Hello Kitty Movie Lands Moana 2 Director for 2028

David Derrick Jr. (Moana 2) and John Aoshima (Ultraman: Rising) will co-direct the Hello Kitty movie
The film is set for a July 21, 2028 theatrical release from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and New Line Cinema
It marks Hello Kitty’s first-ever Hollywood big-screen debut, nearly a decade after rights discussions began
Moana and Red Notice producer Beau Flynn and former Paramount Animation president Ramsey Naito will produce
Jeff Chan is writing the current script, following drafts from multiple writers over the years

Hello Kitty is finally getting her Hollywood close-up — and she’s bringing some serious directorial talent along for the ride.

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and New Line Cinema have announced that David Derrick Jr., who helmed Disney’s Moana 2, and John Aoshima, the filmmaker behind Netflix’s Ultraman: Rising, will co-direct the first-ever Hello Kitty feature film. The movie is set to hit theaters on July 21, 2028, marking the beloved Sanrio character’s Hollywood theatrical debut after more than a decade in development.

Producing the film are Beau Flynn — who spent nearly a decade working directly with Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji to secure the character rights — alongside Ramsey Naito, the former president of Paramount Animation best known for The Boss Baby. Shelby Thomas is overseeing the project for FlynnPictureCo. Both directors previously signed overall deals with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation under Bill Damaschke, making this a natural home for the project.

A Long Road to the Big Screen

This movie has been a long time coming. Sanrio first started eyeing a film adaptation as far back as 2015, and in 2019, New Line Cinema and FlynnPictureCo. officially announced they were developing an English-language feature — the first time Sanrio had ever licensed Hello Kitty’s film rights to a major American studio. That announcement also included fan-favorite characters like Gudetama, My Melody, and Little Twin Stars in the mix.

“I am extremely pleased that Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters will be making their Hollywood debut,” Tsuji said at the time. “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.”

Flynn echoed the excitement: “We’re incredibly honoured that President Tsuji has entrusted us with the responsibility of bringing her story to the big screen globally for the first time ever. With the positive and family-oriented values that Hello Kitty and Sanrio embody, there has never been a better time than now to share her message with the world.”

The path from that 2019 announcement to today has been anything but linear. Zootopia animator Leo Matsuda was previously attached to direct. The script has cycled through multiple writers — Dana Fox (Wicked, Cruella), Katie Dippold, Adam Sztykiel, Jenny Jaffe, Lindsey Beer, and Tamara Becher-Wilkinson all contributed drafts, while Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon wrote the original treatment. The current version of the screenplay is being written by Jeff Chan, though writing credits have not yet been officially determined.

Why This Movie Matters Beyond the Merchandise

Hello Kitty isn’t just a character — she’s a 52-year-old cultural institution. Created by Yuko Shimizu for Sanrio in 1974 as a British anthropomorphized white cat named Kitty White (yes, she has a full name), the franchise now spans approximately 50,000 types of merchandise sold annually in over 130 countries. There’s a Hello Kitty theme park in Japan, Hello Kitty cafés, dozens of video games, high-end fashion collaborations, and beloved supporting characters like Dear Daniel and superhero alter ego Ichigoman.

The film’s arrival also fits neatly into a bigger cultural moment. Japanese pop culture has never had more mainstream traction in the West — the theatrical run of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle shattered records, and animated films as a whole are having a serious theatrical resurgence. Warner Bros. Animation is leaning into that momentum hard, with The Cat in the Hat starring Bill Hader as Dr. Seuss’s iconic character set to kick things off in November 2026.

Plot details for the Hello Kitty film are being kept tightly under wraps for now, and the studio hasn’t confirmed whether the movie will take an anime-influenced visual approach or go a different direction entirely. Given how adaptable the character is — she’s appeared in everything from Persona crossovers to The Powerpuff Girls collabs — the creative team has real latitude to make something unexpected.

“The film marks Hello Kitty’s Hollywood theatrical debut as Hello Kitty and her friends embark on a cinematic adventure sure to delight audiences of all ages,” the studios said in their announcement.

With Derrick Jr. and Aoshima’s combined experience spanning Disney’s biggest animated sequel and one of Netflix’s most visually inventive animated features, Hello Kitty’s first trip to the multiplex is in capable hands. July 2028 can’t come soon enough.