It feels like Disney should have run out of cartoons to remake in live-action by now. But it hasn’t happened yet.
In just a few weeks, we’ll get a live-action Snow White starring Rachel Zegler. And next year there’s a live-action Moana, with Dwayne Johnson reprising his voice role as the demigod Maui. In between, Disney also has a new Lilo & Stitch. Well, new-ish. The film is a remake of the delightful 2002 cartoon Lilo & Stitch, with a cast that is now comprised mostly of human beings. (Stitch remakes an animated character, only this time he’s made with computers instead of drawn by hand.)
Otherwise you will likely recognize a lot of this updated Lilo & Stitch from the trailer below, including the Hawaiian setting, the cast of characters, and the message about families sticking together.
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The original Lilo & Stitch was one of Disney’s final traditionally animated hits; within two years, the company mostly abandoned hand-drawn animated movies and apart from a brief revival in the late 2000s, that’s the way things have remained at the studio.
In addition to the first Lilo & Stitch, which grossed more than $270 million in theaters, Disney also made a Lilo & Stitch TV series and several animated sequels including Stitch! The Movie and Leroy & Stitch. The character has also appeared in video games and Disney theme park attractions.
Here is the film’s official (and familiar) official synopsis:
“Lilo & Stitch” is the wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family. The film is directed by award-winning filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp, with a screenplay by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes, and stars Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, with Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis, and introducing Maia Kealoha.
The Lilo & Stitch remake is set to premiere in theaters on May 23. Personally, I’m still waiting for the live-action Oliver & Company remake.
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Gallery Credit: Claire Epting