For the most part, the new version sticks pretty closely to the 2002 animated film. The story centers on two sisters, Lilo and Nani, who are navigating life after the death of their parents. Nani, a teenager just about to head to college, struggles to hold down a job and watch out for her sister, who is a bit chaotic.

Ohana means family, and the new Lilo & Stitch makes plenty of space for their original animated cast of actors in that spirit. Tia Carrere, Amy Hill, and Jason Scott Lee portray different characters from those they originally voiced in the animated film.

Chris Sanders, who directed and co-wrote the original animated Lilo & Stitch (2002) with Dean DeBlois, voices Stitch in the live-action film. He also wrote on How to Train Your Dragon (2010), The Croods (2013) and on The Wild Robot (2024), which he also directed.