Stitch is back and as adorably mischievous as before — albeit in a different form. As the beloved blue alien from Lilo & Stitch gears up for his live-action debut on the silver screen, Disney has dropped the first teaser for its upcoming remake of the 2002 animated classic that showcases its CGI chops.
In it, Stitch is seen wreaking havoc on a beach, with the 30-second sequence set to a rendition of Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu and Alan Silvestri’s “He Mele No Lilo” from the original movie. Nothing else about the film was shared, but its official logline reveals a story focusing on “the bond formed between a lonely human girl named Lilo and a dog-like alien named Stitch, who is engineered to be a force of destruction.”
Dean Fleischer Camp, known for his work on Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, is directing the live-action adaptation, with Chris Sanders returning to voice Stitch. Newcomer Maia Kealoha will lend her voice to Lilo, taking over the role from Daveigh Chase in the original. The main duo is joined by Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, Courtney B. Vance, Zach Galifianakis, and more.
Lilo & Stitch comes 23 years after the animated film, which introduced the concept of ‘ohana’ — meaning family — to audiences. It will follow in the footsteps of its animated-to-live-action counterparts, including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Mulan, Dumbo, and The Little Mermaid.
The film crashes into theatres on 23 May 2025, a few months after the release of Mufasa and in the same year that Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is slated to premiere. The latter was previously scheduled for 22 March 2024 and stars Rachel Zegler, of West Side Story fame, as the titular princess.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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