Hollywood is taking on another global brand and turning it into a movie. Hello Kitty, the much-loved Japanese Sanrio character, will be coming to the big screen. The film is set for a global release in 2019, according to Deadline.
With a budget going from $160 to $240 million, the "Hello Kitty" movie will be financed by Sanrio's U.S. subsidiary. "Sanrio Inc. can confirm that a U.S. based entity has been formed to create feature films based on Sanrio characters and to expand animated film and digital contents business globally," said the company in a statement according to Time Magazine. "This entity further highlights Sanrio's expansion into lifestyle entertainment. We have no additional details at this time."
Hello Kitty was first introduced to the public in 1974, in a coin purse, according to Sanrio. Her popularity has been escalating since. As she celebrated her 40th year, the company mounted different attractions and activities in her honor, including the Hello Kitty Japanese American Museum in Los Angeles and the first-ever Hello Kitty Con in Tokyo in 2014.
Hello Kitty is also known as Kitty White, born in a London suburb on November 1, so says her profile on Sanrio Town. She has a twin sister named Mimmy and has a handful of hobbies that include baking cookies, traveling, origami and collecting cute little things. The feline has her own pet named Charmmy Kitty and a hamster named Sugar, which was a gift from her childhood friend, Dear Daniel.
Whether these details will be incorporated in the upcoming movie remains to be seen, but lovers of the adorable cartoon character must know that this isn't the first time Hello Kitty made its way into the entertainment niche.
Back in the 1980s, DIC Entertainment and Toei Animation created the "Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater" TV show, which aired on CBS as 13 half-hour episodes, according to IMDb. Later on, the popular cat also had straight-to-video animations of "Hello Kitty and Friends," released in 1991 and "Hello Kitty's Paradise," released in 2000.
On knick-knacks, stationery, school supplies, fashion accessories, clothing, bedding, food, books and television, Kitty's presence is everywhere.
"Hello Kitty represents the deep desire among all people, regardless of nationality or race, to feel joy and happiness, without having to qualify it at any deep intellectual level," said Kazuo Tohmatsu from Sanrio, in a previous BBC report. Her appeal is "an emotional blank slate," said one of its designers. As she is clearly a global sensation, news of the planned movie only makes a lot more sense.
