The planned live-action remake of Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” has moved a step forward with the hiring of a new director, Dean Fleischer Camp.
Who is He?
Dean Fleischer Camp is the director of current A24 indie hit “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.” He also appeared on the list of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2011.
It was originally rumored Jon M. Chu, who directed “Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights,” would take the helm, but apparently he’s too busy with his current adaptation of “Wicked” to take on another project.
About the Remake
It’s really early in the pre-production process, so Disney is still putting together the team.
Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback, the company behind 2019’s Disney live-action “Aladdin” are producing, with Rideback’s Ryan Halprin executive producing.
Chris Kekaniokalani Bright is reported to be in negotiations to write the script, though Mike Van Waes wrote a previous draft.
The remake would still feature an animated Stitch, but characters like Lilo and Nani would be human actors.
It was first announced in 2018, but put on the backburner due to the pandemic.
It’s also unknown as this point if the film will be released in theaters, or if this will be a production for Disney+.
The Original
“Lilo & Stitch” first debuted in 2002, and told the story of a rascally alien who comes to Earth and is befriended by young Lilo Pelekai, who is being raised by her sister Nani on Hawaii.
The movie grossed $273 million at the box office, and introduced audiences to the Hawaiian concept of “ohana,” which means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten, as Stitch learns.
“Lilo & Stitch” has spun off the direct-to-video sequels “Stitch: The Movie,” “Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch,” and “Leroy and Stitch.”
A TV show called “Lilo & Stitch: The Series” also ran on the Disney Channel from 2003 to 2006.
D23 recently held a 20th Anniversary showing in Los Angeles, which had a lot of fans celebrating the film.
Are you a “Lilo & Stitch” fan? What are your thoughts on this remake? Let us know in the comments.