STUDIOCANAL, Heyday Films and Mister Men Limited (part of the Sanrio Group) have officially begun developing a Mr Men Little Miss feature film, the first time the series’ delightfully chaotic cast will appear on the big screen in more than five decades of existence.
If that combination of names sounds familiar, it’s because Heyday and STUDIOCANAL are the team behind the Paddington films, which gives you a good idea of the tone they’re aiming for: warm, gently chaotic, and built for the kind of cross-generational audience that grew up flicking through a Mr. Bump whilst munching on a marmalade sarnie.
Created by British author-illustrator Roger Hargreaves in 1971, the Mr Men Little Miss books became an instant fixture of childhood reading: tiny, punchy stories that used bright, bold characters to explore emotions, personality quirks and everyday silliness. What began as a handful of characters has since expanded to more than 90 books, including Mr Happy, Little Miss Sunshine, Mr Greedy and the eternally relatable Mr Grumpy. Since Sanrio (of Hello Kitty fame) acquired the brand in 2011, its global reach has only grown across the UK, US, France, Australia and Asia, inspiring everything from fashion to beauty lines, and even special-edition characters based on cultural icons like David Bowie.
The film arrives as the brand undergoes its biggest screen expansion yet, following a new animated series now streaming on YouTube and another currently in production for television. Together, they mark a push to bring Mr Men Little Miss into modern entertainment while keeping the original books at the heart of the universe.
Producers say the feature will honour the humour, personality and warmth of the original stories while giving them a contemporary cinematic shine. Expect emotional honesty, gentle chaos and at least one character whose entire personality can still be summed up in a single adjective.
Adam Hargreaves, son of Roger, and the artist who continues the series, said his father “would have been thrilled” about the film, adding that “it’s a big step up for Mr Small.” Producer David Heyman called the books “an irresistible opportunity for a bold and imaginative feature film,” while STUDIOCANAL CEO Anna Marsh described the adaptation as “an undeniable opportunity for joy, mischief, and adventure.”
Plot, cast and release details remain a mystery for now, but if you grew up with a pastel-coloured lineup of Mr Men books on your shelf, this one’s shaping up to be a nostalgia hit.
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