The work of Dr. Seuss is heading back to the world of animation after finding a new home in Warner Animation Group. The news comes after the animation division at Warner Bros. inked a deal with Dr. Seuss Enterprises LP to produce multiple films based on the popular works of Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. And the first film to be made by WB’s animation division is The Cat In The Hat.
This will be the second major adaptation of The Cat In The Hat after Mike Myers played the eponymous role in a less-than-beloved 2003 adaptation that was filmed in live-action. While the makeup effects on Myers were impressive, the film failed to make the splash enjoyed by its predecessor, How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
Intriguingly, both live-action adaptations were made by Universal, the studio that has mostly remained the home (or home-adjacent) for Dr. Seuss movies. While 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios produced Horton Hears A Who in 2008, Universal distributed Illumination Entertainment’s The Lorax in 2012, and are producing Illumination’s upcoming The Grinch (which is due out in November this year), a prequel of sorts to How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
So Dr. Seuss’ estate setting up shop with Warner Animation is curious, indeed. Warner Animation, which is still primarily most associated with WB Animation’s historic pantheon of Looney Tunes cartoons, has seen major success in recent years with feature-length animated films like The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie. So obviously not unfamiliar with cherished properties. A partnership with Seuss’ library, and beginning with his most popular children’s book after anything Grinch-related, is a savvy assignment for Thing One and Thing Two.