Published Feb 24, 2026, 12:36 PM EST
Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.
A bestselling sci-fi graphic novel series has scored a movie adaptation.
According to Deadline, the graphic novel series Hilo will be getting a 3D animated film adaptation from production studios Mediawan Kids & Family, through its subsidiary, Submarine, and Sinking Ship Entertainment. The graphic novel series began in 2015, following the adventures of a young boy who crash-lands onto Earth from outer space.
The comedic action-adventure series, created by Judd Winick, is primarily aimed at children, becoming a bestseller in the 11 years it's been in circulation. The graphic novel has sold over one million copies as of writing, and has earned numerous positive reviews in the process. The eleventh main installment was released by Penguin Random House on February 11, 2025.
The production companies involved have stellar work behind them. Submarine previously produced films like Apollo 10 1/2 and Fox and Hare Save the Forest. As for Sinking Ship, they're most notable for having worked on the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise, namely Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie. Both studios have history with children's IP.
So too does Mediawan Kids & Family as a whole, their biggest IP having been Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, which continues to air new episodes. While not much is known about the presentation of Hilo, the big-budget production indicates it'll be a tentpole film for all the production studios involved in creating it.
Although it's unclear what aspects of Hilo will be pulled into the adaptation, it makes the most sense for the movie to adapt from the first graphic novel, The Boy Who Crashed to Earth, which sees the titular, superpowered Hilo arrive on the planet, befriending kids D.J. and Gina in the process. But something else has crash-landed alongside him.
The upcoming sci-fi movie promises a premise that will be fun for families while hinging on the lore of the graphic novel that's made it such a bestseller. Depending on how the movie is approached, it could become just as successful as the likes of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, or Dog Man, becoming a film franchise of its own.
With the film still in the early stages of development, it'll be some time before the extent of Hilo's narrative and its subsequent production become fully realized. However, the production studios behind the movie are a strong sign to its success, something that can aid it in popularizing the franchise beyond the pages of the graphic novel.
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