Sony Animation Is Picking Up Hair Love After Kickstarter Campaign

Update: When we first reported on Hair Love, an animated short film about a Black father trying to do his daughter's hair, the project's creators had raised $27,757 of their $75,000 goal and were hoping to partner with a major studio to bring it to the masses. Now, two years and $280,000 in pledges later, that dream is finally becoming a reality.

Today, director Matthew A. Cherry announced that he has teamed up with Sony Pictures Animation to release the film, which is set to hit theaters later this year, as reported by Deadline. A book adaption is also hitting shelves on May 14. Read more about this incredible project in our previous interview with Cherry, ahead.

From Chance The Rapper to Dave East, the internet can't get enough of dads doing their daughter's hair. But these viral moments aren't just cute — they're an important moment for representation and encouraging positive paternal moments. That's part of the reason NFL wide receiver-turned-movie director Matthew A. Cherry decided to create Hair Love, a Pixar-style animated short film about a Black father, Stephen, trying to do his daughter Zuri's hair.

Cherry, who has nearly 73,000 followers on Twitter, began dropping hints about the project on July 3 by sharing a black-and-white sketch of Zuri. On July 10, he launched his Kickstarter campaign to get the movie up and running. And today, he's already met $27,757 of his $75,000 goal (and counting). For what it's worth, Hair Love has some pretty impressive production credits. For example: Animator Frank Abney is currently working on Incredibles 2 and Peter Ramsey, who's an executive producer on the film, is the first Black director to direct a feature-length animated film, Rise of The Guardians.

Brag-able team aside, Cherry says that the significance of this film has a priceless takeaway. "I'm not a father yet, but I think you should respect women regardless of your connection to them," Cherry says. "So the importance of this is pretty obvious. Any time a father can be in his child's life, that's a beautiful thing."

Ahead, Cherry tells us everything you need to know about the film.