The saying "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten" applies to Disney's live-action adaptations. After successes like Pete's Dragon, Beauty & The Beast, and The Lion King, it's Lilo & Stitch's turn, reports Empire. Directed by Oscar-nominee Dean Fleischer Camp, we now have our first look at the live-action (CG-assisted) Stitch.
Introducing Stitch! He's mischievous, troublesome, blue, incredibly lifelike, and naturally, he's also cute and fluffy. This is just a thirty-second clip where Experiment 626 encounters a Disney-like castle on the beach and decides to unleash his inner Godzilla on it. However, watching our favorite early 2000s Disney character go full kaiju and hear that classic Chris Sanders cackle is enough to lift our spirits. The Uncanny Valley seems to be avoided, Camp's knack for physical comedy and the interaction of animated elements with the real world remains intact, and those final notes of 'Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride' are simply irresistible.
Although this teaser only features the Stitch half of the titular duo (boo!), we know who's on board to help Camp adapt Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders' classic story of a Hawaiian girl and her mutant experiment alien dog. Leading the cast are Maia Kealoha as Lilo, Sydney Elizabeth Agudong as Nani, and Kaipot Dudoit as David Kawena. They will be joined by Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, Courtney B. Vance, and Hannah Waddingham in undisclosed roles (though we're hoping for a Galifianakis and Magnussen Jumba/Pleakley pairing), along with original voice actors Tia Carrere, Amy Hill, Jason Scott Lee, and the aforementioned Sanders.
With the live-action How To Train Your Dragon trailer released just last week, Mufasa: The Lion King only weeks away, and numerous, numerous other Disney live-action remakes in development, it seems the trend of transforming beloved animations into a new dimension is here to stay. However, current indications suggest that Dean Fleischer Camp's Hawaiian sci-fi adventure is one we can already get excited about. There's no place we'd rather be... than in the cinema watching Lilo & Stitch on 23 May, 2025!