Kids First announced an original children’s program titled Hello Kitty: Super Style! collaborating with Amazon Kids+ for the very first time. The new episodic series will bring lifestyle brand Sanrio’s global pop icon to life in premium 3D animation. It will premiere in major territories around the world, including the US.
The upcoming project is produced by Paris-based production companies Watch Next and Monello (Banijay Group) with Milan-based Maga Animation Studio. It will be distributed worldwide by Kids First, with Japanese distributor ABC Frontier, Inc. in charge of Asian territories.
“I believe that children all over the world will be empowered by this Hello Kitty series to live happily in harmony with one another to create a brighter future for all. We hope you’ll also enjoy the new characters that appear alongside Hello Kitty as she explores the important themes of friendship and kindness throughout the series,” said Sanrio Company Ltd. head designer Yuko Yamaguchi.
“Having a well-known international digital video service and soon to be announced best-in-class linear broadcasters, all backing the project demonstrates the wide appeal of one of the most popular and adorable characters on earth,” said Kids First and Watch Next CEO Philippe Alessandri.
Expressing joy, ABC Frontier, Inc international business director Shunsuke Handa said, “It is very exciting to stream Hello Kitty, a global pop icon representing Japan, on this great service and major broadcasters to deliver her charm. We commit to accelerating our efforts to bring joy to children around the world.”
“We love how this new series combines Hello Kitty’s signature kindness with bold new action and humour. We can’t wait for our audience to say ‘Hello’ to Hello Kitty: Super Style!,” said Amazon Kids+ original series head Veronica Pickett.
In the upcoming action-packed new series, Hello Kitty stars as the friendliest face in the tight-knit community of Cherry Town, where she will stop at nothing to help friends in need. In each episode, Hello Kitty uses the power of her magical bow to activate an amazing transformation, changing her outfit to be a brave explorer, a top-notch chef, a sensational pop star and more to help her pals overcome silly setbacks.
Earlier, Sanrio had sold film rights to its popular Hello Kitty property to Warner Bros.’ New Line Cinema and Flynn Picture Company, who will develop the first English-language feature. The Hello Kitty animation/live-action project is in motion as animation veterans Jennifer Coyle and Leo Matsuda will helm the upcoming project.