It should come as no surprise that we will be seeing a sequel to the live-action Lilo & Sтιтch in the next few years, given the mᴀssive success of this year’s outing. Disney hasn’t seen a return like this for a live-action remake in a long time, and they are eager to continue the franchise. Maia Kealoha endeared herself to audiences with a lively and emotional performance as Lilo, the young Hawaiian girl who adopts Sтιтch (Chris Sanders), who she later discovers is an exiled alien. While Lilo & Sтιтch‘s ending controversially deviates from the source material, it still clearly sets up a sequel.

Lilo and Sтιтch are living with Tūtū (Amy Hill) and David (Kaipo Dudoit) while Nani (Sydney Agudong) attends UCSD — but can essentially visit every day due to an abandoned alien transportation device. Meanwhile, the family’s connections to Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) and the United Galactic Federation have been established, while Jumba’s (Zach Galifianakis) additional experiments have been teased as the basis for the next movie’s plot. However, Lilo & Sтιтch 2 faces a wrinkle right out of the gate, when there are actually multiple animated movies the filmmakers could be adapting.

The Live-Action Lilo & Sтιтch 2 Must Choose Which Animated Sequel To Adapt Next

Sтιтch! The Movie Or Lilo & Sтιтch 2 (Or Lilo & Sтιтch The Series)?

2002’s classic animated Lilo & Sтιтch is followed by two sequels that exist largely independently of each other: 2003’s Sтιтch! The Movie and 2005’s Lilo & Sтιтch 2: Sтιтch Has a Glitch. Sтιтch! The Movie is concerned with Jumba’s other 625 experiments, which the movie’s villains are after, resulting in them accidentally being released upon the island. Primarily, this sequel is a set-up for Lilo & Sтιтch: The Series, which ran from 2003 to 2006, in which Lilo and Sтιтch go on various adventures to track down all of Sтιтch’s “cousins” and find them each a place where they can be happy and useful.

Lilo & Sтιтch 2, however, makes no mention of the other experiments (or really the broader alien storylines), focusing on another family-centric plot, wherein a fault in Sтιтch’s creation results in him slowly losing control over himself while Lilo is preparing for a hula compeтιтion. The two animated sequels follow completely different stories, yet both tie into the franchise’s core theme of ohana, whether that be through saving Sтιтch from an illness or expanding the family to include all the experiment cousins. However, both plots pose complications for the live-action universe.

Can Lilo & Sтιтch 2 Even Properly Remake Either Sequel?

2025’s Lilo & Sтιтch Has Set Up A New Starting Point For A Sequel

Throughout the animated universe, Nani remains Lilo’s guardian; however, it wouldn’t be difficult to place a sequel during a vacation from school, so Nani can be there full-time alongside Tūtū and David. On the other hand, there is no reason for the family to believe they can save Sтιтch before he perishes without Jumba there working on a machine to do so. How the experiments end up running around Kauai is also complicated when Jumba has no reason to fight with the other villains who want to leverage their destructive power.

Jumba having essentially become the villain of the franchise means much reconfiguring of either plot would be necessary, but not impossible. Additionally, there is the continued problem of how good these things actually look in live-action. Sтιтch’s live-action rendering was received fairly well, still generally perceived as adorable, and some of the other experiments have the same cute potential. But others are too outlandish; the same goes for additional villains who could be introduced, such as Dr. Hämsterviel. Moreover, since one of the animated movies sets up a series, a live-action standalone might feel like it is ending abruptly.

Sтιтch Has A Glitch Is The Better Choice For Lilo & Sтιтch 2 To Remake

The Plot Is Much More Straightforward, But Lilo & Sтιтch Has Already Committed To The Cousins Storyline