Laila Lockhart Kraner, known for her role as Gabby in "Gabby's Dollhouse," is bringing her signature positivity and resilience to DreamWorks Animation's new live-action hybrid film, "Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie". The movie, which opened in theaters September 26, 2025, marks a significant step for DreamWorks as their first venture into combining live-action with animation.
Kraner's journey with "Gabby's Dollhouse" began at age 11, and she has since grown alongside her character. She credits the show's mantras of positivity and "failing fantastically" as principles that have shaped her life. The actress, now 17 and a senior in high school, feels lucky to be a voice of positivity for a new generation of kids. She recognizes the influence children's shows had on her own childhood, teaching her about sharing and kindness, and is excited to see "Gabby's Dollhouse" have a similar impact.
In "Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie," Gabby embarks on a road trip with her Grandma Gigi, voiced by Gloria Estefan, to the urban wonderland of Cat Francisco. The adventure begins when Gabby's dollhouse, her most prized possession, falls into the hands of an eccentric cat lady named Vera, played by Kristen Wiig. Gabby then sets out to reunite the Gabby Cats and save the dollhouse before it's too late.
The film carries forward the series' central message that creativity and problem-solving are vital at every age. The movie is directed by Ryan Crego and produced by Steven Schweickart. The movie is based on the "Gabby's Dollhouse" series created by Jennifer Twomey and Traci Paige Johnson. The all-star voice cast includes Saturday Night Live comedians Ego Nwodim, Kyle Mooney and Melissa Villaseñor, as well as Emmy nominee Thomas Lennon, Jason Mantzoukas, and Fortune Feimster. The original series' voice cast reprises their roles as Pandy Paws, CatRat, Cakey, DJ Catnip, Baby Box, MerCat, and more.
Kraner has also expressed her admiration for DreamWorks movies, stating that she grew up watching them. "Gabby's Dollhouse" has become a global phenomenon, with Netflix expanding the series to 100 episodes and the 11th season debuting in February 2025. In 2024, Nielsen reported that the series was the ninth-most-viewed streaming original series.
