Lilo & Stitch is a childhood favorite film for many, and one of Disney’s best underappreciated animated classics. When it was released in 2002, it was one of the first Disney films to explore Hawaiian culture and big issues like global warming, the negative impacts of tourism on Hawaii, and the difficulty of taking care of a family as an older sibling. There were many important issues explored in the original Lilo & Stitch that we want to see revisited in the live-action remake, which is finally scheduled to make its way to screens.
With beloved alien characters, mysterious FBI agents, sisterly bonding, and enough humor to balance out the serious issues addressed, Lilo & Stitch is a fantastic family movie already. With the opportunity to bring it to live action, Disney could emphasize these issues as Hawaii continues to grapple with tourism industry problems. With previous Disney live-action remakes falling short of fixing the issues their original versions had, we’re hopeful that Lilo & Stitch will be one film Disney will revitalize rather than water down.
Lilo & Stitch: The Plot
With other remakes, Lilo & Stitch seems on track to continue the trend of keeping in line with its original plot. The remake is reported to be a blend of live-action and CGI, which is to be expected for a film that heavily features alien characters. The original film was a surprise hit during a rough patch for Disney in the early 2000s, and we’re curious to see where they might take the live-action adaptation with Lilo & Stitch’s reputation for being a surprise success. If the plot is tried and true, perhaps Disney will stick close to the original’s premise.
“A tale of a young girl's close encounter with the galaxy's most wanted extraterrestrial. Lilo is a lonely Hawaiian girl who adopts a small ugly "dog," whom she names Stitch. Stitch would be the perfect pet if he weren't in reality a genetic experiment who has escaped from an alien planet and crash-landed on Earth. Through her love, faith and unwavering belief in ohana, the Hawaiian concept of family, Lilo helps unlock Stitch's heart and gives him the ability to care for someone else.”
Lilo & Stitch is a touching family movie that portrays real struggles in a way that makes it easier for children to understand them. Some things we don’t want to see watered down or compromised on are the messages of platonic love, environmental conservation, and family. With Disney’s reputation for creating live-action remakes that do little to improve upon the original animated film, many fans are outspoken in their criticism of Disney live-action remakes. We hope that a film with as good a foundation as Lilo & Stitch has will only improve in a live-action version.
Some elements of the original film were taken out before release, such as a scene where Lilo plays a prank on some tourists – showing how rampant tourism has negatively impacted Hawaii – and even one where Lilo and Stitch hold a funeral for Lilo’s pet fish, Pudge. There are many dark scenes in Lilo & Stitch that never made it into the final film, but even so, the animated classic is a careful balance of humor and sorrow. Finding that balance again in a live-action version might be difficult, but we’re hopeful that Disney will make another surprise hit out of this Lilo & Stitch too.
With little other information released currently about the plot intricacies of the live-action version, we’ll have to wait and see what directions Disney goes in the remake.
Lilo & Stitch: The Cast & Crew
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
The only cast member confirmed so far is the voice of Stitch, which will be played by Chris Sanders, who is best known for his work on the original Lilo & Stitch as the voice of Stitch and many other Disney films. Sanders himself was an animator on Lilo & Stitch, as well as the voice of Tarzan and later as Belt from The Croods. While the rest of the characters aren’t cast yet, we do know a bit about the talented crew behind Lilo & Stitch’s live-action remake.
Directing this adaptation is Dean Fleischer-Camp, who is best known for his adorable creation Marcel the Shell and its films. The screenwriter adapting Lilo & Stitch for live-action is Mike Van Waes, who has been working on the anticipated Dear David film. The film is being produced by Jonathan Eirich (2019’s Aladdin live-action remake) and Dan Lin (The Lego Movie). As more of the cast and crew are hired on, we’re excited to see how this live-action remake turns out.
Release Date
As the film is currently in pre-production, we don’t know much about the cast, crew, or plot differences yet. However, we do have a tentative release date of May 10th, 2024.