Film opens worldwide on July 21, 2028
© Sanrio
Entertainment news website Deadline reported on Monday that David Derrick Jr. (Moana 2) and John Aoshima (Ultraman: Rising) are co-directing Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema’s planned live-action/animation hybrid film of Sanrio’s Hello Kitty character.
Ramsey Naito will also join the film as a producer with Beau Flynn.
The film will open worldwide on July 21, 2028.
Sanrio, New Line Cinema, and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation are producing the film, which will also have other Sanrio characters besides Hello Kitty.
At the time of the film project’s announcement in 2019, New Line Cinema and FlynnPictureCo were reportedly handling production and development of the film, with FlynnPictureCo’s Beau Flynn is credited as producer, and Wendy Jacobson credited as executive producer. When the film’s hybrid live-action/animation format was revealed in 2021, The Hollywood Reporter listed animators Jennifer Coyle and Leo Matsuda as directors, with Lindsey Beer as the scriptwriter for the film. The company Known Universe, which Beer co-founded, was also listed as executive producer.
The 52-episode Hello Kitty: Super Style! 3D animated series debuted in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan on Amazon Kids+ in December 2022. The series then debuted in Germany in 2023. ABC Frontier distributed the series in Asia. French companies Watch Next Media and Monello Productions produced the series with the Italian animation studio Maga Animation.
Sentai Filmworks released the Hello Kitty & Friends – Let’s Learn Together animated series as the first title in its “Sentai Kids” imprint in 2018.
Moonbug Entertainment partnered with Sanrio last June to announce that they were producing a crossover series featuring characters from CoComelon and Sanrio franchises, such as Hello Kitty and Cinamoroll. Moonbug will distribute the series globally in 2026.
Source: Deadline (Justin Kroll)
