Lilo & Stitch Cast And Character Guide: Who Stars In Disney's Live-Action Movie?

While it's a stretch to call any Disney animated movie a "surprise hit," Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois' "Lilo & Stitch" caught critics and audiences off guard during the summer of 2002 by being a visually inventive, hand-drawn hoot of a cartoon. At this point, Disney's best animated work was coming out of Pixar, so it was refreshing to see a wholly original, non-CG feature delight in a way that called to mind the company's in-house heyday.

The tale of an unlikely friendship between a smart, fiercely independent six-year-old and a chaotic, hyper-destructive alien experiment being pursued by his creators, the film exploded off the screen thanks to its colorful Hawaiian setting and anarchic sense of humor (driven, of course, by the impish Stitch). The movie tugged at viewers' heartstrings with its theme about the importance of family (which is infused with Lilo's sorrow over the recent death of her parents), and turned into a merchandising smash because every single kid walked out of the theater demanding their very own stuffed Stitch.

Though "Lilo & Stitch" never got a big-screen sequel, it did receive multiple direct-to-DVD follow-ups as well as a popular television show. This allowed it to catch on with Zoomers as well as Millennials, which means the new live-action adaptation is poised to clean up in four-quadrant fashion at the box office this Memorial Day weekend. While we wait for the film's Thursday opening, let's take a look at the human cast of this new version of "Lilo & Stitch," and see how they measure up to their animated counterparts.

Eight-year-old Maia Kealoha is making her big-screen debut as Lilo, and she appears to be perfect casting. Born in Kona, Hawai'i in 2016, she's got a winning smile, and, judging from the trailer, effortlessly captures her character's precocious intelligence and troublemaking streak (the latter brought on due to her classmates' relentless teasing). Kealoha has her work cut out for her, if only because the animated Lilo was such a spritely creation, but I've a feeling she'll win moviegoers' hearts.

According to her bio, Kealoha loves the beach life and showing off her talent for not just acting, but singing and dancing as well. Her only previous credit is as a loop group member on "Moana 2," but rest assured, you will be seeing much more of Kealoha after "Lilo & Stitch" presumably makes $1 billion at the worldwide box office. She's next slated to co-star in "The Wrecking Crew," a Hawai'i-set action comedy where she'll appear alongside Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, and Monica Baccarin.

Chris Sanders not only co-created the animated "Lilo & Stitch," but he also provided the adorably feral voice of its title alien. It remains to be seen whether Disney's CG animators can capture the rowdy, ravenous spirit of Stitch, who gets much cuddlier the longer he hangs out with Lilo, but he will at least sound like the character audiences have fallen in love with over the last 23 years.

"Lilo & Stitch" was Sanders' directorial debut, but, despite the film's success, Disney let him get away after his second film for the studio, "American Dog," went south (it eventually became "Bolt"). Do not cry for Sanders, or DeBlois for that matter. The duo set up shop at 20th Century Fox and delivered one of the best animated films of the last 25 years in "How to Train Your Dragon." Sanders subsequently teamed with Kirk DeMicco to direct the animated hit "The Croods" (for which Sanders provided the voice of the three-toed sloth Belt), and recently earned an Oscar nomination for his critically acclaimed 2024 smash "The Wild Robot." Sanders has repeatedly stated that he harbors no ill will toward Disney, so he's been more than happy to return a multitude of times to voice Stitch.

Kauai, Hawaii native Sydney Agudong will bring Lilo's older sister and legal guardian, Nani Pelekai, to life. Nani is a whip-smart young adult who's brimming with academic and athletic potential, all of which is threatened due to the strain of having to raise the unruly Lilo. If Nani fails to keep Lilo out of trouble, child protective services could take her away and set her up with a foster family. Even though the pressure on Nani is immense, she refuses to allow this to happen.

The 24-year-old Agudong made her feature debut in the 2021 coming-of-age drama "West Michigan," and has worked fairly steadily since then, though "Lilo & Stitch" is easily the biggest role she's booked to date. It's possible you saw her on "NCIS" in the season 20 episode "Unusual Suspects." You also might've caught her in the Lifetime thriller "Trapped in the Farmhouse." She's also a singer-songwriter, so it'll be interesting to see how her career takes off after playing the most patient older sister in Disney history.

It's hard to imagine more spot-on casting for Jumba Jookiba than Zach Galifianakis. Jumba is the evil genius creator of Stitch, but in reality, he's a great big softie who winds up being a friend to Lilo and Nani. It's a fun role that was originally voiced by the late, great David Ogden Stiers, but I'm sure Galifianakis will ace the part.

A two-time Primetime Emmy winner for his absurdist talk show "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis," the stand-up-comic-turned-actor broke through to the mainstream as the childlike and selfish Alan Garner in "The Hangover." Since then, Galifianakis has deftly bounced back and forth from adult-skewing entertainment and movies/shows geared toward children. He was brilliant as a struggling professional clown in "Baskets," but right at home as the voices of Humpty Dumpty in "Puss in Boots" and The Joker in "The Lego Batman Movie." He'll likely be back for more fun as Jumba.

As Plorgonarian Earth expert Agent Pleakley, Billy Magnussen is tasked with the difficult task of reining in Jumba Jookiba. That's a tall order, and it's important to note that in the live-action film, Pleakley and Jumba will disguise themselves via hologram projections rather than don regular old costumes like they do in the animated film.

Magnussen got his start as a contract player on the CBS soap opera "As the World Turns" in 2008 and found steady work before landing his first significant role as Rapunzel's prince in Rob Marshall's abominable film of Stephen Sondheim's masterful musical "Into the Woods." Magnussen put his martial arts training to use in the Bruce Lee biopic "Birth of the Dragon" and was terrific as one of the hapless competitors in the instant comedy classic "Game Night." In 2021, Magnussen starred opposite Cristin Milioti in the short-lived HBO series "Made for Love," and will make his directorial debut later this year with the wilderness drama "The Ridge."

In the animated film, the ominously/amusingly monikered Cobra Bubbles is the social worker who worries that Nani is failing in her role as Lilo's legal guardian. We later learn that he used to work for the CIA, and has experience in dealing with aliens via a 1973 incident in Roswell, New Mexico. In the live-action film, he works on behalf of the federal government to capture Stitch.

Ving Rhames voiced the character in the 2002 movie. How do you replace someone as indelible as that? Casting the immensely talented Courtney B. Vance is a good start. The celebrated actor who launched his career by earning a Tony Award nomination for his portrayal of Cory opposite James Earl Jones' Troy in the original Broadway production of August Wilson's "Fences" can be an imposing figure when he needs to be – though we'll always love him as the erudite sonar expert Jonesy in John McTiernan's "The Hunt for Red October." Most people probably know Vance as A.D.A. Ron Carver on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," but his best television work to date was his Primetime Emmy Award-winning performance as Johnnie Cochran in "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" (which, coincidentally, co-starred his "Lilo & Stitch" castmate Magnussen as Kato Kaelin).

Who better to play the Grand Councilwoman of the United Galactic Federation than Hannah Waddingham? The "Ted Lasso" star, who won a Primetime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Rebecca Welton, possesses both the commanding and understanding qualities to properly get across the character whose primary goal is to capture the escaped Stitch.

If you live in England, it's possible you saw Waddingham dazzle on the West End via her Olivier Award-nominated performances in "Spamalot," "A Little Night Music," and "Kiss Me, Kate." "Game of Thrones" fans know her as Septa Unella, while movie lovers should remember her as the scheming producer Gail Meyer in "The Fall Guy."

David Kawena is the Hawaiian surfer dude who's an all-around nice guy and potential love interest for Nani. In the animated film, he was voiced by Jason Scott Lee, but in the movie he's portrayed by Kaipo Dudoit, a relative newcomer whom you might've seen on episodes of CBS' "Magnum P.I." reboot or "Rescue: HI-Surf." David is a fun, immensely likable character, so this offers Dudoit an opportunity to win the hearts of a four-quadrant audience. Here's hoping the young actor nails this small but pivotal role and goes on to great things in the film and television industry!

Tia Carrere has been a part of the "Lilo & Stitch" universe since she voiced Nani in the animated original, so fans should be thrilled to learn she's joining the franchise in the flesh as a new character named Mrs. Kekoa. Cast as a social worker who performs the same function as Cobra Bubbles, Carrere plays the tough-but-fair person who's responsible for judging Nani's suitability as Lilo's legal guardian.

Like her co-star Magnussen, Carrere got her start in soaps (in this case, ABC's "General Hospital") before hitting the big time in movies. Her most memorable performances came in the "Wayne's World" movies, where she played the titular basement-dweller's rock star girlfriend. She was a sneer-worthy villain in James Cameron's "True Lies" and has been visible in movies and television over the last 30 years.

Veteran television actor Amy Hill plays a new character named Tūtū in the live-action "Lilo & Stitch." She's a neighbor of Lilo and Nani, and the "warm, quick-witted" grandmother of David Kawena. The animated film didn't get too deep into David's backstory, so the addition of Tūtū suggests that Disney has plans for the surfer character.

Hill is no stranger to the "Lilo & Stitch" universe, having voiced the role of Mrs. Hasagawa in the animated film and the television series. She's probably best known as Grandma Kim on Margaret Cho's short-lived ABC sitcom "All-American Girl," but you might also remember her from her appearances on shows like "Preacher," "That's So Raven," and "Mom." She's a tremendously funny actor who's set to steal her share of scenes in the new "Lilo & Stitch."

Jason Scott Lee might've aged out of the David role (which he voiced in the animated film), but you can't have a "Lilo & Stitch" movie without him. He'll play a luau manager in the new movie, and it'll be nice to see the talented actor back on the big screen in his first significant role since 2020's "Mulan."

Lee was on the verge of stardom in the 1990s. He impressed as Bruce Lee in Rob Cohen's "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," and turned in a terrific performance in Vincent Ward's woefully underseen "Map of the Human Heart." His portrayal of Mowgli in Disney's live-action "The Jungle Book" in 1994 should've been the clincher, but he soon found himself relegated to direct-to-video movies after that. Here's hoping his appearance in "Lilo & Stitch" reminds people how special he can be in the right role.