Hello Kitty Movie Lands Disney and Netflix Veterans as Directors

If you ever wondered when Hello Kitty would finally claw her way onto the big screen, we finally have an answer. And not just that, but the film now has a pair of directors who actually know what they’re doing with animation. Yes, Warner Bros and New Line are pushing ahead with Hello Kitty’s first Hollywood film—after what honestly feels like a whole lifetime of prep behind the curtain.

Directors With Proper Animation Chops

Let’s get right to it. David Derrick Jr. and John Aoshima have been tapped to co-direct this one. If you’re even vaguely familiar with modern animation, those names should ring a bell:

• David Derrick Jr. – The bloke steering Disney’s Moana 2, so clearly he’s up to speed on the whole 'cute character meets adventure' formula.
• John Aoshima – Most recently directing Netflix’s Ultraman: Rising, which is a decent get when you want someone who can balance quirky fun with action.

These two directors actually have existing deals with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, via Bill Damaschke, so it’s not like they’ve parachuted a random duo in for the sake of novelty.

Dizzying Number of Writers

I have to mention the script situation, which has been as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof. The latest name on script duties is Jeff Chan. But honestly, the list of previous writers reads like the guestbook at a C-list Hollywood afterparty: Dana Fox, Katie Dippold, Adam Sztykiel, Jenny Jaffe, Lindsey Beer, Tamara Becher-Wilkinson… and the original story treatment came from Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. Put simply – it’s had more hands on it than a communal fondue.

Producers and Release Plans

Beau Flynn is producing, with Shelby Thomas overseeing the project at FlynnPictureCo. There’s also input from former Paramount Animation president Ramsey Naito—which is a pretty serious backer. It’s taken Flynn about a decade working with Shintaro Tsuji, the actual founder of Sanrio, to even get the rights to Hello Kitty (they do love to keep her on a short, tidy leash in Japan).

This film is a full-on studio affair. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and New Line Cinema are handling the distribution, and they've locked in a release date: expect to see Hello Kitty and friends in cinemas on 21 July 2028. You read that right—four years out, which says as much about how cautious studios are with a global icon as it does about animation production timescales these days.

This is Hello Kitty’s first Hollywood theatrical debut—she’s never had a proper movie sent to Western cinemas before. Yes, after 50 years of dominating Japanese shops, lunchboxes and, frankly, everything else, she’s finally getting her Hollywood moment.

The Story and Franchise

What’s the film actually about? The plan is to send Hello Kitty and her crew on an ‘all-ages’ adventure. The actual plot’s under wraps (or maybe they’re still trying to work it out), but expect something broad and family-friendly. If you’re not familiar with the wider Hello Kitty world—side characters like Dear Daniel and her superhero persona Ichigoman could well make appearances, given how big they are in the wild world of Sanrio merchandise.

This property is a merchandising behemoth: thousands of products, themed cafes, entire theme parks, even couture fashion drops. Sanrio introduced Hello Kitty back in 1974, and she quickly became a licensing goldmine in Japan and everywhere else the brand could reach.

How We Got Here

New Line first announced the English-language Hello Kitty film back in 2019—the first time Sanrio signed off on a Hollywood movie for the cat, which is almost as much to the point as the film itself. Since then, the project has shuffled between teams and scripts like few others. Only now does there seem to be genuine momentum.

So, in sum: top-tier animation directors, a ridiculous number of writers, and the first ever proper Hollywood go at what might be Japan’s biggest mascot. If all that doesn’t make you curious (or slightly nervous) about the final product—well, you’re clearly tougher to impress than me.