If there are two things the internet unanimously loves, it’s adorable cats and one of Disney’s most recognizable and beloved characters—Stitch from “Lilo & Stitch.”
Bring them together?
Genius.
At this past week’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Disney proudly showcased its slate of upcoming animated projects headed to screens around the world.
While there were countless exciting announcements—many of which we can’t wait to continue following—one reveal felt both highly unexpected and long overdue: a brand-new animated short that will serve as the lead-in to this Thanksgiving’s must-see family film, “Hexed,” starring none other than everyone’s favorite Experiment 626.
Though Stitch has already built an expansive legacy across feature films, television series, books, manga, and now a live-action adaptation, this short marks his long-awaited return to the big screen in fully animated form.
For the new short, Chris Sanders will once again lend his voice to the iconic alien experiment, while Maia Kealoha—the live-action Lilo herself—steps into the role of Lilo.
Titled “Lilo & Scratch,” the short reunites the beloved duo as Lilo brings home a rescue cat with an unhealthy obsession for trying to eat Pudge the fish. As if welcoming a new furry member of the ohana wasn’t already enough work, Lilo heads out, leaving Stitch in charge of keeping the mischievous feline under control.
Even from that brief synopsis alone, it’s clear this could be one of the funniest animated shorts Disney has delivered in quite some time.
Over the years, Stitch has gradually mellowed from the chaotic, destructive experiment we first met into a far more caring member of the family. Now, for perhaps the first time, he finds himself on the other side of that equation—trying to manage someone else’s endless mischief while somehow becoming the responsible one… to a tiny, adorable kitten.
Comedy gold.
We can already picture Stitch wandering through the house, one hand shaking a bag of treats while the other clutches a butterfly net in one last desperate attempt to catch the newest member of the family.
It’s exactly the kind of wonderfully over-the-top comedy that has always been at the heart of the “Lilo & Stitch” franchise.
And if the series’ signature blend of humor and heart is anything to go by, audiences are almost certainly in for another charming reminder that ohana can grow in the most unexpected ways.
And are we ever here for it.