In 2021, a Netflix Original, Gabby’s Dollhouse by DreamWorks, premiered and immediately became one of the most popular kids shows with its colourful and imaginative world, endearing cat characters and catchy music. The show was created by Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey, who also created another hit kids’ show, Blue’s Clues. Each episode encourages creativity, teamwork and problem-solving while getting kids watching at home in on the fun too.

The show is approaching its 12th season due in November with no signs of slowing down, but before that, Gabby, Pandy Paws and the Gabby Cats make their big screen debut with Laila Lockhart Kraner reprising her iconic role in Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, now getting kids up off their seats and dancing in cinemas worldwide.

Gabby goes on a road trip with her grandma Gigi to the urban wonderland of Cat Francisco. In an unfortunate turn of events, Gabby’s dollhouse, her most prized possession, ends up in the hands of an eccentric cat lady named Vera. Gabby sets off on an adventure through the real world with a pinch on her left, pinch pinch on her right, grabbing Pandy’s hand and holding on tight, to get the Gabby Cats back together and save the dollhouse before it’s too late.

Gabby is portrayed by none other than Laila Lockhart Kraner, who has been performing the titular character since she was 12 years old. Now aged 17, she has the same compassion, energy and enthusiasm as ever, lighting up the screens since episode 1. She portrays both the live-action and animation versions of Gabby, and it’s clear to see her passion for this role. She’s able to show different elements of the character not normally seen in the show and has fantastic chemistry with the rest of the cast. Just like the show, Gabby will be getting you in on the fun, too.

Gabby’s grandmother, Gigi, makes her first-ever appearance and is portrayed by multi-award-winning recording artist Gloria Estefan. With how positive and uplifting Gabby is, it’s easy to see how much of an influence her grandmother had on her and still does today.

Gloria brings that same compassion, energy and enthusiasm as Gabby, and even though she may have a smaller role, the film makes sure to make her appearances count. Even Gabby can feel down and not know what to do at times, but no one knows her better than Gigi, and she’s always there to lift her spirits.

Kristen Wiig stars as the main villain, Vera, an eccentric cat lady with her own brand of kitty litter called Pretty Glitter Kitty Litter. Vera gets plenty of screen time to show off her interesting quirks, unorthodox nature and awkward personality. Kristen is clearly having fun in this role, especially with the way she interacts with her pet cat, Marlene, and the cat yoga scene is something to behold. Vera isn’t just there to serve as a villain, as she has a much deeper story to explore.

Aside from Laila Lockhart Kraner reprising her role from the show, the film also brings back the voice cast. Returning to their roles are Logan Bailey as Pandy Paws, Darren Criss as Marty the Party Cat, Juliet Donenfeld as Cakey, Eduardo Franco as DJ Catnip, Maggie Lowe as Baby Box, Sainty Nelsen as Pillow Cat, Donovan Patton as CatRat, Tara Strong as Kitty Fairy, Carla Tassara as Carlita and Secunda Wood as MerCat.

The movie features various new characters not seen in the show, all adding to Gabby’s adventure. One scene in particular, where Gabby stumbles into a garden and encounters some mysterious creatures that seem out of place with everything else in the movie. Their animation style has a low frame rate, which has been used in various other films and done incredibly well, but here it makes them look like they belong in another movie, and the film doesn’t do anything memorable with them either, making their appearance feel a bit pointless. Once their scene is over, that’s all you’ll see of them, and you’ll be wondering why they were in the film at all.

The film adaptation of Gabby’s Dollhouse isn’t just a movie about all things fun, colourful and sparkly. It also teaches life lessons about compassion, forgiveness and growing up. There are some elements of the Toy Story films, mainly with kids growing up and moving on from their favourite toys. The film has its fair share of deep, meaningful and emotional moments that many of us can relate to.

The Netflix Jr. show is known for its bright and colourful style with lots and lots of glitter, and the movie features all of that and more. The show is predominantly an animated series with live action segments to open and close each episode, but the film features more of Gabby in her live action form, allowing the star, Laila Lockhart Kraner, to show more of her acting range. It has a good balance of live action and animation, often mixing the two together.

The animation in the film is of a much higher quality than its TV show counterpart, as is any other cartoon-to-movie adaptation, but it retains the same spirit and overall presentation. All the catchy songs from the show are featured in the film, as well as some new ones and even some licensed music too, all complementing their respective scenes.

Just like the show, Gabby will speak directly to the audience to ask for help during the most crucial moments, whether it’s to sing along with her or help her become tiny. Kids’ shows encouraging audience participation are a great way to get children active, and it’s fantastic to see that the movie does this as well. A cinema full of kids and their families all teaming up to lend Gabby a helping hand will no doubt be a fun time for everyone.

Many children’s shows have been adapted to the big screen, and Gabby’s Dollhouse is one of the best ones yet. It has the same cat-tastic energy and fun quirks as the show, the same catchy songs, bright and colourful art style, imagination and a whole lot of glitter and encourages audiences to join in on the fun. Laila Lockhart Kraner reprises her iconic role by not only voicing her animated counterpart, but also portraying her live-action version, too and getting to do more in that form. Fans, kids and their families will be in for an a-meow-zing time with Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie.

Written by: Sammy Hanson