Warner Bros. Unveils 'Hello Kitty' Film for 2028 Release

Warner Bros. has officially announced the release of an animated film featuring Hello Kitty, set to hit theaters in 2028. On Thursday, October 30 (PH time), the studio shared the exciting news on Instagram, stating: "Hello Hollywood 🎀🌴🎬 #HelloKittyMovie is coming to theaters July 21, 2028!" This announcement has already sparked a wave of excitement among fans around the world.

Online reactions were immediate and enthusiastic. One fan exclaimed, "OMG??? I’M ALREADY SEATED FOR THIS!!!" while another wrote, "Another Hello Kitty summer coming up." Another expressed their anticipation with, "Oh I CAN'T WAIT😍😍💖💖."

According to a report by Variety, the film will be released through Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and New Line Cinema. The movie marks Hello Kitty's first appearance in a Hollywood theatrical production as she and her friends embark on a cinematic adventure designed to captivate audiences of all ages.

The film will be directed by Leo Matsuda. New Line Cinema, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, first announced its partnership with Sanrio in 2019 to bring Hello Kitty to the big screen. At that time, Sanrio founder, President and CEO Shintaro Tsuji expressed his excitement about the collaboration. He stated, "I am extremely pleased that Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters will be making their Hollywood debut." He added, "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."

Hello Kitty was created in 1974 and made her first appearance on a vinyl coin purse in 1975. Since then, the character has become a global cultural icon. In 2022, Forbes reported that Hello Kitty, now present in more than 130 countries, was valued at $3.8 billion worldwide.

Interestingly, Hello Kitty isn't actually a cat. During the 2014 "Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty" exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum, curator Christine R. Yano, an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii, revealed that Sanrio corrected her assumption. She explained, "I was corrected — very firmly. That’s one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show. Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She's never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it’s called Charmmy Kitty."

Yano also revealed that Hello Kitty's name is Kitty White and she is British. In an interview on the Today show in 2024, Sanrio's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Management Jill Koch reaffirmed this, explaining: "She's actually a little girl born and raised in the suburbs in London. She has a mom and dad and a twin sister Minnie, who is also her best friend. She enjoys baking cookies and making new friends. [Hello Kitty] weighs three apples and is five apples tall."