• 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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• Tubi has acquired Yokoso Scooby-Doo!, the first-ever original anime series in the franchise’s 50-plus-year history.
• Frank Welker and Matthew Lillard are reprising their roles as Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, respectively.
• The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation with animation by OLM, the studio behind Pokémon.
• The show will stream exclusively on Tubi in the U.S. and air on Cartoon Network internationally.
• A Netflix live-action series, Scooby-Doo: Origins, is also in production, making this a big moment for the franchise.

Scooby-Doo is going anime — and the gang’s heading to Japan. Tubi has officially landed Yokoso Scooby-Doo!, the first original anime series in the franchise’s more than 50-year history, with Frank Welker and Matthew Lillard set to reprise their iconic roles as Scooby and Shaggy.

The series, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, will stream exclusively on Tubi in the United States, while Cartoon Network will carry it internationally. A release date hasn’t been announced yet, but the first look images are already doing plenty of heavy lifting — this is unmistakably Scooby-Doo, just rendered in the bold, expressive style of anime.

“Yokoso” is the Japanese word for “welcome,” and the title feels intentional: this isn’t a reboot or a reset, it’s an invitation into a whole new world for characters fans have loved since 1969.

What the Show Is Actually About

The premise is exactly the kind of chaotic fun the franchise has always delivered, just with a fresh setting. Per the official logline: “While visiting Japan on the ultimate foodie adventure, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy unwittingly unleash hundreds of mythical monsters that are causing trouble across the country. With the help of Scooby’s uncle, Daisuke-Doo, along with new friends — magical girl Yume and gadget whiz Takumi — the group embarks on an all-new mystery filled with monster chasing and fun chaos.”

Yes, Scooby has an uncle named Daisuke-Doo, and honestly, that alone has us sold. The new characters — a magical girl and a gadget expert — feel like a natural fit for both the anime format and the franchise’s long tradition of adding quirky allies to the mix. It’s worth pointing out this isn’t actually the first time Scooby and Shaggy have visited Japan — the 2009 direct-to-video film Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword went there too — but this is the first time the franchise has fully committed to the anime format for a series.

Behind the camera, the series will be directed by Itsuro Kawasaki, with Francisco Paredes serving as co-producer. Animation production is being handled by OLM in Japan — the studio responsible for Pokémon, Beyblade Burst, and Komi Can’t Communicate, among others. That’s a serious pedigree, and it signals Warner Bros. isn’t treating this as a novelty project.

The Voices Behind Scooby and Shaggy

Welker and Lillard are the heart of this announcement. Welker has been part of the Scooby-Doo universe from the very beginning — he voiced Fred Jones when Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premiered in 1969, and has been the voice of Scooby-Doo himself for over two decades. Lillard, meanwhile, famously brought Shaggy to life in the live-action Scooby-Doo films before transitioning to the animated series, and his version of the character has become definitive for a whole generation of fans. He’s also been busy lately, appearing in Daredevil: Born Again and voicing Superman: Man of Tomorrow.

Casting for the new Japanese characters — Daisuke-Doo, Yume, and Takumi — hasn’t been announced yet.

What the Studios Are Saying

Both Warner Bros. and Tubi are clearly excited about this one. Sam Register, President of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, framed it as a genuine creative leap: “Welcome to Mystery Inc., Tubi! We’re excited to partner on this next chapter as we push the Scooby-Doo franchise forward with its first-ever original anime series. Alongside the amazing artists at OLM, we’ll unmask a new batch of mysteries, signature hijinks, and — of course — plenty of Scooby Snacks, all brought to life through the dynamic artistry of anime.”

Tubi chief content officer Adam Lewinson positioned the acquisition as a statement about where the free streamer is heading with its animation slate. “Scooby-Doo is one of the most beloved franchises in entertainment, and Yokoso Scooby-Doo! lets us reinvent it in a way fans haven’t seen before,” he said. “By bringing Scooby and Shaggy into a bold anime world set in Japan, we’re connecting with global fandoms and delivering the kind of fun, chaotic mystery that travels across generations. As we grow our animation slate, this is exactly our brand of fan-first storytelling — familiar, surprising, and unmistakably Tubi.”

The Tubi deal is also notable in the broader context of where Warner Bros. Discovery’s animation output is landing these days. On the same day this announcement dropped, Disney+ and Hulu announced the premiere date for Adventure Time: Side Quests — another Cartoon Network Studios production heading to a competing platform. The landscape is shifting, and beloved legacy properties are clearly part of the strategy.

Yokoso Scooby-Doo! isn’t the only Scooby-Doo project in the pipeline, either. Netflix began filming Scooby-Doo: Origins — a live-action series exploring how Mystery Inc. first came together — back in April. Between the two projects, the franchise is having a genuine moment.

No premiere date yet, but with first-look images out and the full creative team in place, Yokoso Scooby-Doo! feels close. Zoinks, indeed.

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