'Hello Kitty' to be turned into a film

The famous white Japanese cartoon character with a red bow is getting her very own movie.

It was announced on July 3 that "Hello Kitty" will be turned into a film by the lifestyle company Sanrio. The movie is set to be released in 2019, and has a budget of between $160-240 million. Sanrio will use its recently-acquired subsidiary -- Sanrio Media Pictures Entertainment -- in the US to carry out the project.

Sanrio is also considering the potential of other character properties, having sold the film rights to its "Mr. Men" and "Little Miss" characters to Fox Animation earlier in January this year.