Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten! Disney previewed a taste of the live-action version of “Lilo & Stitch” at D23 on Friday, starring Maia Kealoha as Lilo Pelekai.
The live action movie will be only in theaters in summer 2025. Disney’s release calendar shows an open slot on May 23, though the date wasn’t specified at D23.
Experiment 626 has entered the chat! The live-action #LiloAndStitch is coming only to theaters in Summer 2025! pic.twitter.com/82KFLEFL5E
The reboot follows the original film, released in 2002 and written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. The animated “Lilo & Stitch” follows a 6-year-old Lilo and her older sister Nani, who live in Hawaii and adopt a blue extraterrestrial creature nicknamed Stitch. In this live-action adaptation, Stitch will be brought to life using CGI.
“Lilo & Stitch” has seen plenty of spinoffs, including “Stitch! The Movie,” “Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch” and “Leroy & Stitch.” “Lilo & Stitch: The Series,” a TV show spinoff, ran on Disney Channel and ABC Kids from 2003 to 2006.
Sydney Agudong stars as Nani in the live-action adaptation, with Sanders reprising his voice role as Stitch. Newcomer Zach Galifianakis stars as Dr. Jumba Jookiba, the mad scientist creator of Stitch. Billy Magnussen plays Agent Pleakley, an agent of the United Galactic Federation sent to seek out Dr. Jumba. Courtney B. Vance plays a social worker in charge of Lilo. Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani in the original film, will play Mrs. Kekoa. Mrs. Hasagawa’s voice actor, Amy Hill, also joins the cast as Tūtū, alongside Jason Scott Lee, who played David Kawena in the animated film.
Oscar-nominated “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp directed the film, with a screenplay from Chris Kekaniokalani Bright. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback produce, with Ryan Halprin, Tom C. Peitzman and Louie Provost executive producing.
Live-Action Stitch
Lilo & Stitch's fluffy blue alien is coming to life. At the D23 fan event in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 9, Disney unveiled the first glimpse of the Stitch character design from the upcoming live-action reimagining of Lilo & Stitch. The reveal comes 22 years after the 2002 animated movie, which follows an alien who crash-lands in Hawaii and finds a new human family. “Experiment 626 has entered the chat! The live-action #LiloAndStitch is coming only to theaters in Summer 2025!” read a message on the Walt Disney Studios Instagram page.
The Cast
Newcomer Maia Kealoha portrays Lilo, the human title character, in the movie; Kealoha made her major red carpet debut at the Gold Gala on May 11, where she presented an award to first responders who fought the devastating 2023 Maui wildfires. “When I found out I was going to be Lilo, my jaw literally dropped and I couldn't even believe it,” Kealoha told PEOPLE at the time. “I rung my dad and I said, 'I did it! I'm Lilo! I'm Lilo!' And then they grabbed me and we jumped up and down. I was so excited!”
The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that Zach Galifianakis will star in the film, while another newcomer, Kahiau Machado, will portray David Kawena. Sydney Elizebeth Agudong will portray Lilo's older sister Nani.
In April 2023, Deadline reported that Billy Magnussen and Courtney B. Vance will also be in the film, which is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On).
More About the Film
The film will be released in theaters next summer with a cast that includes Chris Sanders, who voiced Stitch in the original movie, again voicing the character in CGI form. Written and directed by Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the animated Lilo & Stitch followed an orphaned Hawaiian girl named Lilo Pelekai, who is raised by her older sister Nani after their parents' death. When Lilo encounters a mysterious alien, she takes him in as her new “dog” and renames him Stitch.
Maia Kealoha will now play Lilo in live-action form for the new movie, while Sydney Elizabeth Agudong plays Nani, and Kaipo Dudoit plays Nani's love interest, David Kawena. Other alums from the original, including Tia Carrere (the original Nani) and Amy Hill (the original Mrs. Hasagawa), will now be incorporated into different roles for the remake. Carrere will play a new character named Mrs. Kekoa, while Hill will play another new character named Tūtū.
Also confirmed for the cast are Billy Magnussen, Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis
Live-Action Treatment
Lilo & Stitch is the latest in a long line of Disney animated titles getting the live-action treatment. D23 also came with a new look at Snow White, which stars West Side Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes breakout Rachel Zegler as the Disney princess and Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.
Release Date
A release date has not been revealed for Lilo & Stitch, but two untitled Disney projects are currently on the calendar for release next year on May 23, 2025 and Aug. 8, 2025. See the new look at Stitch of Lilo & Stitch above.
Final Thoughts
Lilo & Stitch was not high on my list of live-action remake films I was looking forward to, but now I am. He looks really great. And Nine Inch Nails is a huge get for Tron, which is really exciting as well. All of the D23 news is coming in hot and heavy right now, and we are bringing it all to you live from inside the panels at the show. Keep it locked here all weekend long for all of the big news and trailers and everything else released by Disney at the show.
