Disney is doubling down on the filmmaker for its upcoming Lilo & Stitch 2. The studio has tapped the franchise’s co-creator to direct the live-action sequel. He was the one who shaped the original 2002 animated hit and voiced the iconic blue alien.
The announcement comes just months after the 2025 live-action remake sailed past $1 billion at the global box office, powered by nostalgic millennials and Gen Z audiences who grew up on the original. The yet-untitled follow-up is headed toward production later this year.
Disney recruits one of the franchise’s original architects to direct Lilo & Stitch 2
Chris Sanders, who co-wrote and co-directed the beloved Lilo and Stitch (2002) with Dean DeBlois, will helm the live-action part 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He has already been involved, having penned the screenplay. Sanders first dreamed up the character back in 1985 as part of an abandoned children’s book concept. That idea eventually caught the attention of then-Disney animation president Thomas Schumacher, who challenged Sanders to create “the Dumbo for our generation” (via Vulture).
The original film followed an orphaned Hawaiian girl, Lilo, raised by her older sister, Nani. Lilo adopts a blue alien experiment designed for destruction and names him Stitch. Set against watercolour backgrounds that echoed early Disney classics like Snow White, the movie stood apart from its contemporaries.
It used Elvis Presley songs throughout its soundtrack, and delivered the now-iconic line: “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind.”
Now, Jonathan Eirich returns as producer via Rideback after guiding the 2025 remake to blockbuster territory. Ryan Halprin serves as executive producer. Lilo and Stitch 2 will reportedly tell a new story rather than revisiting the direct-to-video follow-ups that came before, such as Stitch! The Movie or Stitch Has a Glitch.
For Chris Sanders, this is his second live-action project after directing The Call of the Wild in 2020. However, his animation credentials remain for the books. Alongside DeBlois, he went on to co-direct How to Train Your Dragon. He later co-directed The Croods with Kirk DeMicco, and most recently directed The Wild Robot solo for DreamWorks.
