Variety says two composers are scoring Disney's new Lilo & Stitch short, which plays only in theaters before Hexed on Nov. 25. It's Disney Animation's first theatrical short in five years.
Stitch's next big-screen outing finally has its music team. Haim Mazar and Grace Fisher are set to score Lilo & Scratch, Disney's new animated short, Variety reported in an exclusive Tuesday, Nov. 10.
The short opens in theaters Wednesday, Nov. 25, playing before Walt Disney Animation Studios' next feature, Hexed. That's 15 days away, right in the middle of Thanksgiving week.
The score pairs a nine-piece Hawaiian ensemble with a 70-piece symphony orchestra, conducted by Mazar, Variety said. The two wrote a new original theme that works for both.
Lilo & Scratch only plays with Hexed, so here's the trailer for the movie you'll be buying a ticket to:
What is Disney's Lilo & Scratch about?
Lilo brings home a cat named Scratch. Stitch is put in charge while she runs errands, and the new pet turns out to be trouble, ABC7 reported. TheWrap said Scratch has eyes on Pudge, the fish Lilo feeds, and Stitch keeps stepping in to protect him.
A pet that wrecks the house and terrorizes the fish? Stitch knows the type.
Chris Sanders is back as the voice of Stitch. Maia Kealoha, who played Lilo in the 2025 live-action movie, voices Lilo in animated form.
Is Lilo & Scratch hand-drawn?
Mostly hand-drawn in spirit, with a computer assist. The team paired traditional animation with hand-painted watercolor backgrounds to match the 2002 original, Laughing Place reported from the Annecy festival. The characters are CG models styled to look flat and drawn by hand.
Some of it really is pencil on paper. Laughing Place said Alex Kupershmidt, a supervising animator on the 2002 film, is animating parts of the short by hand.
Who is Grace Fisher?
Fisher is a composer whose path to Disney took some rebuilding. She studied piano, cello and guitar, then at 17 developed Acute Flaccid Myelitis, a rare illness that left her paralyzed from the neck down, Variety reported. She learned to play with her mouth and now composes with adaptive technology.
"Disney movies and parks were a big part of the magic and wonder of my childhood," Fisher told Variety. She called Mazar "a tremendous influence and mentor."
Mazar said they built the score around one theme "tailored to both the Hawaiian ensemble and the symphony orchestra."
Who is making Lilo & Scratch?
Fawn Veerasunthorn, who also directed Hexed, and Malcon Pierce wrote and directed it. Nathan Curtis produces, and Disney Animation chief creative officer Jared Bush is executive producer, Variety said. Mazar also scored Pierce's Disney short Versa.
Disney revealed the short at the Annecy animation festival on June 26, also known to fans as 626 Day. We covered [the announcement](https://news.piratesandprincesses.net/p/disney-announced-a-new-hand-drawn) the next day.
Laughing Place noted it's Walt Disney Animation Studios' first theatrical short in five years.
How can you watch Lilo & Scratch?
Only in theaters, and only with Hexed. Disney hasn't announced a Disney+ date for the short.
Hexed opens Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving. TheWrap noted it's Walt Disney Animation Studios' 65th animated feature. It stars Hailee Steinfeld as Billie Doe, a teen who gets pulled from the suburbs into a hidden world of witches, with Rashida Jones, Jodie Foster and Walton Goggins, who voices a three-eyed cat, as we reported in October.
Box office trackers think it could open to [$70 million over the five-day holiday weekend](https://news.piratesandprincesses.net/p/disneys-hexed-could-open-to-70m-over). Billie Doe is already [meeting guests at Disneyland and Hollywood Studios](https://news.piratesandprincesses.net/p/hexed-witch-billie-doe-comes-to-disneyland), too.
So that's two cartoon cats for the price of one ticket.
What's next for Lilo & Stitch?
The live-action sequel. Lilo & Stitch 2 opens May 26, 2028, over Memorial Day weekend, BoxOfficePro reported. Sanders, who co-directed the 2002 original and voices Stitch, [is directing the sequel](https://news.piratesandprincesses.net/p/lilo-and-stitch-2-has-chris-sanders), The Hollywood Reporter reported in June.
Disney also confirmed at D23 in August that [Angel is joining the sequel](https://news.piratesandprincesses.net/p/angel-is-officially-joining-disneys). Kealoha returns as Lilo.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Variety (Nov. 10, 2026), the scoring exclusive, the Hawaiian ensemble and orchestra, Fisher's story, quotes and credits
Film Music Reporter (Aug. 14, 2026), Mazar's July score recording
TheWrap (June 26, 2026), Scratch and Pudge premise, animation style and Hexed as the 65th feature
Laughing Place (June 26, 2026), watercolor backgrounds, Alex Kupershmidt and first theatrical short in five years
ABC7 (June 26, 2026), premise and theaters-only release with Hexed
BoxOfficePro (March 2026), Lilo & Stitch 2 release date
The Hollywood Reporter (June 2026), Chris Sanders directing Lilo & Stitch 2
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