LILO & STITCH 2 Taps Chris Sanders as Director, Bringing the Franchise’s Creator Back to Lead the Next Adventure
Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch sequel just got a major creative upgrade, and it’s one that longtime fans are going to appreciate.
Chris Sanders, the co-creator, co-writer, co-director, and original voice of Stitch, is set to direct Lilo & Stitch 2 for Disney. Sanders was already heavily involved with the project as its screenwriter, but now he’ll be stepping into the director’s chair as well as the sequel moves toward production.
It feels like a fitting next chapter for a franchise that Sanders helped build from the ground up. Once you're part of the ohana, you're apparently in it for the long haul.
The original Lilo & Stitch introduced audiences to a lonely Hawaiian girl who forms an unlikely friendship with a mischievous blue alien. Of course, Stitch turned out to be far more than a cute pet. He was actually a dangerous extraterrestrial experiment engineered to be a weapon of mass destruction.
That unique mix of heart, humor, family, and chaos helped turn the animated film into one of Disney’s most beloved modern classics.
The movie also gave fans one of Disney’s most memorable quotes: “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind.”
Following the success of the animated feature, Disney expanded the story with the direct-to-video sequels Stitch! The Movie and Stitch Has a Glitch, along with Lilo & Stitch: The Series.
More than two decades later, Disney revisited the property with its live-action adaptation, directed by Dean Fleischer Camp.
The film became a massive box office success, fueled by families discovering the story for the first time and a generation of fans who grew up with the original. The movie crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide, including an impressive $423.7 million domestically.
Rather than adapting one of the animated follow-ups, the upcoming sequel is reportedly being developed as an entirely new story.
Producer Jonathan Eirich, who produced the first live-action film, will return through Rideback, while Ryan Halprin will serve as executive producer. The screenplay for the first live-action movie was written by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes.
Sanders’ return to direct feels especially significant considering his history with the franchise and his impressive career in animation. Alongside Dean DeBlois, he co-wrote and co-directed the original Lilo & Stitch before the duo teamed up again on the first How to Train Your Dragon.
Sanders later co-wrote and co-directed The Croods with Kirk DeMicco, and most recently directed DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed The Wild Robot. That adaptation earned nine Annie Awards and landed three Academy Award nominations. Sanders is also currently developing the follow-up film, The Wild Robot Escapes.
While many moviegoers primarily associate Sanders with animation, this won’t be his first live-action directing project. He previously helmed the 2020 adaptation of The Call of the Wild, starring Harrison Ford, which is a movie I loved. Given that film’s blend of live-action filmmaking and CG animal characters, it seems like a natural stepping stone toward bringing Stitch back to the big screen once again.
Production on Lilo & Stitch 2 is expected to begin later this year, and with Sanders now steering the project, Disney has put one of the franchise’s most important creative voices in charge of its future.
For fans who loved both the original animated film and the recent live-action hit, that’s an encouraging sign that this next adventure could capture the same heart, humor, and family spirit that made audiences fall in love with Stitch in the first place.
Source: THR