Stitch Himself Takes the Helm: Chris Sanders to Direct Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch 2'

Chris Sanders — co-creator of Lilo & Stitch and the longtime voice of Stitch — is set to direct Disney's live-action sequel, Lilo & Stitch 2, and also wrote the screenplay. The follow-up builds on the 2025 remake, which became the year's first billion-dollar film, with Jonathan Eirich returning as producer.

Stitch Himself Takes the Helm: Chris Sanders to Direct Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch 2'

The little blue alien who stole moviegoers' hearts is getting a sequel — and the man behind his voice is now calling the shots. Chris Sanders, the Oscar-nominated co-creator of Lilo & Stitch who has voiced Stitch since 2002, will direct Disney's upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch 2, and he wrote the screenplay as well.

Stitch Himself Takes the Helm: Chris Sanders to Direct Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch 2'

The Buzz

This one is lighting up Disney-fan feeds because it is the rare case of a franchise being handed back to one of its original architects. The entertainment trades — led by The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported Sanders' role as sole director, and Variety — confirmed that the voice of Experiment 626 will steer the sequel himself. For fans, it's a signal that Disney is protecting the heart of "ohana" rather than handing it to a stranger.

Key Details

From Voicing Stitch to Directing Him

Few creators are as tied to a character as Chris Sanders is to Stitch. He co-created the mischievous extraterrestrial, co-directed the original Oscar-nominated 2002 animated feature "Lilo & Stitch," and has given Stitch his unmistakable growl-and-giggle voice for more than two decades. Handing him the director's chair on the live-action follow-up means the sequel's creative compass points straight back to the person who knows Experiment 626 best. Sanders also wrote the script, with Jonathan Eirich returning as producer — continuity that fans of the first film will appreciate.

A Billion-Dollar Blueprint to Build On

The sequel arrives on the back of a genuine phenomenon. Disney's 2025 live-action remake of "Lilo & Stitch," directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, delivered the biggest Memorial Day weekend opening in box-office history at roughly $183 million and went on to become the year's first film to cross the $1 billion mark worldwide. Notably, the project was originally developed as a Disney+ streaming title before Disney pivoted it to a theatrical release — a gamble that paid off spectacularly. Disney announced the sequel was in development on June 26, 2025 (6/26), a wink to Stitch's official designation as Experiment 626.

Who Is Chris Sanders?

Sanders is an Academy Award–nominated director, writer, animator, and voice actor whose fingerprints are all over modern animation. Beyond Stitch, he co-directed DreamWorks' "How to Train Your Dragon" and "The Croods," made his solo live-action directing debut on "The Call of the Wild" starring Harrison Ford, and most recently directed the Oscar-nominated "The Wild Robot." His Disney roots run deep: he joined the studio's visual development department in 1987 and worked as a writer and story artist on animated classics including "The Lion King" and "Mulan" before "Lilo & Stitch."

Why Fans Are Buzzing

For the Disney faithful, a creator-led sequel is the best-case scenario. The original "Lilo & Stitch" endures precisely because of its messy, tender take on family — and putting the franchise back in the hands of the artist who built that emotional core suggests Disney wants the follow-up to feel authentic rather than algorithmic. With Sanders writing and directing, returning producer Eirich on board, and a billion-dollar predecessor setting the bar, anticipation for "Lilo & Stitch 2" is already running high. No release date or returning cast have been confirmed yet, so expect every casting whisper and set photo to set fan feeds buzzing in the months ahead.