• 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.

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• KPop Demon Hunters has crossed 1 billion total viewing hours on Netflix, nearly one year after its debut
• The film has spent 46 consecutive weeks on Netflix’s Global Top 10, making it the most-watched movie in the platform’s history
• Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans are returning for a confirmed sequel at Sony Pictures Animation
• A wave of new merchandise, books, and collectibles is rolling out throughout 2026
• The franchise has expanded into Fortnite, McDonald’s collabs, Hasbro toys, LEGO, and American Girl dolls

KPop Demon Hunters just did something no movie on Netflix has ever done before. The Sony Pictures Animation film has officially crossed one billion total viewing hours on the platform — and it’s done it in under a year.

According to What’s On Netflix, the film has now spent 46 consecutive weeks on Netflix’s Global Top 10, making it the most-watched movie the streamer has ever had. It’s on pace to become the first film to hold a Top 10 spot for a full year straight — a record that felt unthinkable before this movie quietly snuck onto the platform and took over the world.

And that’s the thing about KPop Demon Hunters — it wasn’t a splashy theatrical release with months of buildup. It launched straight to streaming with almost no fanfare, and then word of mouth did everything. People watched it, loved it, told their friends, and watched it again. Being an animated musical practically built for rewatching didn’t hurt.

Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans spent nearly eight years developing the film, and Sony’s decision to go straight to Netflix turned out to be the best call anyone could have made. The K-pop world at the heart of the story tapped into a fanbase that already knows how to show up — hard — for the things they love. Combine that with a genuinely great soundtrack, and the film didn’t just find an audience. It built a movement.

The awards followed. KPop Demon Hunters took home Academy Awards for both the film and its standout single “Golden,” which also won a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media. At this point, the accolades almost feel like a footnote to how deeply the movie has embedded itself in pop culture.

A Sequel Is Coming — and So Is a Whole Lot More

Kang and Appelhans are officially back for KPop Demon Hunters 2 at Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix. No release window has been set yet, and given that the first film took eight years to make, fans are mentally preparing for a wait. But with new songs, a new story, and the pressure of following one of the biggest animated films ever made, nobody’s rushing anyone.

In the meantime, 2026 is shaping up to be a very busy year for the franchise. A short film titled Debut: A Kpop Demon Hunters Story has been announced, though no release date has been given. Earlier this year, five shorts dropped as part of a McDonald’s collaboration tied to HUNTR/X and Saja Boys meals, complete with collectible trading cards and an exclusive HUNTR/X performance unlocked via QR code.

On the books front, fans have three new releases to look forward to. KPop Demon Hunters: The Official Deluxe Coloring Book drops July 14th — 40 pages of scenes from the film, including fan-favorite performances. The Art of KPop Demon Hunters: Platinum Edition arrives September 8th, billed as an authorized backstage tour packed with more than 500 pieces of concept art, in-progress stills, final designs, and creator commentary. Then on November 3rd, KPop Demon Hunters: The Official Screen Comic Boxed Set hits shelves — a two-volume, 700-plus-page graphic novel adaptation of the film that includes song lyrics from the soundtrack, two foldout posters, a holographic-foil slipcase, and foil-stamped covers.

The Merchandise Universe Is Enormous

If you’ve been waiting for the merch to catch up to the hype, it’s catching up fast. The clothing options alone are staggering — Old Navy has 24 different designs featuring HUNTR/X, the Saja Boys, Jinu, Rumi, and Derpy, while Target carries group designs including an HUNTR/X World Tour shirt. Zara has shirts, jackets, and kids’ wear, and Vans has an exclusive nine-design collection for those who want the look on their feet.

Hasbro is going big with a Nerf line of HUNTR/X role-play weapons — Rumi’s Four Tiger Sword, Zoey’s Spirit Blades, and Mira’s Curved Moon Sword — all slated for July, alongside HUNTR/X and Saja Boys electronic light sticks and KPop Furby Furblets in Derpy and Saja Boys versions. Mattel has 6-inch articulated action figures coming later this year, plus the already-sold-out HUNTR/X What It Sounds Like 3-Pack featuring Rumi, Mira, and Zoey from Mattel Creations. American Girl is releasing 18-inch versions of all three leads on November 27th.

The gaming world is in on it too. Netflix and Epic brought HUNTR/X and Saja Boys skins into Fortnite — already on their second wave — and the characters have appeared in Cookie Run: Kingdom. A KPop Demon Hunters Monopoly Deal is already out, with a full Monopoly board game coming in August and Ravensburger’s Labyrinth: Kpop Demon Hunters arriving in September. Funko Pop has had two waves of figures, covering the HUNTR/X trio in their main and Golden looks, the Saja Boys, Bobby, Derpy, and Sussie. And a LEGO collection has been teased for 2026 — the reveal showed Derpy knocking over a plant, which is honestly all anyone needed to see.

One billion hours. Forty-six weeks in the Top 10. An Oscar, a Grammy, a sequel in development, and a merchandise universe that’s just getting started. KPop Demon Hunters came out of nowhere and became everything — and the HUNTR/X era is nowhere close to over.

The post KPop Demon Hunters Hits 1 Billion Hours on Netflix appeared first on Cream.

• Illumination dropped the final trailer for Minions & Monsters, opening in theaters July 1, 2026
• The film is set in 1920s Hollywood and follows two new Minions — James and Henry — trying to make it in the movie business
• It premieres as the opening film at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 21
• The voice cast includes Trey Parker, Jesse Eisenberg, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Allison Janney, and Zoey Deutch
• This is the seventh entry in the Despicable Me franchise and the third film to focus entirely on the Minions

The Minions are going to Hollywood — and they’re bringing monsters with them. Illumination has released the final trailer for Minions & Monsters, and if you weren’t already counting down to July 1, you might be now.

The film is set in the 1920s, at the dawn of cinema, and follows an entirely new tribe of Minions — led by two fresh faces named James and Henry — as they attempt to conquer Old Hollywood. Their plan: make a monster movie. Their solution to the casting problem: summon actual monsters. From a book. Because of course.

The official synopsis calls it “the rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true story of how the Minions conquered Hollywood, became movie stars, lost everything, unleashed monsters onto the world and then banded together to try and save the planet from the mayhem they had just created.” Totally true. Obviously.

The trailer has a genuinely surprising vibe — part Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, part Lovecraftian horror, and entirely unhinged in the best way. There’s also a new addition to the crew: a small, talking green monster freed from the pages of that summoning book, and he is immediately, inexplicably adorable.

A Stacked Cast and the Man Behind the Minions

Pierre Coffin is back in the director’s chair — a role he knows well, having helmed the first three Despicable Me films and the original Minions movie. He also, as ever, voices the Minions themselves, a job he’s held since their big-screen debut in 2010. He co-wrote the screenplay with Brian Lynch, who also wrote Minions and both Secret Life of Pets films and serves here as executive producer. Chris Meledandri, Illumination’s founder and CEO, produces alongside Bill Ryan, who also produced The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

The voice cast is stacked: Trey Parker, Jesse Eisenberg, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Allison Janney, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, and Phil LaMarr. That’s a lot of talent in service of a lot of chaos.

Minions & Monsters will have its world premiere as the opening film at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 21 — the same honor Despicable Me 4 received at the 2024 edition of the festival.

A Big Summer for Animation

Illumination is riding some serious momentum into this release. The studio’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel — produced alongside Nintendo — is closing in on $900 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest animated hits in recent memory.

Minions & Monsters is the seventh entry in the Despicable Me franchise overall and the third film to put the Minions front and center, following the 2015 original and 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru. It arrives into what’s shaping up to be a loaded summer for animation — sharing the season with Toy Story 5, PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie, and the long-awaited live-action/animation hybrid Coyote vs. Acme.

But honestly? A Minions movie set in 1920s Hollywood with Lovecraftian monsters and a goblin sidekick might just be the most original pitch in that entire lineup. Every kid you know is going to be speaking Minion-gibberish by the Fourth of July weekend. Consider yourself warned.

Minions & Monsters opens in theaters on July 1.

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