Jon M. Chu, the director of Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights and, lest we forget, the seminal classic Step Up 2: The Streets – is attached to direct a new feature-length animated version of Dr Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go! But as we know, making an animated movie takes a long time, so we won’t be seeing it until 2027.
According to Deadline, Dr Seuss’ beloved final book will be a “globetrotting animated musical following a young adventurer as they journey through the joys and heartaches, and the peaks and valleys, of life.”
JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot is adapting the book, making its first venture into animation. Hannah Minghella, who used to run Sony Animation, will also be a producer of the film. Minghella is the daughter of the great British director Anthony Minghella and sister of the actor and director Max Minghella. Warner Bros will be overseeing, having started a relationship with the Dr Seuss estate in 2018.
Warner Bros Animation Group are also eyeing a new film adaptation of The Cat in the Hat, which presumably will be less nightmarish than the 2003 version starring Mike Myers. There will also be an original animated feature with the provisional title of Thing One and Thing Two. The fantastic Netflix animated series Green Eggs and Ham on Netflix has also just launched a second season.
Chu’s adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical In the Heights was released in the summer of 2021 and he is currently working on the film adaptation of Wicked, which recently cast Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The director has not worked on an animation before, but will certainly be bringing his experience with musicals.
2027 feels like the far-flung future, but it looks like Warner Bros are lining up several Seuss-related projects to whet our appetites before Chu’s film sees a release.