It should come as no surprise that we will be seeing a sequel to the live-actionLilo & Stitchin the next few years, given the massive success of this year’s outing. Disney hasn’t seen a return like this for a live-action remake in a long time, and they are eager to continue the franchise. Maia Kealoha endeared herself to audiences with a lively and emotional performance as Lilo, the young Hawaiian girl who adopts Stitch (Chris Sanders), who she later discovers is an exiled alien. WhileLilo & Stitch’s endingcontroversially deviates from the source material, it still clearly sets up a sequel.
Lilo and Stitch are living with Tūtū (Amy Hill) and David (Kaipo Dudoit) while Nani (Sydney Agudong) attends UCSD — but can essentially visit every daydue to an abandoned alien transportation device. Meanwhile, the family’s connections to Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) and the United Galactic Federation have been established, whileJumba’s (Zach Galifianakis) additional experiments have been teasedas the basis for the next movie’s plot. However,Lilo & Stitch 2faces a wrinkle right out of the gate, when there are actually multiple animated movies the filmmakers could be adapting.
The Live-Action Lilo & Stitch 2 Must Choose Which Animated Sequel To Adapt Next
Stitch! The Movie Or Lilo & Stitch 2 (Or Lilo & Stitch The Series)?
2002’s classic animatedLilo & Stitchis followed by two sequels that exist largely independently of each other: 2003’sStitch! The Movieand 2005’sLilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch.Stitch! The Movieis concerned with Jumba’s other 625 experiments,which the movie’s villains are after, resulting in them accidentally being released upon the island. Primarily, this sequel is a set-up forLilo & Stitch: The Series, which ran from 2003 to 2006, in which Lilo and Stitch go on various adventures to track down all of Stitch’s “cousins” and find them each a place where they can be happy and useful.
However, both plots pose complications for the live-action universe.
Lilo & Stitch 2, however, makes no mention of the other experiments (or really the broader alien storylines), focusing on another family-centric plot,wherein a fault in Stitch’s creation results in him slowly losing control over himself while Lilo is preparing for a hula competition. The two animated sequels follow completely different stories, yet both tie into the franchise’s core theme of ohana, whether that be through saving Stitch from an illness or expanding the family to include all the experiment cousins. However, both plots pose complications for the live-action universe.
Can Lilo & Stitch 2 Even Properly Remake Either Sequel?
2025’s Lilo & Stitch Has Set Up A New Starting Point For A Sequel
Throughout the animated universe, Nani remains Lilo’s guardian; however, it wouldn’t be difficult to place a sequel during a vacation from school, so Nani can be there full-time alongside Tūtū and David. On the other hand, there is no reason for the family to believe they can save Stitch before he perishes without Jumba there working on a machine to do so. How the experiments end up running around Kauai is also complicated when Jumba has no reason to fight with the other villains who want to leverage their destructive power.
Jumba having essentially become the villain of the franchise means much reconfiguring of either plot would be necessary,but not impossible. Additionally, there is the continued problem of how good these things actually look in live-action. Stitch’s live-action rendering was received fairly well, still generally perceived as adorable, and some of the other experiments have the same cute potential. But others are too outlandish; the same goes for additional villains who could be introduced, such as Dr. Hämsterviel. Moreover, since one of the animated movies sets up a series, a live-action standalone might feel like it is ending abruptly.
The Plot Is Much More Straightforward, But Lilo & Stitch Has Already Committed To The Cousins Storyline
Image via Disney
Lilo & Stitch 2would be the best for Disney to remake because it is effectively a standalone, one which allows the filmmakers to continue to focus on the struggles this small, unconventional family faces. However, 2025’sLilo & Stitchalready teases a sequel that involves the other experiments.It is perhaps possible that they could largely follow the plot ofLilo & Stitch 2with a new subplot introduced where one experiment escapes,essentially combining the two animated movies.
Disney doesn’t know at this point whether to bet on some kind of continuation after the nextLilo & Stitch, so it has to condense this all down to one movie somehow. An amalgamation of the plots of both animated sequel movies would be especially ambitious — but if it works, the best way to satisfy everyone.
