What would a wild, frenetic, six-limbed alien look like in live-action? I guess we’re going to find out.
Disney is moving forward with plans to turn its 2002 animated feature Lilo & Stitch into a live-action movie. According to Deadline, they’ve brought in Dean Fleischer-Camp to direct the project. He’s the man behind the recent arthouse hit Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. “Unknown at this time whether the film will be theatrical or on Disney Plus,” they write, adding “Chris Kekaniokalani Bright is in negotiations to write the script.”
The live-action Lilo & Stitch project first surfaced in the fall of 2020. At that time, Jon M. Chu of Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights was named as the film’s director. So far, there’s been no announcement of any kind of casting for the movie.
The original Lilo & Stitch premiered in 2002 and became one of Disney’s final hits done in the old-school 2D, hand-drawn animation style. The movie followed the adventures of a sweet Hawaiian girl named Lilo who winds up adopting an alien creature named Stitch who looks a little like a dog and loves to get into trouble. The film launched a multimedia franchise, with several direct-to-video sequels and TV shows that followed, including an anime series made specifically for the Japanese market.
This new Lilo & Stitch continues Disney’s ongoing efforts to turn its most popular animated movies into live-action franchises. Other recent examples include Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan, Dumbo, Christopher Robin, and Pete’s Dragon. In addition to Lilo & Stitch, the company is also making new, live-action versions of Pinocchio and The Little Mermaid. When they run out of animated movies to turn into live-action, we assume they will start making new animated films of the live-action versions.
Great Disney+ Movies You Might Have Missed
These excellent films are all waiting to be discovered on Disney+.
