Disney’s ridiculously popular live-action remakes have mostly involved rehabbing their old-timey classics: Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Pete’s Dragon, Winnie the Pool (via this summer’s riff Christopher Robin), the nearly 30-year-old Beauty and the Beast. But the company’s next one will go back a mere 16 years: The Hollywood Reporter has revealed it’s Lilo & Stitch, the 2002 favorite about a Hawaiian girl and her friendship with a wacky, vaguely dog-like alien who likes to destroy things and can also be used as a stereo receiver.
We’re not sure how you improve upon perfection, but Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella, starring Lily James and Cate Blanchett, did just fine redoing one of the company’s peaks. (Even John Waters loved it.)
The original Lilo & Stitch was a big comeback for the company back in 2002, coming off the heels of the disastrous Treasure Planet. The story told of an alien designed to create chaos and destruction accidentally finding itself on Earth, where it learns to chill out thanks to a little girl. It also spawned a Stitch franchise, yielding not only the then-requisite direct-to-video sequels — during that grim Disney era — but also TV shows, including an anime series in Japan.
There’s no word on who will direct or star, but here’s hoping they retain the services of Kevin McDonald, the Kids in the Hall alum who was a delight as the voice of the flustered alien agent tasked with bringing Stitch back, making the most of ability to raise his voice to high-pitched shrieks.
The Lilo & Stitch live action movie will come out some time after their next one: Guy Ritchie’s redo of Aladdin. Back in the day, Disney would earn some extra, not entirely needed cash by re-releasing their animated classics into theaters. (They even reissued 1946’s notoriously racist Song of the South in the 1980s.) But this is a lot more profitable.
(Via THR)
