‘Hello Kitty’ animated film coming to theaters summer 2028

Hello Kitty items on display at Hello Kitty’s 50th birthday celebration at the Supercandy Pop-Up Museum in North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne on Aug. 22, 2024. (Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Hello Kitty is saying hello to Hollywood.

An animated film based on the Sanrio character is planned to release in theaters on July 21, 2028. Warner Bros. made the announcement in a post shared to Instagram on Wednesday.

“Hello Hollywood,” the studio’s caption reads. “#HelloKittyMovie is coming to theaters July 21, 2028!”

No plot details for the film have been released at this time. Director Leo Matsuda will helm the film for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and New Line Cinema. Wicked screenwriter Dana Fox is penning the script.

Matsuda took to his Instagram Story to share excitement over the project.

“So thrilled to get to work with Hello Kitty and the most incredible team of creatives and artists. Let’s go!!!” Matsuda wrote.

This marks the first time Sanrio has granted film rights to its flagship character.

Sanrio launched Hello Kitty in 1974. Yuko Shimizu created the main character of Kitty White, who is an anthropomorphized white cat that wears a red bow. The Sanrio brand includes other popular characters, such as Cinnamoroll, My Melody, Kuromi and Pompompurin.