Chris Sanders is sticking with “Lilo & Stitch.”
The filmmaker, who wrote and directed the original animated feature (with partner Dean DeBlois) for Disney and who has voiced the character through dozens of projects, including this year’s $1 billion-grossing live-action adaptation, will return to write the live-action sequel.
Sanders’ most recent feature was 2023’s Oscar-nominated “The Wild Robot,” which he made for DreamWorks Animation. He is currently developing the sequel.
Disney’s updated “Lilo & Stitch” was the first western movie this year to make $1 billion at the global box office. The remake was directed by Dean Fleischer Camp and starred Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Hannah Waddingham, Courtney B. Vance, Zach Galifianakis and original voice actors Tia Carrere and Jason Scott Lee, who came back as new characters. The movie was warmly reviewed, with a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Before “Lilo & Stitch” crossed the $1 billion mark, Disney had already announced a sequel. Considering how young Maia Kealoha (Lilo) is, the idea is to get this underway sooner rather than later.
Sanders, of course, is a legend of modern animation, having served as a story artist and sequence supervisor on Disney animated classics like “The Rescuers Down Under,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King,” before becoming head of story on “Mulan” and director on “Lilo & Stitch.” When John Lasseter was installed as the head of the creative side of Disney, the two clashed on Sanders’ “American Dog,” which was retooled and released as “Bolt.” Sanders then went to DreamWorks Animation, where he directed “How to Train Your Dragon” (with DeBlois), “The Croods” (with Kirk DeMicco) and, eventually, “The Wild Robot.” He also directed “The Call of the Wild,” his live-action debut, which had the misfortune of being released a few days before the pandemic shut down theaters globally.
