Dean Fleischer Camp is tackling one of his biggest projects to date with the live-action Lilo & Sтιтch remake, and has the pᴀssionate support of both Disney and Rideback behind him. Camp quickly rose to stardom with his trilogy of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On shorts that he later adapted into a feature-length story, which garnered near-universal acclaim, netting both the Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Animated Feature. Rideback, represented in part by Jonathan Eirich on the film, is known for producing the LEGO movies, Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes and both Aladdin and Haunted Mansion live-action remakes for Disney.

Partnering with writers Chris Kekaniokalani Bright (Moana) and Mike Van Waes (Dear David), Camp has ᴀssembled a star-studded roster for his Lilo & Sтιтch cast, including newcomer Maia Kealoha as Lilo, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani, and Chris Sanders reprising his role as the тιтular alien, alongside Hannah Waddingham, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen and Courtney B. Vance, with Tia Carrere, Amy Hill and Jason Scott Lee also returning for new characters. Featuring 20 extra minutes of storytelling and characters, Lilo & Sтιтch is garnering generally positive reviews from critics, who are calling it one of Disney’s better remakes.

In honor of the movie’s release, ScreenRant interviewed Dean Fleischer Camp and Jonathan Eirich to discuss Lilo & Sтιтch. The director opened up about some of the intimidation he felt getting behind the camera for the live-action Disney remake, as well as the original elements he felt were important to retain for the film, and determining the design of Sтιтch. The producer, meanwhile, shared why he and the team at Rideback felt Camp was the perfect person to helm the film.

Camp Wanted To Honor The Original Lilo & Sтιтch’s “Authenticity” & Art Style

“The Whole Thing I Was Intimidated By.”

Coming into the new version of the film, one of the things that Camp really sought to preserve from the original Lilo & Sтιтch was “its authenticity“, describing it as having “always been my favorite animated Disney film” thanks in large part to co-director Chris Sanders’ “personal art style” and “drawing style“. “That gave all the characters this sort of rough around the edges, relatably messy, kind of literally down to earth,” Camp described. “Everything is literally thicker at the bottom than the top. That’s kind of how he draws stuff.“

Camp continued by noting Sanders’ style was part of what made a live-action Lilo & Sтιтch an exciting prospect for him to helm, as “it gives you the opportunity to have a little bit more of an air of similitude and groundedness with the characters“. He also shared that the “overarching goal” he and the team behind the remake had was “to translate it properly and with love“, particularly by ensuring that Sтιтch was “as expressive and funny as he is in the original one“, while also taking the time to “deepen the emotional relationships and resonance“.

In looking at what part of the original film he may have been intimidated by coming into the remake, Camp laughed as he shared “the whole thing I was intimidated by“, but also expressed that “the ice cream guy I was really stoked about” bringing back. The director was also thrilled about tackling “the Grand Council Woman’s character design“, describing the one from the original film as being “beautiful” and calling it “really fun figuring out how to make her exist in live-action“.

Also, she is one of the few characters that has to actually make the jump from our fully animated opening in space and the live-action settings later. So, she was an added challenge, but I really love how intimidating she is.

A PH๏τoreal Sтιтch Was Never In The Cards For The Live-Action Remake

“…We Aren’t Futzing Too Much With The Shape Language Or Character Design.”

Ever since 2019’s Lion King broke numerous box office records, many live-action Disney remakes have followed in its footsteps by focusing on making its animal characters as pH๏τoreal as possible, something that has drawn criticism from both fans of the animated originals and critics. Coming into Lilo & Sтιтch, many were concerned that the movie would take a similar approach to portraying its тιтular alien, though were happily surprised when early teasers showed a mix of pH๏τoreal effects with a cartoonish feel.

Reflecting on the design process for Sтιтch, Camp ᴀssured he was never planning on doing a similarly hyperrealistic version of the character, acknowledging that “anytime you have a beloved character like that, you don’t want to not take it seriously“. Instead, he found it “really important to me that we translated with him love“, and to avoid “the mistake” other live-action remakes have made by striving to make their characters look “perfectly realistic“.

“The fur all looks very high HD, and the lighting is perfectly integrated,” Camp explained, “but you’ve stripped away all the personality and charm and humor and cuteness and expressiveness, which is kind of native to traditional animation, and not so native to a live-action environment. It was really important to me that we get the balance right there, that he looks as appealing as possible and that we aren’t futzing too much with the shape language or character design. And also that he can be as expressive and funny as he is in the original.“

Just as important as the design for bringing Sтιтch to live-action was casting Chris Sanders to reprise his role as the character. Camp recalled that their desire to bring the original co-director/star back was “one of the first conversations we had“, with the group all expressing “We have to get him back!“. Camp also expressed feeling “so lucky” that Sanders was not only ready to come back, but that “he was so excited and supportive” of the production, acting as “kind of a gut-check guide for us“.

Once we had gotten the concept art of Sтιтch to a place I really liked, he was one of the first people I shared it with, and he was always very supportive.

Eirich & Rideback Were Keen To Find “The Perfect Filmmaker” To Helm Lilo & Sтιтch

“This Is The Perfect Marriage Of Material And Director.”

While the movie marks the studio’s third major live-action Disney remake after Aladdin and Haunted Mansion, Rideback has worked with a variety of directors throughout their lifetime. In addition to frequent collaborations with Guy Ritchie, the production house has teamed with everyone from Phil Lord and Chris Miller on the first LEGO Movie to Andy Muschietti on the IT duology, Ruben Fleischer on Gangster Squad and Jay Chandrasekhar on Easter Sunday.

In reflecting on the search for who should helm the Lilo & Sтιтch remake, Eirich shared that Rideback and Disney’s goal was “really just finding the perfect filmmaker” to recognize the original movie’s strengths. In how they landed on Camp, Eirich recalls the studio having gotten to see Marcel the Shell with Shoes On early, and that its “heart and humor and the tears that a shell could bring us to” made him the best candidate for the job.

Well now, you can see the easy one-to-one translation that we saw when we saw the movie and then once we knew it was his favorite animated film of all time, it was like, “This is the perfect marriage of material and director.”

More About Lilo & Sтιтch (2025)

Lilo & Sтιтch, the wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family. A live-action reimagining of Disney’s 2002 animated classic, Lilo & Sтιтch is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind the animated feature film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, with a screenplay by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes, and stars Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, with Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis, and introducing Maia Kealoha. The film is produced by Jonathan Eirich, p.g.a. and Dan Lin, with Tom Peitzman, Ryan Halprin, Louie Provost, and Thomas Schumacher serving as executive producers.

Stay tuned for our other Lilo & Sтιтch interviews with:

• Maia Kealoha & Sydney Elizebeth Agudong
• Tia Carrere, Courtney B. Vance & Chris Sanders

Source: ScreenRant Plus