Running Time: 98 minutes
This feature film from Universal Pictures opens exclusively at theaters on September 26th, 2025.
Some family movies are made for all ages. Others, well, are geared specifically towards one particular group. So, how does one review a feature that has been created for a completely different demographic? Another friendly critic suggested to me that a good way is to watch the target audience and see how they react. While youngsters do need to get up and use the washroom during a show, if a picture doesn’t work, you will see kids become fussy, shuffle and be escorted out a few times by parents.
Attending the preview of Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, I was with a 4-year-old and surrounded by various families, where I noticed a very amusing trend occurring. The youngsters all sat in rapt attention during the show. In fact, they were well-behaved and completely engrossed, to the point where I don’t think that waving my hand in front of their faces would have done much to disengage them. Several parents, on the other hand, were leaving the theater for significant periods of time. It was exactly the reverse of what I was anticipating (I did my job, and sat through the entire film with my little guest).
For those unfamiliar with the Netflix series, Gabby (Laila Lockhart Kraner) is the owner of a magical dollhouse populated by various cats. When she puts on a pair of cat ears and repeats a saying, she can shrink down into the toy environment. An animated version of Gabby appears in this world and plays with the likes of Pandy (Logan Bailey), CatRat (Donovan Patton), MerCat (Secunda Wood), DJ Catnip (Eduardo Franco) and many others. In this tale, Gabby is visited by her grandmother (Gloria Estefan), who decides to take her to Cat Francisco so they can work on a special project together. The protagonist takes the dollhouse with her, but shortly after arriving, it rolls away down the street. Vera (Kristen Wiig), the wealthy, not-particularly friendly president of a kitty litter company, takes the toy to add to her toy collection. Gabby must find the dollhouse and her friends before they are separated forever.
It doesn’t take too long for Gabby to find Vera’s home, and what follows are a series of genial episodes in which the lead travels to different areas on the property, finds each cat-friend, encounters a slight obstacle, overcomes it and then sings a well-produced, if somewhat benign, song. Until the final act, it follows immediately recognizable and familiar story beats. And, as mentioned, there is nothing about the adventure, at least early on, that will command the attention of older viewers.
But compared to the show, there is a noticeably higher grade of production value. Vera’s house is impressively designed, with bizarre cat-centric items all around the home. And, when the film transitions to various animated environments, the rainbow-like color scheme is extra bright and swirly, with a grander and more elaborate scope. Truth be told, the music, cutting and intense colors are likely what is transfixing youngsters. Gabby also occasionally asks for help from audience members, asking them to say familiar lines from the show and work together to accomplish goals.
Things do hit a bigger and more interesting snag when Chumsley (Jason Mantzoukas), Vera’s favorite childhood toy that has been long forgotten, decides to take over the dollhouse. This forces Gabby to contend with the fact that she may be growing out of her dollhouse adventures. It leads to a climax featuring the movie’s most visually striking animated sequence. Gabby must not only attempt to help Vera and her toy reconnect, but deal herself with growing up (which I’m sure many parents have wondered about the solitary character since the series began). For grown-ups, this is more interesting than earlier sections of the picture. And, of course, Wiig does deliver a couple of laughs for adults still paying attention. There’s a gag where she attempts to improvise her own mystical song with hilariously dark lyrics that did make me laugh out loud.
So, Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie is most certainly not for those whose age features double-digits. But, like the show, it is sweet-natured and offers positive messages. The credits also suggest that the series will soon head in a new direction. This film is certainly not for me, but I can’t deny the effect that it had on children in the audience. They were captivated and quiet throughout. The unsolicited reaction from the 4-year-old sitting next to me was, “I loved it!” For that reason (and the fact I might be slain in my sleep for rating it any lower) this reviewer will simply warn adults and give the film a child-appropriate score.