Disney announced a new hand-drawn Lilo & Stitch short, and the live-action Lilo is voicing her
“Lilo & Scratch” hits theaters this November, with Maia Kealoha from the 2025 movie taking over as Lilo. It’s the first Disney Animation Stitch project since 2002, and it arrives just after the passing of the original Lilo voice, Daveigh Chase.
Happy 626 Day. Disney just gave Lilo & Stitch fans a wonderful surprise: a brand-new animated short, made in the hand-drawn style of the 2002 original.
It’s called Lilo & Scratch, and it brings a fresh face to a familiar role, the young star of the live-action hit is now voicing Lilo herself.
What was announced
Here’s the news, revealed at the Annecy animation festival on June 26, fittingly, 626 Day, the unofficial Stitch holiday.
Disney Animation unveiled Lilo & Scratch, a new short film. It’s a big deal for one simple reason: it’s the first project starring Stitch from Walt Disney Animation Studios since the original 2002 movie. After years of sequels, series, and a live-action remake, Stitch is finally coming home to the studio that created him.
The short hits theaters November 25, 2026, playing before Disney’s new animated feature Hexed.
The story: a cat named Scratch
The plot is exactly the kind of chaos you’d hope for.
Lilo brings home a mischievous new pet, a mysterious cat named Scratch, welcoming it into the ‘ohana. Then she leaves Stitch in charge while she runs errands. Predictably, this goes badly. Scratch turns out to be more than a cute kitty (it’s another alien, naturally) and unleashes total destruction while Stitch tries to keep up.
In a fun callback, Scratch even tries to eat Pudge, the little fish who controls the weather, who’s now living with Lilo and Stitch in a fishbowl. The title itself is a playful twist, swapping “Stitch” for “Scratch” on the classic logo.
Maia Kealoha takes over as Lilo
Here’s the part fans of the recent movie will love.
Maia Kealoha, the young actress who played Lilo in the 2025 live-action Lilo & Stitch, is voicing Lilo in the new short. That film was a phenomenon, earning over $1 billion worldwide and becoming the first Western movie to cross that mark in 2025, so Kealoha is a beloved, familiar Lilo for a whole new generation.
She’s joined by a legend: Chris Sanders, who created Stitch and has voiced him since 2002, returns once again. Sanders co-directed the original film and voiced Stitch in the live-action version too, so his involvement keeps the heart of the character intact.
A loving throwback in style
This isn’t just a quick CG cash-in. The team clearly cared.
Lilo & Scratch is built to honor the look of the 2002 original, combining hand-drawn and CG animation over rich watercolor backgrounds, the signature style that made the first film so warm and distinctive. The filmmakers even worked alongside artists from the original movie, including Stitch’s original supervising animator.
In one demo shown at Annecy, Stitch (a 3D character) and Scratch (a 2D character) shared the screen seamlessly, blending the two animation styles so smoothly you couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.
Remembering Daveigh Chase
There’s a bittersweet note to this celebration.
Daveigh Chase, who voiced Lilo in the original 2002 film and its follow-ups, sadly passed away just days before this announcement. Her warm, funny, heartfelt performance as Lilo is a huge part of why the character became so beloved in the first place. She gave Lilo her voice, her spirit, and her stubborn, loving heart.
As a new young actress steps into the role for this short, it’s impossible not to think of the one who originated it. The Lilo & Stitch family Lilo always talked about, “’ohana means family, nobody gets left behind”, feels especially fitting right now. The character she brought to life is still making people smile, and always will.
Lilo & Scratch arrives in theaters November 25, 2026, in front of Hexed. For a franchise built on the idea that family is forever, it’s a sweet reminder that Lilo, Stitch, and their ‘ohana aren’t going anywhere.
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Hat Tips:
The Walt Disney Company (June 26, 2026), the official Annecy announcement, verified for the Lilo & Scratch title, the November 25 release with Hexed, it being the first Disney Animation Stitch project since 2002, the Chris Sanders and Maia Kealoha casting, and the hand-drawn/watercolor style
Deadline, via ComingSoon and SuperHeroHype (June 26, 2026), verified for the Scratch-the-cat plot, the original-animator involvement, the live-action film’s $1.04 billion gross, and the 2028 live-action sequel
TheWrap (June 26, 2026), verified for the 2D/3D animation blend demo, the Pudge cameo, and Daveigh Chase’s passing roughly 10 days before the announcement