As the well-known phrase goes, "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten... when it comes to receiving the Disney live-action treatment." That's right, folks — we've been amazed by Elliot in Pete's Dragon, awestruck by Beauty & The Beast's furry protagonist, and witnessed photorealistic Simba in The Lion King. Now, it's the turn of noughties hit Lilo & Stitch to transition from animation to life, guided by the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, Dean Fleischer Camp.
While we've only had brief glimpses of Camp's work so far, today we got our first proper look at Stitch in all his live-action (well, CG-assisted) glory. Check out the new teaser trailer for the movie below: Behold, Stitch! He's mischievous, he's a menace, he's blue, he's incredibly lifelike, and — of course! — he's also cute and fluffy. This thirty-second clip shows Experiment 626 stumbling upon a Disney-esque castle at the beach and wreaking havoc, reminiscent of Godzilla descending upon Tokyo. Seeing our beloved early 00s Disney character go full kaiju and let out a classic, Chris Sanders-voiced cackle is enough to give us all the good vibes. The Uncanny Valley seems to have been avoided, Camp's knack for physical comedy and animated elements interacting with the real world appears fully intact, and those final strains of 'Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride' are simply irresistible.
While this teaser only showcases Stitch, we know who else is on board to help Camp adapt Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders' classic Hawaiian-girl-and-her-mutant-experiment-alien-fugitive-dog tale. Leading the cast are Maia Kealoha as Lilo, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani, and Kaipot Dudoit as David Kawena. They'll be joined by Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, Courtney B. Vance, and Hannah Waddingham in undisclosed roles (fingers crossed for a Galifianakis and Magnussen Jumba/Pleakley combo), alongside original voice actors Tia Carrere, Amy Hill, Jason Scott Lee, and the aforementioned Sanders.
With the live-action How To Train Your Dragon trailer released just last week, Mufasa: The Lion King on the horizon, and many more Disney live-action remakes in the works, it seems the trend of bringing beloved animations into a new dimension is here to stay. Based on current evidence, early signs for Dean Fleischer Camp's Hawaiian sci-fi adventure suggest this is definitely one we can get excited about. There's no place we'd rather be... than in the cinema watching Lilo & Stitch on 23 May, 2025!
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