The animated Hello Kitty movie has been in the works since at least 2019, when Sanrio and New Line signed a deal along with FlynnPictureCo to bring the bow-rocking icon to the big screen. But it’s taken a while to see forward movement. A big update came today with a pair of new directors coming aboard the film, which last fall was given a release date of July 21, 2028.
As The Hollywood Reporter tells us, Hello Kitty will now be helmed by David Derrick Jr. (co-director of the 2024 blockbuster Moana 2) and John Aoshima (co-director of the 2024 Netflix film Ultraman: Rising). They step in for veteran Disney animator Leo Matsuda (Zootopia, Big Hero 6), who was previously announced as director.
THR also notes that “Although writing credits have not yet been determined, Jeff Chan is writing the current version of the script, following previous drafts by Dana Fox, Katie Dippold, Adam Sztykiel, Jenny Jaffe, Lindsey Beer, and Tamara Becher-Wilkinson. Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon wrote the screenplay’s treatment.”
While the film project marks the first big studio licensing deal for Hello Kitty (and her wide array of cute friends), the character has been around since 1974 and maintains a huge presence outside of her native Japan. No story details exist yet for the Hello Kitty movie, but we can already imagine the aggressive amount of adorable merch that will accompany its release.
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