Written by: Ollie Kaplan
It’s been almost a decade since it was first rumored that a Hello Kitty movie was in development. Now, thanks to a Variety article published on May 18, 2026, we finally have confirmation that Sanrio’s beloved white cat with an oversized red bow, created by Yuko Shimizu in 1974 and designed afterwards by the recently retired Yuko Yamaguchi will FINALLY be making her feature film debut in the summer of 2028. It’s the first feature film to star Hello Kitty in the character’s herstory.
New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation formally announced on Monday that the Hello Kitty film will arrive on July 21, 2028, and that Kitty White’s silver screen debut is set to be directed by David Derrick Jr. (Moana 2) and John Aoshima (Ultraman: Rising), and based on a screenplay by Jeff Chan, which builds on previous drafts by Lindsey Beer, Dana Fox, Jenny Jaffe, Adam Sztykiel, Katie Dippold, and Tamara Becher-Wilkinson (from a treatment by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon).
“I am extremely pleased that Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters will be making their Hollywood debut,” Tsuji said. “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 Hello Kitty film has spent years in development limbo while New Line, Sanrio, and FlynnPictureCo looked for the appropriate creative team for Miss White’s first feature-length outing. According to Variety in 2019, when the film was first announced, “The partnership [with New Line] marks the only time Sanrio, the Japanese company behind the toy, has granted film rights to the silent Hello Kitty and friends, including the cracked egg character Gudetama, the rabbit character My Melody, and Little Twin Stars, to a major film studio.”
“The film will follow Hello Kitty and her friends on a cinematic adventure designed to delight audiences of all ages,” according to Variety.
Source: Variety
