel based on the second book, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. All adaptations have since been produced using computer animation. An animated remake is scheduled to be released on November 6, 2026.