Stitch (voice of Chris Sanders) in “Lilo Stitch.”
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
The blockbuster live-action version of Lilo & Stitch is coming soon to Disney+.
Rated PG, Lilo & Stitch opened in theaters on May 23. Based on Disney’s animated movie classic from 2002, the film tells the story of a furry blue alien experiment who is exiled to Earth. When the dog-like creature lands in Hawaii, he befriends an orphan named Lilo (Maia Kealoha), who is under the care of her teenage sister, Nani (Sydney Agudong).
Since the alien is believed to be a dog and is captured and put into a pound, he is adopted by Lilo. Before too long, Nani and the mischievous pet that Lilo names Stitch (voice of the animated film’s director Chris Sanders) begin to feel like a family again.
Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, the film also stars Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Courtney B. Vance, Amy Hill and Kaipo Dudoit and the voice of Hannah Waddingham.
Disney+ announced in a YouTube video on Tuesday that Lilo & Stitch will begin streaming on the platform on Sept. 3.
For viewers who don’t subscribe to Disney+, the platform offers an ad-based Disney+ Basic plan for $9.99 per month and an ad-free Disney+ Premium plan for $15.99 per month or $159.99 per year.
Directing ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Was An Easy Decision For Dean Fleischer Camp
Dean Fleischer Camp, who directed the acclaimed stop-motion animated film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, told Deadline in May that Lilo & Stitch has always been his favorite Disney animated film, so he jumped at the chance to direct it.
“It’s always been the one that I felt like I could do a live-action adaptation of because when I saw the original in theaters, I was in high school, and it didn’t look like any other animated Disney movie I’d ever seen,” Camp told Deadline. “The characters felt so authentic and a little rough around the edges in a way that I now know is the influence of Chris Sanders’ actual, original art style. But at the time, I just thought, ‘Wow, this is such a different look for a Disney movie.'”
One of the biggest appeals for Camp to direct the film was the story’s modern setting.
“It’s also the thing that made it seem like there’s a great opportunity here to tell a live-action version of these characters because, unlike most Disney animated films, it takes place in contemporary society,” Camp told Deadline. “It stars real, mostly humans going through some real stuff that many other humans go through daily. So, it felt like a great opportunity.”
Lilo & Stitch, which is still playing in theaters, has the distinction of being the first film in theaters in 2025 to cross the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office.
To date, the film has earned $421.2 million domestically and $603.6 million internationally for a global box office tally of $1.024 billion. Lilo & Stitch had a $100 million production budget before prints and advertising costs, per The Numbers.
Lilo & Stitch earned a 72% “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 213 reviews, and a 92% “fresh” score on RT’s Popcornmeter based on 10,000-plus verified user ratings.
Rated PG, Lilo & Stitch will arrive on Disney+ on Sept. 3. The film is now available on digital streaming via premium video on demand.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/08/05/live-action-remake-of-lilo–stitch-gets-disney-premiere-date/