At this year’s D23 Expo fans were greeted with the first teaser for the upcoming Live-Action Remake of the 2002 Disney classic Lilo & Stitch. The short video sees the fully CGI Stitch leap through the film’s logo, taunting the audience with his trademark snorts, growls and even the scandalous “Meega Nala Kweesta” quote.
Experiment 626 has entered the chat! The live-action #LiloAndStitch is coming only to theaters in Summer 2025! pic.twitter.com/82KFLEFL5E
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) August 10, 2024
Admittedly, the design for Stitch shown off in this video is rather uncanny and somewhat terrifying. But at least they tried to remain faithful to the original design and did not go hyper-realistic like what the Sonic the Hedgehog movie was originally going to do.
Some wonder, “Why remake Lilo & Stitch?” Well, it turns out that Stitch has become one of Disney’s most marketable characters, selling millions of dollars in merchandise.
Both he and his girlfriend Angel appear at various Disney parks around the world and are often used to sell merch with Stitch often being for boys and Angel often being for girls. Not to mention the three direct-to-video sequels, the animated series, the anime, multiple video games, and more.
However, this film has been surrounded by controversy regarding its casting. Following an online harassment campaign, the original actor set to play David Kawena “stepped down” and was recast.
The harassment also happened to Nani’s actress, who remained attached to the film. There was also the Cobra Bubble controversy, where it was reported that he would be replaced by a different character, only to announce that he would indeed return following online backlash—also the rumored changes to Jumba and Pleakley.
No specific date has been given yet for the film’s release other than it will be released sometime in the summer of 2025. Only time will tell if this remake will shoot for the stars or crash like a meteorite.
Are you excited for the remake? Do you think we will get to see any of the other 625 experiments? Let us know your thoughts.
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