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I Have No Idea What Gabby’s Dollhouse Is, But Apparently It’s a Huge Deal—and Now It’s a Movie

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Look, I’m going to be honest: I have absolutely no idea what Gabby’s Dollhouse is. I couldn’t tell you the difference between DJ Catnip and CatRat, and if you asked me what the show is about, I’d guess “a dollhouse that comes to life or something?” Which, surprisingly, isn’t far off.

What I do know is this: DreamWorks Animation just announced that Gabby’s Dollhouse is going from streaming series to full-blown cinematic experience with Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie. And judging by the press release—and the fact that it’s apparently the Netflix preschool sensation—this is a really big deal.

Since its 2021 debut, Gabby’s Dollhouse has been quietly (or not so quietly, if you have kids) dominating screens across the globe. Created by Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey (names I’m assured are very respected in this space), the show blends live action and animation, following a girl named Gabby who shrinks down and enters her dollhouse to hang out with a bunch of whimsical, animated cat characters. I’m not sure if this is adorable or slightly uncanny, but millions of kids are clearly here for it.

Now, with a Netflix series that’s spanned over 100 episodes and reached the top 10 in 63 countries, DreamWorks is giving Gabby her biggest adventure yet. In the movie, Gabby (voiced by Laila Lockhart Kraner) takes a road trip with her grandma—played by none other than Gloria Estefan, because why not—to a place called “Cat Francisco.” Yes, really. Chaos ensues when her precious dollhouse falls into the hands of an eccentric cat lady named Vera (voiced by Kristen Wiig, again: why not?), leading to a cross-world quest to save her feline friends.

The cast is stacked with comedy heavyweights like Ego Nwodim, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villaseñor, Thomas Lennon, Jason Mantzoukas, and Fortune Feimster. That’s basically half of Saturday Night Live and most of the animated shows on TV right now.

The movie is directed by Ryan Crego, who has DreamWorks cred and an Emmy nomination under his belt, and produced by Steven Schweickart, who’s worked on How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods, and Kung Fu Panda 4—aka movies that made a ton of money.

I’m still not totally sure who this is for (besides, obviously, the millions of kids who already adore the show), but the scale of the franchise is staggering. There’s a bestselling toy line, original music, apps, a hit YouTube channel, and even live theme park experiences. You can apparently go to Gabby’s Dollhouse in real life. Again, I had no clue. But now I do. Sort of.

So, if your kid suddenly insists on watching a movie about anthropomorphic cats who live inside a magic dollhouse, now you’ll know: it’s Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, and yes, it’s a thing. A very big thing.

Are you familiar with Gabby’s Dollhouse, or are you just as baffled (and intrigued) as I am?


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