For a story encompassing a lonely Hawaiian girl’s close encounter and adventures with the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial whom she names ‘Stitch’, Lilo & Stitch has seen a lot of spinoffs and adaptations. And now, it will soon be making its live-action debut as well through the adaptation currently in the works at Disney which doesn’t have a fixed release date yet.
This comes after the teaser for this upcoming project was recently released for fans, giving a sneak peek into what fans can expect to see in this live-action adaptation. But fans seem to be having mixed reviews on it all, with some supporting the way things are looking for their favorite animated story while others counterargue with reasons why things could have been a lot better.
The Teaser for Lilo & Stitch Live-Action is Finally Out!
At the recently held D23 event on Friday, Disney gave just a sneak peek of the upcoming live-action version of Lilo & Stitch starring Maia Kealoha as Lilo Pelekai. It has been directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp, and Stitch, Lilo’s “dog”, will be brought to life using CGI with Sanders returning to voice him.
This live-action adaptation will reportedly follow the storyline from the original animated masterpiece of the same name from 2002, written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. Just like it was seen in the film, Lilo will once again take the mysterious blue alien as her dog named Stitch.
Additionally, this will see Maia Kealoha‘s character’s older sister Nani, played by Sydney Elizabeth Agudong, who raises Lilo after their parent’s death. One other major character expected to be seen is Nani’s lover David Kawena as well, who will be brought back to the screens by Kaipo Dudoit.
In the teaser shared by @HollywoodHandle on X, Stitch’s CGI version was seen in a seconds-long clip:
As of now, the project doesn’t have a fixed release date, although Disney has done the honors of giving it a release window in the summer in its release schedule for 2025. But while most fans support this remake after the teaser, some other fans still seem to have divided opinions on it all.
Fans React to Lilo & Stich‘s Live-Action Update
On the one hand, fans are really enjoying this CGI version of Stitch and are approving of it as well. This part of the fandom is pointing out how the animation looks similar to the impeccable CGI shown in the fan-favorite live-action Lion King masterpiece from 2019.
Here’s what this part of the fandom has to say:
However, on the other hand, some other fans seem to have conflicting opinions, with their doubts pouring into the comment section about how this just hasn’t won their approval yet. If anything, they’re even questioning just why Disney wanted to make a live-action of an already-established masterpiece in the first place.
Here’s what this other minority part of the fandom has to say:
Well, in the live-action adaptation’s defense, almost every live-action project gets received this way in the beginning since fans are super attached to the live-action versions to even imagine it taking place in real life.
That said, the only way this project could redeem itself would be by bringing to the table a worthwhile experience that changes all of this criticism into positive acclaim for the movie.
But will it be able to do that? Guess that’s something only time can tell.
Lilo & Stitch currently holds a theatrical release window of Summer 2025.
