Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch 2 has officially begun filming in Hawaiʻi, with a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony at Honolulu’s Bishop Museum marking the start of production.
The ceremony took place last week, with returning cast members Maia Kealoha, who plays Lilo, Sydney Agudong as her sister Nani, and Amy Hill as Tutu in attendance. Hawaiʻi Governor Josh Green also joined the event, which marked the beginning of the next chapter in Disney’s live-action take on the popular franchise.
According to local outlet KHON2, the production is employing a mostly local crew. Green said the film would bring jobs and new opportunities to Hawaiʻi’s entertainment industry, while generating economic activity for local families and businesses.
Chris Sanders is directing the sequel, returning to a franchise he helped create with the original 2002 animated Lilo & Stitch. Sanders co-wrote and co-directed that film with Dean DeBlois and has voiced Stitch since the character’s debut. He is also writing the new sequel.
Maia Kealoha will reprise her role as Lilo following the success of the 2025 live-action adaptation. Disney has also confirmed that Angel, the pink alien known as Experiment 624, will appear in the sequel. The character was introduced in the animated series Lilo & Stitch: The Series and later became a fan favorite.
Plot details for Lilo & Stitch 2 remain under wraps. The film is scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 26, 2028, continuing Disney’s Memorial Day release strategy after the first live-action movie became a major box office hit.
The new production keeps the story rooted in Hawaiʻi, where the original film’s island setting and emphasis on ʻohana, meaning family, helped make Lilo and Stitch enduring Disney characters. Filming is now underway on Oʻahu as the cast and crew work toward the sequel’s 2028 theatrical release.
