The forthcoming Hello Kitty animated movie is introducing its creative team.
New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation announced Monday that David Derrick Jr. (Moana 2) and John Aoshima (Ultraman: Rising) will direct the film that previously set a theatrical release date of July 28, 2028. Additionally, Ramsey Naito (The Boss Baby) will serve as a producer alongside Beau Flynn.
Leo Matsuda was attached to direct the project when the companies confirmed its release date late last year. 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.
The film will mark Hello Kitty’s Hollywood theatrical debut. Shelby Thomas oversees the Hello Kitty movie for FlynnPictureCo.
Japanese company Sanrio first launched the property in 1974, and plans have been in the works for a decade to bring Hello Kitty to the big screen. Yuko Shimizu created the flagship character as a British anthropomorphized white cat named Kitty White who wears a red bow. Hello Kitty has spawned a number of animated series and an extensive line of merchandise.
After news first broke back in 2015 that Sanrio was eyeing a film adaptation, The Hollywood Reporter reported four years later that New Line and FlynnPictureCo. were developing an English-language feature. This marked the first time that Hello Kitty and other popular characters like Gudetama, My Melody and Little Twin Stars were licensed to a major film studio.
“I am extremely pleased that Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters will be making their Hollywood debut,” Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji said in a statement back in 2019. “Hello Kitty has long been a symbol of friendship and we hope this film will only serve to grow that circle of friendship around the world.”
Derrick made his directorial debut with Moana 2 after having worked on the original 2016 animated feature, in addition to contributing as a story artist to such projects as Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto and the 2019 version of The Lion King. Aoshima is a veteran of TV and feature animation who made his film debut as the co-director of Netflix’s Ultraman: Rising after earning credits for Gravity Falls and Kubo and the Two Strings.
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