Hello Kitty Movie Has Its Directors — and a 2028 Date

David Derrick Jr. (Moana 2) and John Aoshima (Ultraman: Rising) are set to co-direct the Hello Kitty animated feature.
The film will mark Hello Kitty’s Hollywood theatrical debut, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema.
It’s scheduled for release on July 21, 2028 — a date theaters will want to circle in glitter pen.
Ramsey Naito, former president of Paramount Animation, joins as producer alongside Beau Flynn, who spent nearly a decade securing the rights from Sanrio.
The project was first announced in 2019 and represents the first time Sanrio has ever licensed Hello Kitty’s film rights to a major Hollywood studio.

Hello Kitty is finally getting her Hollywood close-up — and now she has the directors to make it happen. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and New Line Cinema have tapped David Derrick Jr. and John Aoshima to helm the long-awaited Hello Kitty animated feature, with the film set to hit theaters on July 21, 2028.

Derrick Jr. comes fresh off co-directing Moana 2, which became one of the biggest animated hits of 2024. Aoshima co-directed Netflix’s Ultraman: Rising, the acclaimed superhero film that earned strong reviews for its emotional depth and gorgeous animation. Both directors already have overall deals with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation under executive Bill Damaschke, making this a natural next step for both of them inside the studio.

Ramsey Naito — the former president of Paramount Animation, who has credits including The Boss Baby — is joining as producer alongside Beau Flynn of FlynnPictureCo. Flynn’s road to this moment has been a long one: he spent nearly a decade working directly with Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji to secure the rights to the character. Shelby Thomas is overseeing the project for FlynnPictureCo.

A Long Time Coming for Kitty White

Sanrio first introduced Hello Kitty — created by designer Yuko Shimizu as a British anthropomorphized white cat named Kitty White, always sporting her signature red bow — back in 1974. What followed was one of the most remarkable merchandising empires in pop culture history: roughly 50,000 types of products sold annually across more than 130 countries, a theme park in Japan, Hello Kitty cafés, dozens of video games, and high-end fashion collaborations that have kept the character relevant across generations.

Rumors of a film adaptation surfaced as far back as 2015, but it wasn’t until 2019 that New Line and FlynnPictureCo. officially announced the English-language feature — the first time Sanrio had ever licensed Hello Kitty’s film rights to a major studio, along with beloved characters like Gudetama, My Melody, and Little Twin Stars. At the time, Tsuji said in a statement: “I am extremely pleased that Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters will be making their Hollywood debut. 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.”

The film will follow Hello Kitty and her friends on a cinematic adventure designed for audiences of all ages — though beyond that, plot details are being kept close to the chest for now.

A Script Years in the Making

The screenplay has had quite the journey of its own. The current draft is being written by Jeff Chan, who previously co-wrote the charming rom-com Plus One. He’s building on earlier drafts from an impressive roster of writers that includes Dana Fox, Katie Dippold, Adam Sztykiel, Jenny Jaffe, Lindsey Beer, and Tamara Becher-Wilkinson. The whole thing started from a treatment by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon — the Reno 911! and Night at the Museum duo — so the comedic DNA has been baked in from the beginning.

Writing credits have not yet been officially determined, but with Chan currently at the keyboard and two directors now locked in, the project has real momentum behind it for the first time.

July 21, 2028 is still two years away, but for the millions of Hello Kitty fans who’ve been waiting on this since the Obama administration, the pieces are finally falling into place. The only question left: which friends are making the trip to the big screen with her.