Lilo & Stitch star Maia Kealoha opens up about the live-action sequel. She even promises that it will be “getting started soon.”
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight during the premiere for the live-action Moana film, Kealoha was asked when fans could expect the sequel to 2025’s live-action Lilo & Stitch. “Well, [it’s] getting started soon. So excited,” Kealoha confirmed.
Disney’s Live Action Lilo & Stitch Was a Massive Success in 2025
Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp from a screenplay by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes, the live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch made its way into theaters last May, much to the delight of fans. The film follows the same basic setup as the animated classic, with the titular Stitch, or Experiment 626, escaping to Earth and kicking off an interstellar hunt for the pint-sized powerhouse.
Alongside Kealoha, Lilo & Stitch stars Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Lilo’s older sister Nani, Zach Galifianakis as Stitch’s creator Doctor Jumba Jookiba, Billy Magnussen as Agent Wendell Pleakley of the United Galactic Federation, Courtney B. Vance as CIA Agent Cobra Bubbles, and Kaipo Dudoit as Lilo and Nani’s loyal friend and neighbor David. The film also features Chris Sanders as the voice of Stitch.
Over the course of its run in theaters, Lilo & Stitch amassed a whopping $1.038 billion, all against a production budget of $100 million. The film was also met with generally favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike, although the latter category was far more kind to the film as a whole.
As of the time of writing, Lilo & Stitch holds a 91% audience-generated “Popcornmeter” score via review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as averaged across more than 10,000 reviews. For comparison, Lilo & Stitch holds a 72% “Fresh” rating on the platform, as averaged across more than 200 critical reviews of the film.
What’s Next for Disney’s Live Action Lilo & Stitch Before the Sequel?
Stitch sits adorably in Lilo & Stitch (2025)Image via Disney/Everett Collection
In mid-June, it was reported that Lilo & Stitch 2 will be shaking up its creative formula, with Dean Fleischer Camp stepping aside as director to make way for Chris Sanders, who will helm the sequel and continue voicing Stitch. Notably, Sanders was the co-creator, writer, and director of the animated original, meaning that the live-action sequel is likely in the best hands the studio could find.
Surprisingly, fans won’t have to wait long before they get to see more live-action Lilo & Stitch, even if the next entry isn’t another feature film. Instead, audiences will be treated to a new short entitled Lilo & Scratch, which will arrive in theaters this November alongside Disney’s Hexed.
Hexed co-director Fawn Veerasunthorn recently opened up about the short, noting, “The original film has made such a huge impact on our artistic journey and the same goes for many of the artists on our team who reached out to us when they heard we were pitching a Stitch short.”
“Not only did we assemble all the Lilo & Stitch fans at the studio, this group of animation nerds like us also got to work with the artists who actually worked on the original film.” Veerasunthorn continued, “We have the incredible good fortune to work alongside the original supervising animator for Stitch, Mr. Alex Cooper Schmidt… he’s always reminding us this is a cartoon. Push it very, very far. What are you afraid for?”
Lilo & Stitch 2 will premiere in theaters on May 26, 2028, three years after the first live-action movie.