# Lilo & Stitch (franchise)
**Lilo & Stitch** is a Walt Disney Company media franchise that began with the 2002 animated film *Lilo & Stitch*, the story of a lonely Hawaiian girl, Lilo Pelekai, who adopts a fugitive alien genetic experiment, Stitch ([Experiment](https://www.edgepedia.org/experiment) 626), believing him to be a dog. The property has since grown into animated sequels and television series, a Japanese anime, video games, extensive theme-park and merchandise presence, and a 2025 live-action reimagining that became one of the year's highest-grossing films.[1](https://movies.disney.com/lilo-stitch) • [2](https://disneyparksblog.com/disney-experiences/lilo-stitch-across-disney-parks/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original film | *Lilo & Stitch*, released June 21, 2002; directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, produced by Clark Spencer; rated PG, 1 hour 32 minutes[1](https://movies.disney.com/lilo-stitch) |
| Theatrical gross (2002) | $273 million[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-05-23/lilo-stitch-review-live-action-remake) |
| Animated expansion | *Stitch! The Movie* (2003), *Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch* (2005), *Leroy & Stitch* (2006), plus television series[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/lilo-stitch-film/) |
| Live-action remake (2025) | Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp; stars Maia Kealoha as Lilo and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani; highest-grossing 4-day Memorial Day weekend opening in U.S. history[5](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/lilo-stitch-2/) |
| Remake gross | Roughly $923 million worldwide by late June 2025; over $1 billion by 2026[5](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/lilo-stitch-2/) • [6](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/d23-2026-disney-entertainment-showcase/) |
| Sequel | *Lilo & Stitch 2* announced June 26, 2025 ("626 Day"); to be directed by Chris Sanders, with production in Hawaiʻi[5](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/lilo-stitch-2/) • [6](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/d23-2026-disney-entertainment-showcase/) |
| Central theme | ʻohana, the Hawaiian concept of family, including family made of more than blood relatives[7](https://d23.com/ohana-means-lilo-stitch/) |
## The 2002 animated film
The original film was directed by [Chris Sanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-sanders) and Dean DeBlois, written by Sanders, and produced primarily at Disney's Feature Animation facility at [Walt Disney World](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-world) in Florida.[1](https://movies.disney.com/lilo-stitch) • [4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/lilo-stitch-film/) Its cast included [Daveigh Chase](https://www.edgepedia.org/daveigh-chase) as Lilo, Sanders as the voice of Stitch, Tia Carrere as Nani, Jason Scott Lee as David, and Amy Hill.[1](https://movies.disney.com/lilo-stitch) The story places Stitch, a runaway genetic experiment from a faraway planet, with Lilo, an independent girl being raised by her struggling older sister Nani while a social worker threatens to place Lilo in foster care.[7](https://d23.com/ohana-means-lilo-stitch/)
**Visual style.** The film used watercolor backgrounds, the first such use at the studio in six decades, and its hand-drawn look, in Chris Sanders' distinctive style with round faces and larger bodies, set it apart from other Disney films of the period.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/lilo-and-stitch-live-action-disney-review-b2754917.html) • [9](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-24/lilo-and-stitch-2025-live-action-review/105320016) The directors have said that Hawaii was chosen after they looked for an American setting whose culture they understood, and that discovering the concept of ʻohana led to a complete rewrite of the story.[10](https://animatedviews.com/2009/lilo-stitch-a-little-more-conversation-with-directors-chris-sanders-dean-de-blois/)
The film earned $273 million in theaters and critical acclaim, and its soundtrack album, containing original songs by Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu and composer [Alan Silvestri](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-silvestri) alongside five [Elvis Presley](https://www.edgepedia.org/elvis-presley) songs, sold more than one million copies.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-05-23/lilo-stitch-review-live-action-remake) • [11](https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/llibres/2021/236285/gen21cen_a2021.pdf) In terms of Disney's lead characters, Lilo was the third non-white female character given a lead role in a Disney animated film, after Mulan in 1998 and before Tiana in 2009 and Moana in 2016, and, unlike those characters, she is animated as a seven-year-old child.[12](https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/gdc/gdcebookspublic/20/19/47/40/06/2019474006/2019474006.pdf)
## Animated sequels, series, and adaptations
The film's success produced multiple direct-to-video sequels and a television series, further cementing its place in Disney's animated legacy.[13](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/lilo_stitch_final_production_notes_bios_7f0b3116.pdf) *Stitch! The Movie* followed in 2003 and *[Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch](https://www.edgepedia.org/lilo-and-stitch-2-stitch-has-a-glitch)* in 2005, with *Leroy & Stitch* later serving as a finale to the original story arc.[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/lilo-stitch-film/) *[Lilo & Stitch: The Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/lilo-and-stitch-the-series)*, which ran for two seasons on [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel), followed the experiments activated when submerged in water, each with its own talents for destruction and comedy.[14](https://www.disneyplus.com/series/Lilo-i-Stich-Serial/6ML3ae4QGsIK?v=var1) Video games based on the films and series were also released, including *Lilo & Stitch: Trouble in Paradise*.[15](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/franchise/615-lilo-and-stitch)
The franchise is unusual in Disney's history for the range of minority cultures it has engaged. An academic chapter in *The Oxford Handbook of the Disney Musical* describes it as beginning in the "Neo-Disney" era and blossoming into a transcultural franchise, with productions dispersed across Disney's Florida, Australian, and Japanese subsidiaries and a licensed production in China, including the anime series *Stitch!* built on Okinawan myths and legends.[16](https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/59768/chapter-abstract/508677390) Stitch has also appeared in three animated sequel films and three television series.[17](https://time.com/7287149/lilo-and-stitch-live-action-adaptation/)
## The 2025 live-action remake
A live-action reimagining opened in theaters on May 23, 2025, directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, whose *Marcel the Shell with Shoes On* had been nominated for the [Academy Award for Best Animated Feature](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-animated-feature).[7](https://d23.com/ohana-means-lilo-stitch/) It stars [Maia Kealoha](https://www.edgepedia.org/maia-kealoha), born and raised on the [Big Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-island), as Lilo, and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani, with the screenplay by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes and producers Jonathan Eirich and Dan Lin.[13](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/lilo_stitch_final_production_notes_bios_7f0b3116.pdf) Chris Sanders reprises the voice of Stitch.[7](https://d23.com/ohana-means-lilo-stitch/)
**Commercial performance.** The film exceeded industry expectations and set a new benchmark as the highest-grossing 4-day [Memorial Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/memorial-day) weekend opening in U.S. history, earning an "A" [CinemaScore](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinemascore), and had grossed roughly $923 million worldwide by the time the sequel was announced in late June 2025.[5](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/lilo-stitch-2/) By the 2026 D23 Entertainment Showcase, Disney reported the film had grossed over $1 billion at the box office.[6](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/d23-2026-disney-entertainment-showcase/) Critical response was mixed: some reviewers called it a faithful adaptation with heart, while others argued it reduced Stitch's character arc and prioritized meme-ready comedy over the original's emotional development.[17](https://time.com/7287149/lilo-and-stitch-live-action-adaptation/) • [18](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/lilo-and-stitch-first-reviews/)
**Cultural approach.** The production shot the entire film in Hawaiʻi, hired the Hawaiian screenwriter Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, and worked with cultural consultants including Lāiana Kanoa-Wong, Mandi Kaleilani Medeiros Scott, and Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu; Bright's mother, Lynell Bright, had directed the youth chorus for the original film's music and returned for the remake.[7](https://d23.com/ohana-means-lilo-stitch/) • [9](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-24/lilo-and-stitch-2025-live-action-review/105320016) A new character, the neighbor Tūtū, played by [Amy Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-hill), was added at Bright's urging to reflect his view that in Hawaiʻi two sisters who had just lost their parents would not be as isolated as the original story portrayed.[19](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/lilo-and-stitch-producer-explained-to-me-why-tutu-was-added-i-love-it) The remake's casting had earlier drawn colorism criticism from some fans of the original, who felt lighter-skinned casting diluted the story's Hawaiian setting.[20](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/04/27/lilo-stitch-live-action-colorism/)
## Parks, merchandise, and continued expansion
Since 2002 the franchise has grown into what Disney Experiences describes as a global phenomenon celebrated at Disney parks worldwide, across a wide variety of merchandise, and in the 2025 live-action film.[2](https://disneyparksblog.com/disney-experiences/lilo-stitch-across-disney-parks/) Stitch's merchandising reach became so extensive before the remake's release that one Spanish-language report placed *Lilo & Stitch* among Disney's ten most profitable franchises even before the film opened.[21](https://elpais.com/cultura/2025-06-06/el-alienigena-multimillonario-de-disney-la-stitchmania-rompe-la-taquilla-y-llena-tiendas-de-ropa-y-fiestas-populares.html)
**Sequel and new animation.** On June 26, 2025, commemorating "626 Day," Walt Disney Studios announced that *Lilo & Stitch 2* was officially in development.[5](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/lilo-stitch-2/) At the 2026 D23 Entertainment Showcase, Disney said the sequel, which it credited with the 2025 film's billion-dollar gross, is scheduled to begin production in Hawaiʻi under the direction of Chris Sanders, who co-created, co-wrote, and directed the 2002 animated film.[6](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/d23-2026-disney-entertainment-showcase/) Disney has also returned to hand-drawn animation for the property: a new short film made in the 2D style of the 2002 movie, featuring a chaotic pink cat joining the Pelekai home, will play before the studio's film *Hexed*, with Sanders again voicing Stitch and Maia Kealoha voicing Lilo.[22](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/new-lilo-and-stitch-short-scratch-disney-brought-back-2d-animation-interview)
## References
1. [Lilo & Stitch, Disney Movies](https://movies.disney.com/lilo-stitch)
2. [Lilo and Stitch at Disney World, Disneyland, and Beyond, Disney Parks Blog](https://disneyparksblog.com/disney-experiences/lilo-stitch-across-disney-parks/)
3. [Lilo & Stitch review: Live-action remake feels pointless, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-05-23/lilo-stitch-review-live-action-remake)
4. [Lilo & Stitch (film), D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/lilo-stitch-film/)
5. [Lilo & Stitch 2 Now in Development, The Walt Disney Company](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/lilo-stitch-2/)
6. [D23 2026: Disney Reveals What's Next in Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/d23-2026-disney-entertainment-showcase/)
7. [ʻOhana Means Lilo & Stitch, D23](https://d23.com/ohana-means-lilo-stitch/)
8. [Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch is a travesty, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/lilo-and-stitch-live-action-disney-review-b2754917.html)
9. [Lilo & Stitch 2025 review: A sanitised live-action imitation of its original, ABC News (Australia)](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-24/lilo-and-stitch-2025-live-action-review/105320016)
10. [Lilo & Stitch: A Little More Conversation with directors Chris Sanders & Dean De Blois, Animated Views](https://animatedviews.com/2009/lilo-stitch-a-little-more-conversation-with-directors-chris-sanders-dean-de-blois/)
11. [Reading SF Short Fiction (anthology containing franchise overview), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona repository](https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/llibres/2021/236285/gen21cen_a2021.pdf)
12. [Soc. Sci. 2018, 7, 225, Library of Congress storage](https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/gdc/gdcebookspublic/20/19/47/40/06/2019474006/2019474006.pdf)
13. [Lilo & Stitch (2025) final production notes, Walt Disney Pictures](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/lilo_stitch_final_production_notes_bios_7f0b3116.pdf)
14. [Watch Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/series/Lilo-i-Stich-Serial/6ML3ae4QGsIK?v=var1)
15. [Game Franchises - Lilo & Stitch, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/franchise/615-lilo-and-stitch)
16. [Mutating Stitch: Shifting Approaches to Vocal Performance and Language in the Lilo & Stitch Franchise, The Oxford Handbook of the Disney Musical, Oxford Academic](https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/59768/chapter-abstract/508677390)
17. [How Disney Did Stitch Dirty, Time](https://time.com/7287149/lilo-and-stitch-live-action-adaptation/)
18. [Lilo & Stitch First Reviews, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/lilo-and-stitch-first-reviews/)
19. [Lilo & Stitch Producer Explained To Me Why One Specific Character Was Added, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/lilo-and-stitch-producer-explained-to-me-why-tutu-was-added-i-love-it)
20. [Lilo & Stitch live action draws controversy over colorist castings, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/04/27/lilo-stitch-live-action-colorism/)
21. [El alienígena multimillonario de Disney: la Stitchmanía rompe la taquilla, El País](https://elpais.com/cultura/2025-06-06/el-alienigena-multimillonario-de-disney-la-stitchmania-rompe-la-taquilla-y-llena-tiendas-de-ropa-y-fiestas-populares.html)
22. [I Saw The New Lilo & Stitch Short, And I Am In Awe Of How Disney Brought Back 2D Animation, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/new-lilo-and-stitch-short-scratch-disney-brought-back-2d-animation-interview)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › National and regional cinemas by year › Thematic and subject film lists › Franchise and film-series survey lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license