Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie is a 2025 American live-action animatedmusicalfantasy comedy film based on the Netflix series Gabby's Dollhouse, which was created by Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey, both of whom serve as executive producers. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film was directed by Ryan Crego from a screenplay by the writing teams of Mike Lew and Rehana Lew Mirza, and Adam Wilson and Melanie Wilson LaBracio, based on a story conceived by Crego. Combining live-action and animation, it stars Laila Lockhart Kraner, who reprises her role from the series with Jason Mantzoukas, Gloria Estefan, and Kristen Wiig joining the cast. The plot follows Gabby as she goes on a road trip with her grandmother to the urban wonderland of Cat Francisco and embarks on an adventure to save her dollhouse and the Gabby Cats from a cat lady.
DreamWorks Animation announced a feature-length film based on Gabby's Dollhouse in April 2024, with Crego and Steven Schweickart attached as director and producer, respectively. It was also announced that same month that Kraner set to reprise her role as Gabby. Filming began in July 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, with further casting running from February to May 2025. It is the second live-action DreamWorks Animation film, following the 2025 remake of How to Train Your Dragon (2010), as well as DreamWorks Animation's first live-action film that is not a remake.
Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie premiered in Melbourne on September 13, 2025, and was released by Universal Pictures in the United States on September 26, 2025. It received positive reviews from critics and has grossed $60 million worldwide.
Plot
Gabby, Pandy Paws, her Gabby cats, and her dollhouse go on a road trip with her grandmother Gigi to visit her home for a special project. In Cat Francisco, CatRat accidentally unlatches the dollhouse from the van, causing it to roll into a store where Vera, a cat lady, buys it and drives home. Vera then splits the Gabby cats up. CatRat finds a plush cat named Chumsley in a drawer.
Gabby, determined to save her dollhouse, shrinks along with Pandy and is taken to Vera's home, where the dollhouse is. Gabby learns the Gabby cats are missing but meets Chumsley at Cakey's kitchen, while ordering CatRat to stay. Chumsley offers to help. Gabby and Pandy find MerCat in Vera's aquarium and jump in, turning into mermaids. They free MerCat, traveling in a bubble, and find the Gabby cats in a bag. Vera opens the door, causing them to fly outside and fall into a bush. They meet kitty gnomes who take them to the Kitty Fairy, their queen.
At the kitty gnomes' hideout, they trick the gnomes into playing hide and seek while building a bird-like vehicle to escape. The Kitty Fairy gives up her queen title and returns to the dollhouse with MerCat. Meanwhile, Gabby and Pandy try to free the Gabby cats as Vera is distracted by Kitty Rangers. Gabby rescues the cats and they return to the dollhouse, where Chumsley shares how Vera once played with him but grew up and left him in her drawer. Gabby, Pandy, and the Gabby cats are cast out, and Chumsley seals the windows, claiming ownership of the dollhouse. Pandy goes to get Gigi.
CatRat unlocks the door and the team enters the dollhouse to stop Chumsley. Gabby nearly pinches her cat ears, but Chumsley steals them, corrupting the dollhouse. Gabby tearfully tells Baby Box she's scared of growing up, and Baby Box comforts her, giving her back her cat ears. Carlita returns with a smaller Gigi. Gabby reunites with Gigi and shares what happened.
Chumsley makes a cake with a bunch of magic, accidentally creating a portal. Gabby becomes big again to get Vera, then they both turn small and meet Gigi and the Gabby cats. They find the portal in Cakey's kitchen, which sucks Gabby, Vera, Cakey, and Chumsley into a world of sweets.
Gabby, Vera, and Cakey see Chumsley's paw prints and ride animal-shaped cookies to catch up. Gummy worms erupt from the candy grounds, carrying them away, and Chumsley escapes. The ground collapses, and they fall into a river, floating on a donut. As Vera talks about growing up, Cookie Bobby, a friendly cookie monster, throws them to safety, while Chumsley crosses a sweets-made rickety bridge. Before Vera can reconcile with Chumsley, he destroys the bridge.
The magic from the dollhouse begins to fade, causing the world to start collapsing. Vera and Chumsley save each other and reconcile, while everyone manages to return to the dollhouse. Its magic is restored, and a balloon shaped like a cat inflates from the dollhouse, lifting it as it flies over Cat Francisco. Back at Gigi's home, Gabby helps build the special project Gigi has been working on: a dog-themed dollhouse for Gabby's sister.
Cast
Live-action
Laila Lockhart Kraner as Gabby,[6] a young girl who is a kitty enthusiast. Kraner also voices her animated counterpart.
Tina Ukwu as young Gabby
Gloria Estefan as Grandma Gigi, the grandmother of Gabby. Estefan also voices her animated counterpart.
Kristen Wiig as Vera, an eccentric cat lady. Wiig also voices her animated counterpart.
Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album for the film. Stephanie Economou composed the film's score, and the album includes original songs performed by Kraner, along with new tracks by Aespa and Lu Kala.[13] The soundtrack was released by Republic Records on September 26, 2025, coinciding with the film's theatrical release.
Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie had its premiere in Melbourne on September 13, 2025,[14] and was released in the United States on September 26, by Universal Pictures.[15]
As of October19,2025[update], Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie has grossed $30 million in the United States and Canada and $30 million internationally, for a total of $60 million.[4][5]
In the United States and Canada, Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie was released alongside One Battle After Another and The Strangers – Chapter 2, and was projected to gross $12–15 million from 3,500 theaters in its opening weekend.[3] It opened with $13.7 million and finished second behind One Battle After Another.[18][19] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film opened with approximately £1.7 million (US$2.1 million) from 606 locations, topping the local box office during its opening weekend.[20]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of 19 critics' reviews are positive.[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, becoming the first DreamWorks Animation film to receive this grade.[22]
Weiting Liu of Common Sense Media rated the film three stars, writing: "This energetic live-action movie delivers exactly what fans of a popular TV series would expect: a lively blend of animation and sing-alongs overflowing with irresistibly cute kitty characters."[23] In a positive review, Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "If you happen to have some tykes that need big-screen babysitting, well, they'll probably have a swell time... [But] other than the presence of Kristen Wiig, there's precious little on offer for anyone who doesn't drink beverages from a sippy cup."[24]Owen Gleiberman of Variety gave the film a positive review and wrote: "A genial throwaway that skitters through incidents with a G-rated innocuousness that makes it perfect for a very pint-sized demo."[25] Bob Strauss of the San Francisco Chronicle rated the film three stars out of four, writing: "Songs and jokes and a surprisingly psychedelic sensibility make for a safe, kooky and sometimes even adult-amusing good time."[26]
Sandra Hall of The Sydney Morning Herald gave the film two stars out five, writing: "I can understand the film's appeal for young children... But if you're over 10, its relentlessly upbeat tone makes you feel as if you're being beaten over the head with a toy catalogue."[27] Natalie Winkelman of The New York Times gave the film a negative review writing that "Gabby's Dollhouse is strictly not suitable for anyone over reading age. If parents want to stay awake through the drivel, I'd suggest bringing a book."[28]
Frank Scheck for The Hollywood Reporter writes that the film is made for children and "if you happen to have some tykes that need big-screen babysitting, well, they’ll probably have a swell time."[29]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
