Prepare yourself, as a Lilo & Stitch live-action remake is crash-landing on Earth in 2025.
“‘ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten”… especially when it comes to live-action remakes of Disney classics, and next in line is 2002’s animated sci-fi romp Lilo & Stitch.
Everyone’s favorite cheeky, koala-like alien is coming back to the big screen, with a few changes. What we do know is that Disney will be sticking to the original movie outline of “give us Steven Spielberg’s E.T. but make it Hawaii,” and you’ll be delighted to know that some of the talent from the original animated movie are returning for this new iteration.
Can new DNA be injected into this live-action remake beyond making Stitch and the aliens coming after him tridimensional? It remains to be seen, but we’re betting on it being a big hit with families regardless. Here’s everything we know about the Lilo & Stitch remake so far.
Curious about all the sci-fi blockbusters coming from Disney in 2025? Here’s the full rundown past Lilo & Stitch: Elio, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Tron: Ares, Predator: Badlands, and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Lilo & Stitch remake release date
The Lilo & Stitch live-action remake is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 23, 2025, taking the traditionally profitable Memorial Day weekend slot.
International dates have yet to be announced, but Disney’s theatrical releases typically arrive around the same time in most countries. This is one of the company’s big bets for the early summer season, so that’s the window most moviegoers should expect regardless of their location. Stay tuned for more updates as they come.
What is the plot of the Lilo & Stitch remake?
Much like the original movie, 2025’s Lilo & Stitch follows Lilo Pelekai, a six-year-old Hawaiian girl who loves hula and surfing, and Stitch, a small, furry blue alien that’s the result of genetic experiments conducted by a mad scientist named Dr. Jumba Jookiba.
The key to the story is that cute little Stitch was engineered to be a biological weapon. Instead, the bond he forms with Lilo, her sister Nani, and other humans shows he can be an entirely different being; potentially even teaching mankind and aliens alike a thing or two about kindness and rejecting violence.
There was also a big ‘found family’ element to the original, as Lilo and Nani’s parents had died recently and Stitch was the last thing they expected to find and welcome into their home. That’s where the Hawaiian term of ‘ohana comes in: “‘ohana means family,” in an extended sense, blood-related or not. This also applies eventually to the aliens from the United Galactic Federation coming after him, Dr. Jumba, and Agent Pleakley. Of course, there’s also social worker Cobra Bubbles, a fan-favorite character with a surprising past, and the fearsome bad alien Captain Gantu.
For the most part, it seems that this new version of Lilo & Stitch will be keeping the story we know and love mostly the same. However, like in other live-action remakes of Disney classics, there have been a few changes made to the original plot and roster of characters. Right now what we do know is that in this iteration Lilo and Nani’s parents have been deceased for a longer time and that the Pelekai sisters are getting a new neighbor named Tūtū, a “warm, quick-witted woman” in her 70s.
Lilo & Stitch remake trailers
Disney graced us with an official teaser trailer on November 25 for the live-action Lilo & Stitch remake. So, please enjoy Stitch being his mischievous, chaotic self in all his CG design glory:
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Lilo & Stitch remake cast
As usual with these live-action remakes, Lilo & Stitch’s cast is a mix of both newcomers and famous veteran actors. More cast members should be unveiled before the movie hits theaters, but here’s the full rundown so far:
- Chris Sanders is voicing Stitch once again after playing him in the 2002 original movie, which he co-directed and co-wrote alongside Dean DeBlois.
- Maia Kealoha, a very young newcomer, as Lilo Pelekai, the six-year-old Native Hawaiian girl who finds Stitch.
- Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) as Dr. Jumba Jookiba, the alien mad scientist responsible for the creation of Stitch.
- Billy Magnussen (Aladdin) as Agent Pleakley, a member of the United Galactic Federation assigned to guide and protect Dr. Jumba.
- Sydney Agudong (NCIS) as Nani Pelekai, the 18-year-old sister and now legal guardian of Lilo after their parents passed away.
- Kaipo Dudoit (Magnum P.I.) as David Kawena, an 18-year-old student and surfer who works with Nani at a hotel.
- Tia Carrere (Relic Hunter) as Mrs. Kekoa, a social worker that’s helping Nani with her current struggles. She originally voiced Nani in the animated movie.
- Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) as Cobra Bubbles, a social worker directly in charge of Lilo’s welfare.
- Amy Hill (General Hospital) as Tūtū, the neighbor next door and grandmother of David Kawena.
Lilo & Stitch remake director, writer, & crew
Lilo & Stitch is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) from a script by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright (Tsuru).
The cinematography was handled by Nigel Buck (True Detective), and we’ve yet to learn who’s composing the original soundtrack. As for producers, there is Jonathan Eirich (Aladdin) for Disney and Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes) for Rideback, which is producing alongside Walt Disney Pictures.