LONDON ¨C One of Japan¡¯s most beloved cat cartoon characters is headed for Hollywood.
Sanrio announced on Wednesday that it will team up with New Line Cinema and FlynnPictureCo. to create an English-language Hello Kitty film for global audiences, with Warner Brothers as distributor.
The iconic cat, first designed in 1974 with a trademark pink bow, will be turned into a movie character after nearly five years of talks to secure the film rights. The new partnership also includes film rights to Sanrio¡¯s other creations, including the pink rabbit My Melody and Gudetama, a slouching egg-shaped cartoon character.
¡°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,¡± said Sanrio CEO Shintaro Tsuji. Shares in Sanrio, which develops cartoon characters and merchandise items, rose as much as 12.1 percent Wednesday.
Hello Kitty follows a trend of U.S. and Japanese companies teaming up to bring Japan¡¯s beloved characters to Hollywood. ¡°Pokemon Detective Pikachu,¡± produced by The Pokemon Company, Legendary Entertainment, Toho Co. and Warner Brothers, is slated for release in the U.S. in May.
Last January, Nintendo Co. and Illumination Entertainment announced a partnership to develop an animated movie on Super Mario Bros., while Paramount Pictures and Sega of America Inc. have teamed up and co-produced a film featuring Sega¡¯s Sonic the Hedgehog.
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