It’s been a bit of a rough year for the kingpins of Japanese cuteness over at Sanrio Co. The mega-hit "Frozen" has been taking up a sizable share of the merchandising market regularly occupied by their geometric kitties and bunnies causing overseas income to slide by as much as 14.5% compared to the previous year.
Hello Kitty fans needn’t worry, however. That’s hardly enough to put the company in jeopardy, but it is causing Miss Kitty to unsheathe her claws and go on the attack. If movies like "Frozen" are going to cut in on Sanrio’s turf, well then, Sanrio will just have to return the favor.
So get ready, because the Hello Kitty movie is already in the works.
That’s right, Hello Kitty and all her Sanrio friends are coming to Hollywood. First stop: Delaware. That’s where the headquarters of Sanrio Media & Pictures Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sanrio was set up last June.
The company will be headed by CEO Rehito (Ray) Hatoyama (slight relation to the former prime minister), and hopes to bring on film industry players who wouldn’t mind relocating to Delaware. Their mission is to further Sanrio brands around the world through film and video.
First up will be an animated feature film based on the British "Mr. Men" and "Little Miss" children’s books in cooperation with 20th Century Fox. Those books taught me at an early age that people really are defined by the last names, making me very wary of Chris Pratt, who likely won’t appear in the film when it’s released worldwide come 2017 or 2018.
Then in 2019, the Hello Kitty movie will be revealed. Production is already underway but details about the film, such as what other characters will appear, are unknown at this point.
Source: Nihon Keizai Shimbun
Read more stories from RocketNews24 -- Hello Kitty isn’t a cat!? We called Sanrio to find out! -- Hello Kitty creators bet you’ll eat up their new characters -- Costume of Sanrio’s newest character lets you look like a fish without smelling like one
© Japan Today
8 Comments
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sensei258
They're announcing the release of a cartoon 4 years ahead of time?
A Realist
1 Good Bad sensei258JUL. 05, 2015 - 06:33AM JST in 2019, the Hello Kitty movie will be revealed
They're announcing the release of a cartoon 4 years ahead of time?"
It is not a "cartoon," it is an animated movie. Don't you know the difference? Maybe it will take 3 years to make. Anyway, it will give Chinese censors enough time to decide if it can be shown in China.
nath
I don't. What is it?
FizzBit
A long cartoon
Moonraker
Will it be a silent cartoon? She's got no mouth.
Mirai Hayashi
Adult Japanese women rejoice! Your prayers have finally been answered. Hello Kitty movie is finally here.
lillianburgett
This cartoon film is awaiting film. People are still waiting for this movie. When the shooting will start of this film. We are waiting for 2019. Hope it will come soon.