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 the 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.
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. The U.K. will get it the same day too.
In most international territories, the movie will hit theaters between May 21 and 23, with Japan being the outlier. There, Stitch won't arrive until June 6.
As always, fans who'd rather wait for the domestic release shouldn't expect the Lilo & Stitch remake to touch down on Disney Plus and VOD until late summer at the earliest, especially with the movie poised to be a major family-friendly hit in theaters.
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.
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, 2024 for the live-action Lilo & Stitch remake. So, please enjoy Stitch being his mischievous, chaotic self in all his CG design glory:
Shortly afterwards, on December 18, a new brief look at the little alien was shared just in time for Christmas. You can watch it here:
Despite all the hype surrounding the movie, we didn't get a first full trailer until March 12, 2025. Thankfully, it was a meaty one that showed plenty of story, new comedic beats, and United Galactic Federation aliens. Personally, we think it looks neat enough. Watch it below:
On April 3, marketing ramped up and started giving us clips such as this 'Water Fight' scene, which should make the younger ones and Disney adults smile thanks to Lilo and Stitch's cute antics.
Nearly at the same time, on April 4, Disney started putting out spots that are likely to become more and more frequent as we approach the May 23 release date. Here's the first one:
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. Here's the 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.
- Hannah Waddingham (Game of Thrones) as the Grand Councilwoman, leader of the United Galactic Federation.
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.
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