Disney casts Maia Kealoha as Lilo for live action of 'Lilo and Stitch'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Can one really deny they have not watched Disney cartoons in their childhood? Be it boomers who used to watch Disney at the time of black and white 'Mickey Mouse' cartoons or Millenials who watched 'Quack Pack,' 'Hercules,' 'GoofTroop,' while the early 2000 babies were literal Disney fanatics, starting from 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,' 'Recess,' to 'Lilo & Stitch'. Speaking of 'Lilo & Stitch,' The franchise, primarily the original 2002–2006 animated continuity, mainly focuses on the adventures of the titular eccentric and mischievous duo; an orphaned Hawaiian girl named Lilo Pelekai (voiced in most media by Daveigh Chase) and an artificial extraterrestrial creature originally named Experiment 626, whom she adopts and names Stitch (voiced by Chris Sanders in Western media and select Disney video games). Nevertheless, Dean Fleischer Camp, the filmmaker behind indie darling and best-animated feature Oscar nominee 'Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,' is directing the feature that is intended to be a major release on Disney+.
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Maia Kealoha joins 'Lilo & Stitch'
According to Knight Edge Media, Disney's next live-action venture is currently in the works, and it's just found one of its title characters. The company's upcoming 'Lilo & Stitch' remake has cast newcomer Maia Kealoha as the young protagonist Lilo. Kealoha joins the previously announced Zach Galifianakis. At this time, there has been no public confirmation on who Galifianakis is playing. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback are producing. Rideback’s Ryan Halprin is executive producing.
Other live actions of Disney
Most recently, the studio announced that a live-action hybrid remake of 'The Aristocats' is the latest movie to be revisited. Near the end of 2022, a direct live-action remake of 'Pinocchio' from Robert Zemeckis hit the scene, though it was poorly received by critics and general audiences. Other classics such as 'The Lion King,' 'The Jungle Book,' and 'Dumbo' have also been remade, among others. On April 28, the live-action 'Peter Pan & Wendy' will debut on Disney+. It will be followed soon after on May 26 as the live-action version of 'The Little Mermaid' swims to theaters.