Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" is the latest animated classic to get the splashy new live-action treatment. It joins the ranks of other heavy hitters from the Disney vault like "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King."
The live-action remake for "Lilo & Stitch" is currently in production, having been first announced back in 2018, and it will debut in theaters before making its way to Disney Plus. The original 2002 animated film set in Hawaii follows an outcast young girl named Lilo (voiced by Daveigh Chase) who befriends Stitch (voiced by Chris Sanders), a mischievous blue dog-like alien, after he crash-lands in her backyard.
Disney's been pretty tight-lipped over what audiences can expect, but we did get our first look at Stitch's design among a flurry of big announcements at Disney's D23 2024 showcase. There we also got a new teaser trailer for the live-action "Snow White" movie set to release on March 21, 2025.
In recent years, the Mouse has been churning out live-action adaptations of its animated library, but none have reached the same critical acclaim as their 2D counterparts. And it's undeniable that some are more watchable than others (here are our picks for the best and worst live-action Disney remakes).
While we wait to hear more, we’ve gone and done a bit of digging around to bring you what we know about the adaptation so far, though be sure to take it with a grain of salt until Disney releases more information. So come with us on a journey to learn more about the "Lilo & Stitch" live-action remake.
'Lilo & Stitch' live-action remake release date
The "Lilo & Stitch" remake is slated for a summer 2025 release, but Disney hasn't announced an exact date yet. It will hit theaters before debuting on Disney's streaming service, Disney Plus, where you can find titles pulled from over a century of making cinema. In the meantime, check out the best Disney Plus movies to watch now.
Filming for the live-action "Lilo & Stitch" began in April 2023 on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu, according to a rumor from Knight Edge Media. The 2002 animated film centered around the fictional Kokaua Town located on Kauaʻi, O'ahu's neighboring island to the northwest.
The live-action remake was originally rumored to release sometime in 2024 before Disney revealed at D23 that it's been pushed to summer 2025.
First look at 'Lilo & Stitch' live-action remake
On August 9, Disney's D23 2024 showcase unveiled the first glimpse of Stitch from the upcoming live-action "Lilo & Stitch."
"Experiment 626 has entered the chat! The live-action #LiloAndStitch is coming only to theaters in Summer 2025!" Walt Disney Studios said in an Instagram post.
'Lilo & Stitch' live-action remake casting and production
Newcomer Maia Kealoha has been tapped for the titular role of Lilo, while Sydney Elizabeth Agudong is playing her older sister, Nani, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Agudong previously starred in the independent feature "At Your Feet" and has worked on "NCIS," "On My Block" and other TV shows.
Nani's casting sparked significant backlash on social media when the leak first broke in April 2023. Fans criticized Disney of colorism because the original animated design for Nani has much darker skin than Agudong. The actor's Hawaiian ancestry has also come under scrutiny.
Odds are Magnussen and Galifianakis will be playing two of the alien characters.
The same outlet recently tipped newcomer Kahiau Machado will play Nani's love interest, David Kawena. Billy Magnussen ("Into the Woods," "Birth of the Dragon") and Zach Galifianakis ("The Hangover," "Between Two Ferns") have purportedly joined the cast as well, though Disney is keeping their specific roles under wraps for now.
Given that a majority of the human characters in "Lilo & Stitch" are Asian American Pacific Islanders, odds are Magnussen and Galifianakis will be playing two of the alien characters. If we had to guess, they'll probably provide voices for either Lilo's dog-turned-best-friend Stitch or the self-proclaimed evil genius who created him, Jumba Jookiba. Magnussen previously showed off his comedy chops in the live-action "Aladdin" as Prince Anders, a friendly but dimwitted suitor of Princess Jasmine.
Rumor has it one fan-favorite character won't be making an appearance: Cobra Bubbles, a former CIA operative turned Child Protective Services agent and a major thorn in Nani's side throughout the movie. Instead, he's getting a gender-swapped equivalent named Mrs. Kekoa played by Jolene Purdy ("WandaVision," "Orange is the New Black"), according to Knights Edge Media.
Dean Fleischer Camp, the filmmaker behind indie darling and best-animated feature Oscar nominee "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On," is directing the live-action remake. Meanwhile, the script marks the writing debut of Chris Kekaniokelani Bright.
Rideback's Jonathan Eirich and Dan Lin will produce, with the company's Ryan Halprin as executive producer. The studio previously handled production on the live-action "Aladdin" as well as the "Lego Movie" franchise and "Sherlock Holmes" films starring Robert Downey Jr.
'Lilo & Stitch' remake story
While no plot details about the "Lilo & Stitch" remake have been revealed, it's likely audiences can expect it to match the original given the trend of past live-action Disney movies.
The Hawaii-centric story kicks off after Stitch, an alien genetically engineered to be a force of destruction, escapes police capture and crash lands on Earth. Lilo befriends him to the chagrin of her sister, Nani, who's stretched thin trying to keep their family together in the wake of their parents' death. With social services breathing down their necks and pursuing aliens banging on the door, they bond over a shared sense of family and win the day.
That being said, the original "Lilo & Stitch" spawned three movie sequels and a two-season television spin-off. These centered around Lilo and Stitch's trials and tribulations rounding up Jumba's other genetic experiments after they get loose and run amuck. So it's not out of the question that the live-action adaptation could incorporate story elements or references to these spin-offs.
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