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Lilo & Stitch (2025 film)

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Lilo & Stitch
Teaser poster
Directed byDean Fleischer Camp
Screenplay byChris Kekaniokalani Bright
Based on
Lilo & Stitch
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNigel Bluck
Production
companies
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Release date
  • May 23, 2025 (2025-05-23)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Lilo & Stitch is an upcoming American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Fleischer Camp and written by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Rideback, the film will be a live-action/CGI remake of Disney's 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch. It will star Maia Kealoha as Lilo Pelekai, with Lilo & Stitch writer-director Chris Sanders reprising his voice role as Stitch. Sydney Agudong, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, Hannah Waddingham, Courtney B. Vance, and original cast members Tia Carrere, Amy Hill, and Jason Scott Lee will appear.

Lilo & Stitch is scheduled to be released in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on May 23, 2025.

Premise

The film tells the story of "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. Pursuing aliens, social workers and the idea of the bond of family figure into the proceedings."[1]

Cast

  • Maia Kealoha as Lilo Pelekai, a six-year-old Native Hawaiian girl "who loves hula, surfing, and wildlife, with a special affinity for all things 'gross'."[2] She's very imaginative yet rebellious, which gets her into trouble often and ostracizes her from her classmates, who consider her a "weirdie". Unlike the original film, which portrayed her and Nani's parents having died relatively recently by that film's events, their parents will have been dead for "a few years" by the remake's events, with Lilo hiding her grief through "relentless, fun loving optimism".[3][4]
  • Chris Sanders as the voice of Stitch, a blue koala-like illegal alien genetic experiment known as Experiment 626, who is adopted by Lilo. He is described as "[u]nruly, impulsive, and freakishly strong; he's a furry, ugly-cute wrecking ball seemingly bent on destroying everything in his path."[4] Sanders, who created the character, reprises the role he originated in the 2002 animated film.
  • Sydney Agudong as Nani Pelekai, the 18-year-old sister of Lilo and her legal guardian. She is described as "intelligent, overachieving, athletic, Type A" and a "straight-A student" who has been feeling the increasing pressures of having to take care of Lilo while maintaining her school grades and her job, causing issues with her and Lilo's social worker, with child protective services threatening to separate the Pelekai sisters and put Lilo into foster care.[5]
  • Zach Galifianakis as the voice of Dr. Jumba Jookiba,[6] the Kweltikwan mad scientist creator of Stitch.
  • Billy Magnussen as the voice of Agent Pleakley,[7] a Plorgonarian agent of the United Galactic Federation and their "expert" on Earth. He is sent down to the planet to prevent Jumba from harming any of Earth's life forms while hunting 626.
  • Kaipo Dudoit as David Kawena, an 18-year-old Native Hawaiian community college student and surfer who is kind to Nani.[4] He performs the "fire knife dance" at the hotel where he and Nani work at.[4][8] Kahiau Machado was originally cast in the role,[8] but he was recast shortly thereafter due to his prior usage of a racial slur.[9]
  • Tia Carrere as Mrs. Kekoa,[10] a 55-year-old AANHPI social worker who is "a practical, by-the-book kind and patient woman who checks in regularly with Nani", but is nevertheless aware of Nani's struggles to keep up with her duties.[4][2] Carrere was originally the voice of Nani in the animated continuity.
  • Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubbles, a social worker in charge of Lilo's welfare.[11]
  • Hannah Waddingham as the voice of the Grand Councilwoman, the alien leader of the United Galactic Federation and its council who orders Jumba and Pleakley to capture Stitch after his escape.[12][13]
  • Amy Hill as Tūtū,[10] a Native Hawaiian in her 70s who is the long-time neighbor of the Pelekais and the grandmother of David Kawena.[2] She is described as "a warm, quick-witted woman who speaks with a local Pidgin accent."[4] She is original to this film, as none of David's family members appeared or were referred to during the original animated continuity, nor did Lilo and Nani have close neighbors during said continuity.[4] Hill previously voiced Mrs. Hasagawa in the original film and Lilo & Stitch: The Series.
  • Jason Scott Lee as a lūʻau manager.[14] Lee previously voiced David in the original film and Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005).

Production

Development

On October 3, 2018, it was announced that Walt Disney Pictures was developing a live-action/computer-generated animation hybrid film remake of Disney's 2002 animated feature film Lilo & Stitch. The film was set to be adapted by Mike Van Waes, produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, and co-produced by Ryan Halprin.[1][15] On October 24, 2018, Van Waes revealed that he began to work on the remake's script.[16] On November 13, 2020, Jon M. Chu entered talks to direct the film, while Van Waes was reported to have left the project, with the studio looking for a new screenwriter to re-write Van Waes's script,[17][18] though Chu would ultimately not direct the film due to other obligations. On July 14, 2022, Deadline Hollywood reported that Dean Fleischer Camp was chosen to direct instead, while Chris Kekaniokalani Bright was in talks to rewrite the script;[19] Bright was fully confirmed to be the writer in February 2023.[6] The day after Deadline Hollywood's announcement of Fleischer Camp and Bright's involvement, Van Waes quote tweeted from Deadline Hollywood's tweet on their article, welcoming Fleischer Camp and Bright to the film's production, possibly indicating that he is still involved with the film.[20]

The film was given the working title Bad Dog, a reference to the ever-misbehaving Stitch being mistaken for and adopted as a dog, while the new production company established for the film was named "Blue Koala Pictures, Inc." in reference to a typical description of the character's physical appearance.[21]

Casting

While it was speculated that the original film's co-writer/co-director, Chris Sanders, would reprise his role as the voice of Stitch in the remake, Sanders claimed in a September 2022 interview that Disney had not yet approached him on reprising the role, although he stated that he is always open to returning to voice his creation.[22]

It was reported in November 2022 that a casting call has been issued for the film.[4] The initial casting call was later tweeted on November 22 by the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment.[2]

In February 2023, Zach Galifianakis joined the cast in a then-unspecified role. While TheWrap reported at the time that he would voice Pleakley,[6] The Hollywood Reporter contradicted them in April when they reported that Galifianakis was instead voicing Dr. Jumba Jookiba.[10] In late March, Maia Kealoha was cast in the lead role as Lilo Pelekai.[3]

In April 2023, Billy Magnussen was cast as the voice of Agent Pleakley,[10] and Sydney Agudong was cast as Nani Pelekai.[5] Later that month, Kahiau Machado was cast as David Kawena,[8] while Courtney B. Vance was cast as Cobra Bubbles, who fans initially believed was cut from the film's cast of characters.[11] Tia Carrere and Amy Hill, who both voiced roles in the original film and its original sequel material such as Lilo & Stitch: The Series, were cast in new roles, with Sanders in final negotiations to reprise his voice role as Stitch.[10]

The castings of Agudong and Machado were met with controversy on social media shortly after their announcements, with accusations of colorism and whitewashing towards Disney and the film's casting crew, as the two actors are of lighter skin tones than their characters' original animated counterparts.[23][24] Sydney Agudong—the older sister of actress Siena Agudong—is a mixed-race woman born and raised on Kaua'i (where the franchise is mainly set) to a Caucasian mother and a father who is Filipino.[23][25][24] Agudong received comments on her Instagram account attacking her for accepting the role.[26] After Internet users discovered that Machado previously used a racial slur on his Spotify and Instagram accounts, Disney quietly recast him with Kaipo Dudoit.[10][9][27] Machado later posted an apology for his prior use of the slur via Instagram on April 27, 2023.[27]

In June 2023, Jason Scott Lee, who voiced David Kawena in the original film and Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005), revealed on the podcast Kyle Meredith With... that he will have a cameo in the film as the manager of the luau where Nani and David work at.[14][28]

Filming

Principal photography was slated to start in Oahu, Hawaii, on March 13, 2023,[29] and finish on June 16.[30] However, the first day of filming was later delayed to April 17.[31]

On April 16, 2023, a fire broke out in a trailer within the base camp of the film's set in Haleiwa, causing approximately $200,000 in damage.[31][32][33] The trailer contained costumes that would have been used for the first three weeks of filming.[34] The fire started before 11 PM HST and was extinguished by 1 AM the following day.[31][32][33] There were no reported injuries, although the beginning of filming was delayed indefinitely. The Honolulu Police Department classified it as a first-degree arson and opened an investigation in response.[31][32][33][34]

Filming eventually began by May 1, 2023, when a portion of the Kalanianaole Highway was closed for the film's production.[35] Filming was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[36] It eventually resumed in February 2024 and finally wrapped in early March that year.[37]

Visual effects and design

The visual effects are provided by Industrial Light & Magic.[38]

Marketing

A first look at the film's live-action Stitch design was revealed at the 2024 D23 convention on August 9, 2024.[39][40] Screen Rant and Collider both reacted positively to the reveal.[41][42] On November 8, 2024, during D23 Brazil, Disney released a still from the film showing Stitch wearing a lei and looking at an out-of-focus Lilo while standing on her bed.[43][44] On November 22, Disney published the first teaser poster for the film, featuring an extreme close-up of Stitch.[45] On November 25, Disney released the first teaser trailer, showing Stitch on a beach destroying a sandcastle modeled after the castle in Disney's production logo.[46][47] On November 27, the same day of the wide release of Moana 2, a new poster was shown featuring Stitch with a Kakamora from the Moana franchise in his mouth, alluding to the original film's crossover-based marketing campaign in which Stitch invaded other Disney films. On December 18, 2 days before the release of Mufasa: The Lion King, another crossover poster was released, this one showing Stitch being held up in the air by Rafiki.[48]

Release

In November 2020, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter reported that Disney had not determined whether the film would be released theatrically or through Disney+.[17][18] In November 2022, it was confirmed via a casting call that the film was to be produced for a direct-to-streaming Disney+ release.[2] In August 2024, the film was shifted to a summer 2025 theatrical release.[49] In October, the film was given a release date of May 23, 2025.[50]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Kit, Borys (October 3, 2018). "'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Remake in the Works at Disney (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e CAPE—Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment [@CAPEUSA] (November 22, 2022). "OPEN CASTING CALL! @DisneyStudios is searching for actors for the upcoming Lilo & Stitch live-action film for several characters of #NativeHawaiian descent. Actors of Native Hawaiian, Polynesian, Māori descent are encouraged to apply. To apply: [email address redacted for Wikipedia]" (Tweet). Retrieved November 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b Verhoeven, Beatrice (March 31, 2023). "Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' Movie Finds Its Lilo". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Williams, Caleb (November 12, 2022). "Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Movie Lead Character Breakdowns Go Out (EXCLUSIVE)". Knight Edge Media. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Verhoeven, Beatrice (April 14, 2023). "Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' Finds Its Nani, Lilo's Sister (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Taylor, Drew (February 17, 2023). "Zach Galifianakis Cast in Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch'". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  7. ^ Grobar, Matt (April 12, 2023). "Lilo & Stitch Live-Action Disney Movie Adds Billy Magnussen". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Verhoeven, Beatrice (April 17, 2023). "Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' Casts Nani's Love Interest David (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Shrishty (April 21, 2023). "'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Remake Recasts David Following Controversy". Collider. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Verhoeven, Beatrice (April 21, 2023). "Chris Sanders in Final Talks to Return as Voice of Stitch in Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Cordero, Rosy (April 19, 2023). "Courtney B. Vance Boards Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
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  17. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (November 13, 2020). "Jon M. Chu to Direct 'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Movie". Variety. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
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  21. ^ Wilding, Josh (March 3, 2023). "Lilo & Stitch Live-Action Movie Gets A Fitting Working Title But One Key Character Still Hasn't Been Cast". Toonado. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  22. ^ Weiss, Josh (September 13, 2022). "Original Co-Director of 'Lilo & Stitch' Has Thoughts About the Live-Action Remake". SYFY Wire. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Frank, Allegra (April 20, 2023). "Disney Keeps Bungling the 'Lilo and Stitch' Remake Casting". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Villegas, Pauline (April 15, 2023). "The 'Lilo & Stitch' live-action casting sparks an online debate about colorism in Hollywood". Insider. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  25. ^ Segarra, Edward (April 20, 2023). "'Lilo & Stich' fans slam casting of light-skinned Hawaiian actress in live-action remake". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  26. ^ Ke, Bryan (April 19, 2023). "'Lilo and Stitch' live-action remake accused of whitewashing Nani Pelekai". NextShark. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  27. ^ a b HNN Staff (April 28, 2023). "Disney recasts role of David in 'Lilo & Stitch' remake after past racial slurs surface". Hawaii News Now. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  28. ^ Meredith, Kyle (June 26, 2023). "Kyle Meredith With...: Jason Scott Lee on the Cultural Stories of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Jungle Book, and Doogie Kameāloha, M.D" (Podcast). Kyle Meredith With... Consequence Pod Network. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
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  31. ^ a b c d HNN Staff (April 17, 2023). "Arson investigation underway after fire on set of major film production on Oahu's North Shore". Hawaii News Now. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
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  35. ^ "'Lilo & Stitch' filming to close portion of Kalanianaole Highway in both directions". Hawaii News Now. April 25, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
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  38. ^ Huang, PeiZhi. "FX Supervisor". Linkedin.
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  40. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 10, 2024). "Lilo & Stitch: Disney Offers First Look At Stitch, Sets Summer 2025 Release For Live-Action Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  41. ^ Shaw, Angel (August 10, 2024). "Disney's Live-Action Stitch Is Perfect & I Couldn't Be Happier". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  42. ^ Williams, Marisa (August 10, 2024). "We Can't Help Falling in Love With This Lilo & Stitch Live Action Update From D23". Collider. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
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  45. ^ Nash, Anthony (November 22, 2024). "Lilo & Stitch Poster Shows New Look at Remake's Live-Action Stitch". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  46. ^ Tinoco, Armando (November 25, 2024). "Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch' Trailer: New Teaser Shows Stitch Causing Live-Action Chaos". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
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  48. ^ Schreur, Brandon (November 27, 2024). "New Lilo & Stitch Poster Sees Experiment 626 Eating a Moana Kakamora". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
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  50. ^ Couch, Aaron; McClintock, Pamela (October 11, 2024). "'Freakier Friday,' Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' Set 2025 Release Dates". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
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