After this year’s Super Bowl ad showcase, the catalog of 2025 movies in the months to come seems even more tantalizing. I’m sure anyone else who’s a fan of 2002’s Lilo & Stitch would agree with me in saying that the upcoming Disney live-action remake is simultaneously an exciting, but terrifying prospect.
While I totally give the marketing department credit for nailing Stitch’s character, in a campaign reminiscent of the animated original’s playbook, it’s left me with a major concern: we haven’t seen much else outside of Experiment 626’s new form.
Lilo & Stitch’s Live-Action Marketing Has Been All About Stitch
Anyone with an active Disney+ subscription, and the ability to shout “Meega nala, kweesta!” on command remembers how directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois’ beloved classic was sold on a Stitch heavy platform. But, eventually, we were given two full trailers that deployed with enough time to get us acquainted with the world Lilo & Stitch was trying to sell us.
Now, maybe there’s a difference this time around, as what we know about Lilo & Stitch’s remake has the movie releasing after Disney’s Snow White retelling. Looking at things from a calendar-based perspective, that might be the best place to introduce a new look at director Dean Fleischer Camp’s turn at bat. However, there are several factors that build up to said major concern, and I’d like to consider each of them individually.
We Still Haven’t Seen The Human Cast Of Lilo & Stitch In Action
At the time of writing this feature, we’ve had two Lilo & Stitch teasers, as well as the Super Bowl ad that inspired me to tackle this issue. That last ad in particular felt like the perfect “Big Game ad,” as Stitch (Chris Sanders) indulged in his usual chaotic behavior.
Ending on a deep cut reference that made me laugh pretty hard on game day, this commercial did get me amped for what’s coming:
Unfortunately, once the sugar rush of Stitch crashing Super Bowl LIX wore off, I wondered when we were going to get our first look at Lilo (Maia Kealoha)? Which then led me to wonder where all of the human characters from Lilo & Stitch’s cast have been hiding in the ads intended to push a film that’s due in theaters on May 23rd. Get ready, because that rabbit hole gets a bit deeper when circling back to the CGI re-interpretations of other fan favorites.
Jumba And Pleakley Are MIA As Well
I could understand if certain pieces of the Lilo & Stitch marketing are missing due to needing more time to assemble the finished product. Which, honestly, would lead me to believe that we’d see the human cast before getting a glimpse at the other CGI dependent extra-terrestrials we’re going to see on screen.
Or, if you want to cut to the matter with a sharp and loud question asked by a panicky Plorgonarian, “Where are Jumba and Pleakley?!” Respectively played by Zach Galifanakis and Billy Magnusson, Dr. Jumba Jookiba and Agent Pleakley are just as important to nail as Experiment 626.
Seeing as this is a Disney live-action remake, having an idea on what those characters will look like is key. Just as seeing the humans of the story is important, getting a feel for these antagonists waiting to become allies is a huge part of Stitch’s story. And, while we’re on the subject, I’ll be curious to see if anything new develops surrounding the long held belief that Jumba and Pleakley are actually in a relationship.
Modern Movie Marketing Campaigns Move A Lot Faster
Disney’s live-action revamp of Lilo & Stitch is roughly three months away as I write out these feelings. The good news is that we won’t have to wait that much longer for the movie to be in front of our eyes! However, turning back to my major concern about the marketing strategy, it reminds me of just how quickly modern campaigns move.
For comparison, consider the campaign of another live-action/CGI hybrid: Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The title treatment for director Jeff Fowler’s hat trick hit in February, with Sonic 3’s first trailer landing in late August, and showing off Shadow the Hedgehog to boot! One final trailer arrived in November, about a month before the picture’s Christmas release slot, and with some fun additions of its own to get people talking.
On the surface, this might seem to suggest that Lilo & Stitch is still on track with the timing seen with the latest Sonic movie. At the same time, based on what we’ve been shown and how long this remake has been in the works, that pacing is offset by the lack of material available for fans to get hyped about.
I Still Don’t Know What To Expect From Lilo & Stitch
The clock is ticking on Lilo & Stitch, and with such a short window to work in, I’m not totally sure how to feel about the direction it's taking. Surely I’ll be keeping an open mind because this is one of my favorite Disney animated stories, which is definitely linked to seeing Stitch himself as a bit of a kindred spirit.
It also helps that my colleague Alexandra Ramos made a case for how Lilo & Stitch could be the best Disney live-action remake, despite being a skeptic with such projects. As someone who loved the likes of Cinderella and Cruella, but couldn’t stand Aladdin and was disappointed in Beauty and the Beast, I sympathize with that viewpoint.
Normally at this time most of us have made up our minds on which side of the Disney live-action spectrum to expect in theaters. But at the moment, I'm sitting on the fence, with an adorable genetic experiment that looks like a deranged koala to keep me company.
So, I guess I’m just going to have to be a bit more patient with what’s to come down the line, as Lilo & Stitch technically still has time to win us all over with a full trailer. Which I would absolutely put money on showing up shortly before Snow White's March 21st theatrical debut.
At least this is something I can count on finding answers for, as decades of trying to translate “Meega nala kweesta” have gotten me nowhere. But who knows? Maybe the Galactic Federation or Chris Sanders will budge, and I’ll be able to find the knowledge that I seek. Until then, I guess I'll just revisit some of Lilo & Stitch's movie and TV collection, in order to find other loose threads to pull.
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