Disney has shared a new clip from the live-action Lilo & Stitch film that pulls right at the heartstrings.
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The iconic little blue alien is being lifted into the air much like Simba in the Lion King films. Only, Stitch reacts exactly how you’d expect him to. With pool floaties on and all, he squirms out of their arms and lands in the ocean. Disney often makes references or little easter eggs in their other projects that diehard fans will recognize.
Funnily enough, during the marketing for Lilo & Stitch in 2002, a featurette aired that showed Rafiki lifting Stitch on Pride Rock, mistaking him for Simba. It’s Timon who points out that he is most definitely not the brave little lion.
Stitch Channels The Lion King‘s Simba in New Clip
Dean Fleischer Camp directed the film from a script penned by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Dean DeBlois, and original creator Sanders. Lilo & Stitch is produced by Jonathan Eirich, p.g.a. and Dan Lin, with Louie Provost, Tom Peitzman, and Ryan Halprin serving as executive producers.
[RELATED: Disneyโs Live-Action Lilo & Stitch Teaser Unleashes an Adorably Destructive Stitch]
“You’re going to see people like me andย Jason Scott Leeย who were in the original, you just heard our voices,” Tia Carrere, who originally voiced Lilo’s big sister Nani, tells PEOPLE.” There’s going to be Easter eggs [for] the people who saw it originally, and also the new kids that are coming up.”
This time, Carrere will portray Mrs. Kekoa. She is joined by returning stars Chris Sanders who voiced Stitch and Amy Hill (Mrs. Hasagawa). Hill will play Tลซtลซ, another new character in the franchise. Maia Kealoha is stepping up as Lilo, her acting debut. Additionally, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Hannah Waddingham, Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis star.
When Lilo & Stitch debuted in 2002 it became an instant family-friendly hit. Despite being over two decades old, it remains a staple in pop culture. The 2025 film is a live-action reimagining of the animated classic, chronicling the charming and hilarious story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.
What began as a standalone film quickly spawned several seasons of the hit Disney Channel series which ran from 2003 until 2005. It follows the day-to-day adventures of Lilo, Stitch, Nani, David, Pleaky, and Jumba Jookiba. The animated film made over $200 million at the box office.
Lilo & Stitch surfs its way into theaters on May 23, 2025.
