Live-action remakes of classic animated films may have made boatloads of money, but there is an understandable trepidation about them (if not outright hostility). The trend has grown exponentially this century, from 16 live-action Disney reboots of animated movies and a slew of live-action interpretations of anime (One Piece, Cowboy Bebop, YuYu Hakusho, Death Note) to remakes of modern cartoon hits like Avatar: The Last Airbender and How to Train Your Dragon. Lilo & Stitch is being added to the list in 2025, though it may seem to be a rare example of an IP surviving the transition to live-action with dignity and ingenuity. First, because of the direction from the excellent Dean Fleischer Camp, but also because of the involvement of Chris Sanders.
Sanders is a legend in the field of animation, but we’ll get to that. For now, you can appreciate him as the director and co-writer of the original Lol & Stitch movie from 2002, and also the long-time voice of Stitch, from that movie and its subsequent TV series to all the direct-to-video follow-ups and all the marketing and merchandise. Sanders recently spoke with MovieWeb and assured us that the upcoming live-action movie would be a good one, and that he’s definitely involved, saying, “The director contacted me about a year and a half ago.” He continued:
“He texted me or emailed me, and he said, ‘Would you be interested in reprising your role as the voice of Stitch?’ So I immediately wrote back and said, ‘Absolutely.’ I still do all the recordings of him. I do them for parades, for toys, for ice shows, things like that. I would love to do it for the film. So he ended up calling me up on the phone, and we were supposed to talk for like 10 minutes. We ended up talking for like two hours, and it was just the best conversation. And we talked a little bit about the DNA of the film, and he asked me a few questions.”
“So I have already recorded four different recording sessions,” added Sanders. “I would expect that I have maybe possibly one last recording session, if there’s anything that we need to pick up to the very end of the film. However, I have not seen the finished film, because it was still in progress when I did the recording sessions. So I can say I have seen bits and pieces, but I have yet to see the finished film because I don’t think it’s quite finished yet.”
In the new Lilo & Stitch movie, Maia Kealoha stars as Lilo and Sanders voices Stitch, alongside a cast that includes Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, Courtney B. Vance, and Hannah Waddingham. The movie is being released on May 23, 2025.
Chris Sanders Directed The Wild Robot & It’s Incredible
Chris Sanders has had a long career outside of Lilo & Stitch. He began with developing the story and working on both the production design and visuals for the Disney Renaissance classics Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Lilo & Stitch became his feature directorial debut (alongside Dean DeBlois), and he followed it with The Croods and The Call of the Wild.
This year, Sanders wrote and directed the beautiful new epic, The Wild Robot, which many have called the best animated film of 2024. MovieWeb’s Julian Roman wrote in his review of The Wild Robot:
The Wild Robot surpasses the highest expectations. Your heart will soar as a machine designed for human servitude learns how to love and becomes a doting mother to an orphaned gosling […] A tear or two may be shed in a truly beautiful climax. Families are going to be overjoyed.
The Wild Robot is available to rent or buy on digital platforms and still in some theaters. The live-action Lilo & Stitch is being released on May 23, 2025.