Disney is bringing a live-action adaptation of the 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch in the form of a science fiction film. The film is slated to release in 2024 on Disney+, though the dates are not yet disclosed. This comes five years after the live-action film was first announced in 2018.
Dean Fleischer Camp will be directing the project, a filmmaker known for Oscar nominee Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. The show is written by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, and Dan Lin and Jonathan Eiric will be producing it.
Hawai’i-born actress Maia Kealoha will be marking her debut with the character portrayal of Lilo Pelekai, and Chris Sanders will be reprising his voice role as Stitch from the original animation film. The cast also includes Zach Galifianakis, Sydney Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Kaipo Dudoit, Courtney B. Vance, Tia Carrere, and Amy Hill.
Who will feature in Lilo & Stitch live-adaptation remake?
There has been much speculation about the cast of the Lilo and Stitch remake ever since the film was first announced in 2018 by Walt Pictures. The production house had back then released a statement confirming that they were in the process of developing a live-action/computer-generated animation hybrid film adaptation of their 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch.
The speculations were finally put to rest in 2023 with the release of the cast list and crew working on the project. To begin with the lead actors, the list is as follows:
- Chris Sanders as the voice of Stitch
- Maia Kealoha as Lilo Pelekai
- Zach Galifianakis as the voice of Dr. Jumba Jookiba
- Billy Magnussen as the voice of Agent Pleakley
- Sydney Agudong as Nani Pelekai, Lilo’s 18-year-old sister and legal guardian
- Kaipo Dudoit as David Kawena, a college student and surfer who is kind to Nani
- Tia Carrere as Mrs. Kekoa, a social worker who keeps checks on Nani
- Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubble, another social worker
- Amy Hill as Tūtū, a Native Hawaiian in her 70s who is the long-time neighbor of the Pelekais and the grandmother of David Kawena.
The film will be directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, much known for the Oscar-nominated movie Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) and Fraud (2016). It was earlier announced that director Jon M. Chu would be leading the production; however, that changed as he had other obligations to fulfill. Lilo & Stitch (2024) also marks writer Chris Kekaniokelani Bright’s feature writing debut, replacing Van Waes, who began working on the script earlier in 2018.
A quick look at the controversy surrounding the casting of Lilo & Stitch
The casting of Sydney Agudong as Nani Pelekai and Kahiau Machado as David Kawena was met with criticism from the audience and erupted into a controversy on social media with accusations of colorism and whitewashing towards Disney and the film’s casting crew, as the two actors are of lighter skin tones than their characters’ original animated counterparts.
Fans also discovered that Machado had previously used a racial slur on his Spotify and Instagram accounts, which led the production house to recast him with Kaipo Dudoit. Machado later posted an apology for his prior use of the slur via Instagram on April 27, 2023. However, he no longer remains a part of the project, while Agudong continues with it, even after the backlash.
Here’s the snippet of Machado’s apology on Instagram:
Lilo & Stitch is slated to premiere directly on Disney+ in 2024.