Stitch Returns in 'Lilo & Scratch' as Disney Surprises Annecy With Its First Theatrical Short in Five Years

Walt Disney Animation Studios turned its Annecy festival showcase into a celebration, surprising audiences with Lilo & Scratch — its first theatrical short in five years, reuniting fans with Stitch — while debuting first footage from Hexed, the studio's 65th animated feature, due in theaters November 25.

Walt Disney Animation Studios turned its presentation at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival into a double celebration on Friday, surprising the crowd with a brand-new theatrical short, Lilo & Scratch — the studio's first short in five years and a reunion with Stitch — while also unveiling first footage from its 65th animated feature, Hexed.

Stitch Is Back in the Surprise Short 'Lilo & Scratch'

The headline surprise was Lilo & Scratch, a new theatrical short that picks up shortly after the events of the original 2002 film. Everyone's favorite blue troublemaker, Stitch, is settling happily into life with his new family — until Lilo brings home another new family member: a cat. What follows, the team teased, is a "wild, chaotic chase around the island."

Chris Sanders, who created and voiced Stitch in the 2002 animated classic and again in the 2025 live-action reboot, returns to the role. He is joined by Maia Kealoha, his 2025 co-star, voicing Lilo. According to Deadline's report, the mischievous new cat is intent on devouring Stitch's beloved pet fish, Pudge — a deep-cut nod that longtime fans immediately recognized.

"For the first time in five years, we have a new theatrical short," said director Fawn Veerasunthorn, adding, "We are in this room because every single one of us loves animation." Walt Disney Animation Studios' Malcon Pierce framed the tone after showing the audience the short's first two minutes: "This is the kind of mayhem we love with this character." The short is slated to arrive in fall 2026, running theatrically alongside Hexed.

A First Look at 'Hexed,' Disney's 65th Animated Feature

The same session delivered first work-in-progress footage from Hexed. "It's our 65th animated film," noted director Jason Hand, with Veerasunthorn — also a director on the film — adding, "We love exploring magic and those who can make impossible possible."

The film centers on Billie, an awkward, rebellious teenager who discovers she has unknown magical powers. As a child, Billie's mother gave her a special bracelet that limits her magic, "ensuring she will never open another portal and endanger herself again," Hand explained. Years later, an accident finally reveals who Billie really is — and sweeps her through a wooded portal into Hexe, a realm of actual witches, where she is welcomed by Ms. Quill and Elias Quire.

Disney assembled a notable voice cast: Hailee Steinfeld leads as Billie — "She's so funny and full of heart," said Hand — alongside Rashida Jones, Tracey Ullman, Alan Tudyk and Stephen Fry. In Hexe, Billie's unlikely guide is a wisecracking cat named Beef Roger Crummchuk. "Cats are such a huge thing with witches, so we loved playing with that idea," Hand said, noting the character's humor is "definitely on the edge."

Beneath the spell-slinging, the directors framed Hexed as something more personal. "Have you ever been curious about your mom? And parents as people who live their life, just like us?" Veerasunthorn said. Hand agreed: "It's the core of the movie: it's a mother-daughter love story." The filmmakers also leaned into Billie as an atypical Disney lead — "She's not like our regular Disney characters… we do a lot of very noble characters at our studio. I love that we're not doing that this time," Hand said.

Why Fans Are Buzzing

Two threads have Disney fans especially excited. The first is Stitch, whose star power has only grown — the 2002 original spawned a franchise, and the 2025 live-action remake reintroduced the character to a new generation. A fresh short reuniting Sanders and Kealoha is exactly the kind of encore fans have been clamoring for. The second is the revival of the theatrical short itself, a beloved Disney Animation tradition (think Paperman and Feast) that paired charming standalone stories with the studio's features for decades.

Add an original, magic-soaked feature in Hexed — built around a rule-breaking heroine and a genuinely emotional mother-daughter story — and Disney Animation's late-2026 slate suddenly looks like a must-watch. Hexed and its surprise companion short hit theaters this fall, with Hexed locked for November 25, 2026.