Lilo & Stitch 2025 cast: Who stars in the live action remake?
The new film is now showing in UK cinemas, and the cast includes some big names, some new faces and some stars of the original animation.
Most of Disney's live-action remakes have seen big name stars take on the lead roles – from Rachel Zegler in the recent Snow White to Emma Watson and Lily James in Beauty and The Beast and Cinderella.
The new reimagining of Lilo & Stitch, however, relies on someone a little less well-known to be the star: eight-year-old Maia Kealoha.
Kealoha was just five-years-old when she sent in her first audition tape, but speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about casting her, director Dean Fleischer Camp explained that it was clear almost instantly that she was right for the role.
"Maia is like such a star, I think all of us felt that from the moment we met her," he explained.
"It was also very clear to me that, as opposed to... you know, you see a lot of professional kids, or kids with stage manager moms and stuff like that, she was one of the only ones [where] it was very clear that she was dragging her parents to these auditions, not the other way around!"
He added: "I think it clicked pretty quickly that she had the right amount of similarity to the character, vivid imagination, exuberance for performance, and eagerness to learn how to be a actor on set.
"And I think she's just, like, amazing the film. I think she's a star!"
But who stars alongside Kealoha in the film? Well, it's a mixture of big names, new faces and even some stars of the original animation – read on for everything you need to know about the Lilo & Stitch live action cast.
Who's in the cast of Lilo & Stitch? Full list of characters
You can find the full cast list below – scroll down for more details on the actors and characters they are playing.
- Maia Kealoha as Lilo Pelekai
- Chris Sanders as the voice of Stitch
- Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani Pelekai
- Zach Galifianakis as Dr Jumba Jookiba
- Billy Magnussen as Agent Pleakley
- Courtney B Vance as Cobra Bubbles
- Hannah Waddingham as the voice of the Grand Councilwoman
- Kaipo Dudoit as David Kawena
- Tia Carrere as Mrs Kekoa
- Amy Hill as Tūtū
- Jason Scott Lee as a lūʻau manage
Maia Kealoha plays Lilo Pelekai
Who is Lilo Pelekai? An orphaned six-year-old Native Hawaiian girl who loves hula, surfing and wildlife, and who is immediately besotted with Stitch when she sees him in a dog shelter.
What else has Maia Kealoha been in? This is her first major movie role – and she was just six years old when she was cast in the movie.
Chris Sanders voices Stitch
Who is Stitch? A blue, koala-like alien experiment who is originally known as Experiment 626, but is adopted by Lilo and soon forms a bond with her, despite his disruptive and unruly ways.
What else has Chris Sanders been in? Sanders created the character of Stitch and co-wrote and directed the original animation, while he has also voiced the roles in a number of other spin-offs and tie-ins. He also directed How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods and The Wild Robot.
Sydney Elizebeth Agudong plays Nani Pelekai
Who is Nani Pelekai? Lilo’s older sister and legal guardian who is intelligent, overachieving, athletic and Type A – but sometimes struggles to care for Lilo amidst her other responsibilities.
What else has Sydney Elizebeth Agudong been in? This is her most major movie role to date, but she has appeared in episodes of On My Block and NCIS.
Zach Galifianakis plays Dr Jumba Jookiba
Who is Dr Jumba Jookiba? The Kweltikwan mad scientist who created Stitch and is sent to Earth to retrieve him after he escapes.
What else has Zach Galifianakis been in? Galifianakis is known for his role as Alan in the Hangover trilogy films but has also starred in Baskets, Due Date, The Beanie Bubble and Birdman. He has also voiced many roles over the years and has lent his vocal acting to films like Puss in Boots, The Lego Batman Movie and The Bob's Burgers Movie. He starred as himself in the most recent season of Only Murders in the Building.
Billy Magnussen plays Agent Pleakley
Who is Agent Pleakley? A Plorgonarian agent of the United Galactic Federation and their "expert" on Earth who is chosen to accompany Jumba on his quest to retrieve Stitch.
What else has Billy Magnussen been in? Magnussen is known for his roles in Bridge of Spies, Into the Woods, Made for Love and The Franchise. He has also starred in Tell Me a Story, Spy Kids: Armageddon, Aladdin, Road House and in the Black Mirror episode USS Callister and its recent sequel.
Courtney B Vance plays Cobra Bubbles
Who is Cobra Bubbles? A federal agent tasked with capturing Stitch – who has a slightly different role here than in the original, where he is first introduced as a social worker.
What else has Courtney B Vance been in? Vance's long career has seen him appear in films including Hamburger Hill and The Hunt for Red October, while he also has a wealth of TV credits to his name, with notable roles including Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Johnnie Cochran on The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story - the latter of which won him a Primetime Emmy. More recent credits include Lovecraft Country, 61st Street and Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Hannah Waddingham voices the Grand Councilwoman
Who is the Grand Councilwoman? The grey alien leader of the United Galactic Federation and its council who orders Jumba and Pleakley to capture Stitch after his escape.
What else has Hannah Waddingham been in? Waddingham is known for her starring role as Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso, while she's also had notable roles in Sex Education, Benidorm and Game of Thrones. Previous film credits include a small role in Les Misérables and parts in The Hustle, Hocus Pocus 2 and The Fall Guy, while she has also appeared extensively in the West End, with credits including Spamalot, Into the Woods and The Wizard of Oz. She is currently also starring in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Kaipo Dudoit plays David Kawena
Who is David Kawena? A Native Hawaiian community college student and surfer who is kind to Nani.
What else has Kaipo Dudoit been in? This is his first major film role but he has previously appeared in episodes of Rescue: HI-Surf and Magnum PI.
Tia Carrere plays Mrs Kekoa
Who is Mrs Kekoa? A new character for the remake, Mrs Kekoa is an AANHPI social worker who is practical and patient but is nevertheless aware of Nani's struggles to keep up with her duties.
What else has Tia Carrere been in? Carrere was the original voice of Nani in the animated Lilo & Stitch, while other prominent roles include Cassandra Wong in Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2, Juno Skinner in True Lies, Cha Cha in Curb Your Enthusiasm and Sydney Fox in Relic Hunter.
Amy Hill plays Tūtū
Who is Tūtū? Another new character, Tūtū is a Native Hawaiian in her 70s who is the long-time neighbour of the Pelekais and the grandmother of David Kawena.
What else has Amy Hill been in? Hill voiced Mrs Hasagawa in the original film, while other credits include Mrs. DePaulo on That's So Raven, Judy Harvey in Enlightened, Mah Mah Ling in American Dad!, Ms Mannering in Preacher, Lourdes Chan in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Teuila "Kumu" Tuileta in Magnum PI.
Jason Scott Lee plays a Lūʻau manager
Who is the Lūʻau manager? The manager at the local lūʻau where Nani and David work.
What else has Jason Scott Lee been in? He previously voiced David in the original film, while he also starred as Mowgli in the 1994 live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book and played Bruce Lee in the 1993 biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.
Lilo & Stitch is now showing in UK cinemas.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
