- Live action Lilo & Stitch gets a new Mufasa-inspired teaser
- Zach Galifianakis, Hannah Waddingham, Billy Magnussen to star
- The film is released on 23 May 2025
Forget princes and princesses, it’s finally time for a space alien to get the live-action treatment as Disney prepares to unleash its Lilo & Stitch remake on audiences.
This long-awaited retooling is based on the studio’s 2002 animated original which was directed by The Wild Robot’s Chris Sanders and How To Train Your Dragon’s Dean DeBois. In the years since Stitch’s arrival, the character has fast become one of Disney’s biggest and most-loved new characters.
Read more: How to Train Your Dragon trailer, cast and plot
As such, many fans were eager for the character to make the leap from 2D to 3D, with the project officially announced back in 2018. What else do we know? Well, quite a bit actually.
Read on for all the key information we have about Disney’s upcoming Lilo & Stitch retooling.
When is the Lilo & Stitch remake released?
Disney’s Lilo & Stitch remake is set to hit cinemas on 23 May 2025. After its theatrical run is finished, the film is expected to stream on Disney+ but an exact home release date has yet to be revealed.
Originally, there were rumours that the movie was set to become a streaming-only release when journalists picked up on information listed on a casting call document. However, in August 2024, Disney officially confirmed that their live-action Lilo & Stitch film would find a home in cinemas before streaming.
Is there a trailer for the Lilo & Stitch remake?
Yes, the first teaser trailer for the Lilo & Stitch remake crash-landed on the internet in late November 2026 and saw an alien smash his way through a familiar-looking sandcastle.
Watch it above.
Opening shots of a sweeping ocean scene quickly give way to a Hawaiian island where we find a sandcastle carved to look like Disney’s iconic Magic Kingdom castle from Sleeping Beauty.
Unfortunately, the scene doesn’t stay idyllic for long as Stitch barges his way through, smashing every sandcastle he can see.
In late December 2024, the movie got another short teaser that spoofed the release of another live-action Disney remake.
Released onto X, this short teaser put stitch in the surroundings of The Lion King sequel Mufasa: The Lion King. Watch it below:
Long live the…King? 👑#LiloAndStitch, coming to theaters May 23, 2025. pic.twitter.com/4QWeClJkHw
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) December 18, 2024
What is the plot of the Lilo & Stitch remake?
An official plot synopsis for the Lilo & Stitch remake has yet to emerge but like many of Disney’s live-action remakes, we can assume that it will follow in the footsteps of its 2002 animated original.
Lilo & Stitch tells the story of Lilo, a young island girl who befriends Stitch, a genetically altered alien who has been designed to cause havoc.
As the pair form an unexpected bond, they must dodge social workers and a group of aliens hot on Stitch’s tail. All the while, the duo learn about the importance of family on their sunny island home.
Originally, Wicked filmmaker Jon M. Chu was rumoured to be helming the remake before he was forced to drop out.
Shortly afterwards, Dean Fleischer Camp, director of 2021’s Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, was installed as the film’s director.
Who is starring in the Lilo & Stitch remake?
Original Lilo & Stitch co-director and character creator Chris Sanders will return to provide the voice of Stitch, the unruly alien that befriends young Lilo. Speaking of which, Lilo will be played by newcomer Maia Kealoha, with her character battling a sad past following the passing of her parents.
Actress Sydney Agudong will play Lilo’s 18-year-old older sister Nani with Wayne’s World star Tia Carrere playing Mrs Kekoa, a by-the-book social worker tasked with overseeing Lilo and her sister.
Carrere takes on a new role here, having originally voiced Nani in the 2002 animated feature.
Comic actor Zach Galifianakis will play Stitch’s crazy creator Dr. Jumba Jookiba, with the star of Disney’s live-action Aladdin, Billy Magnussen, voicing Agent Pleakley – an alien operative from the United Galactic Federation.
Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham will star in a mystery role, with Courtney B. Vance playing a social worker named David. Amy Hill and Jason Scott Lee will also star as locals on Lilo’s Hawaiian island home.
