The Disney animation-to-live-action-remake program marches on, with the House of the Mouse seemingly determined to reiterate every single one of its cartoon classics. Following the likes of Mufasa: The Lion King and Snow White, we have a more intriguing project on the horizon: a live action take on the goofy and beloved Lilo & Stitch, which hits New Zealand cinemas, on May 22, 2025.
Lilo & Stitch (2025)
Directed by Dean Fleishcer Camp, who also gave us the cult favourite Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, this new iteration of Lilo & Stitch follows (insofar as we can tell, given Disney’s typically tight-lipped approach to production news) the same beats as the 2002 original. The alien Stitch, once again voiced by Chris Sanders, creator of the character and director of the original film, escapes from a deep space laboratory and heads off to earth where he fetches up in Hawaii. Although gennetically engineered for aggression and destruction, the cute little blue guy soon bonds with Hawaiian kid Lilo Pelekai. Life lessons, comedy, and sci-fi adventure ensue.
This time around, Maia Kealoha plays Lilo, with Sydney Agudong as Nani, her 18-year-old sister her legal guardian. Rounding out the human principals we have Courtney B. Vance as social worker Cobra Bubbles; Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani in the 2002 film, as AANHPI social worker Mrs. Kekoa; Kaipo Dudoit as cool surfer (and implicit love interest for Nani) David Kawena; and Amy Hill as Tūtū, his wise and no doubt wisecracking grandmother.
On the alien side of things we have Zach Galifianakis as Kweltikwan mad scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba, Stitch’s creator; Billy Magnussen as Agent Pleakley, a Plorgonarian agent of the United Galactic Federation sent to track down Stitch; and Hannah Waddingham the Grand Councilwoman, leader of the United Galactic Federation.
And other than that, and this brief teaser:
…that’s all we know for now!
