Hello Kitty’s first movie from New Line Cinemas is headed to theaters on July 21, 2028, with Warner Bros. now home to the project. The live-action/animation hybrid is co-directed by Moana 2 director David Derrick Jr and Ultraman: Rising’s John Aoshima, with Ra
For a franchise that first won hearts back in 1974, the next big moment is now set in stone: Hello Kitty is finally getting her first movie with a confirmed theater date.
The Hello Kitty feature is scheduled to enter theaters on July 21, 2028. It’s also found a home at Warner Bros. — a major step as the project gears up for a live-action/animation hybrid approach.
The film’s direction is already a point of interest for anyone keeping tabs on Hollywood’s anime-adjacent momentum. Moana 2 director David G. Derrick Jr and Ultraman: Rising’s John Aoshima have been tapped as co-directors. Production will come from Ramsey Naito (The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie) and Beau Flynn (Black Adam). while Lindsey Beer — known as a screenwriter for Chaos Walking — is also part of the project.
The movie’s runway has been mapped out across multiple milestones. Hello Kitty’s first movie announcement came in 2019 through New Line Cinemas, and the latest update now places the long-anticipated feature on a clear path toward 2028.
There’s no plot revealed yet for the Hello Kitty movie. But the broader franchise backdrop is easy to recognize. Hello Kitty is a global cultural icon that has expanded well beyond its original character framing. appearing in many animated TV shows and web series. and growing into a wider set of beloved characters over time. In the streaming era, the anticipation only seems to grow.
For viewers who want something to hold them over, Sanrio’s current pipeline already offers options. My Melody & Kuromi. a Japanese stop-motion animation series that premiered in 2025. follows My Melody and Kuromi’s “rivalry” in Mariland as Kuromi tries to surpass My Melody’s baking. YouTube also hosts a steady stream of Hello Kitty content. from shorts to web series. including Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures — a web series available on the Hello Kitty and Friends YouTube channel with over 170 videos across 13 seasons as of writing.
Hello Kitty has also dabbled in crossover territory before. In 2019, there was a crossover with Mobile Suit Gundam titled Gundam vs Hello Kitty. That crossover consisted of three episodes. has a MyAnimeList score of 6.65. and featured Megumi Hayashibara (Pokémon Horizons: The Series) as Hello Kitty and Mobile Suit Gundam star Toru Furuya as Amuro Ray.
Still, the focus now is on what comes next — and how a 50-plus-year-old icon translates to a live-action/animation hybrid built for today’s biggest moviegoing window. With July 21, 2028 already on the calendar and Warner Bros. backing the project, that wait has an end date.
Hello Kitty movie Warner Bros New Line Cinemas David G. Derrick Jr John Aoshima live-action animation hybrid Ramsey Naito Beau Flynn Lindsey Beer July 21 2028