It’s no secret that Disney is mining their old animated classics and turning them into live-action retellings. Most, if not all, have become box office hits for the studio. This only furthers their efforts to keep making these films. And now, it comes as no surprise, they will be continuing to do this. This time with Lilo and Stitch.

New reports say that the studio will be working with their live-action Aladdin producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich to develop a live-action animation hybrid of the Hawaii-set animated film. More on the story below.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has hired up-and-comer Mike Van Waes to pen the script for the remake which will be produced by Lin and Eirich. The original animated film was released back in 2002 just as hand-drawn animated films were slowing down. Though the film wasn’t a huge hit at the box office, it did find a cult following. It even found a way to become a franchise with the release of direct-to-video sequels and an animated series.

Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders directed the original. But its unclear if the two will come back in any sort of capacity. It’s also not clear if the film will be released theatrically or will be seen on Disney’s new streaming service, Disney Play, which launches in 2019.

Lilo and Stitch is set on the islands of Hawaii and tells the story of a misunderstood little girl named Lilo who adopts a dog that she names Stitch. Little does she know that Stitch is actually a living alien experiment whose purpose is to destroy everything in its sight. However, the two eventually bond over their similarities and find that they have become family.

Here’s the official synopsis:

A tale of a young girl’s close encounter with the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial. Lilo is a lonely Hawaiian girl who adopts a small ugly “dog,” whom she names Stitch. Stitch would be the perfect pet if he weren’t in reality a genetic experiment who has escaped from an alien planet and crash-landed on Earth. Through her love, faith and unwavering belief in ohana, the Hawaiian concept of family, Lilo helps unlock Stitch’s heart and gives him the ability to care for someone else.

Now the announcement follows a long line of Disney animated films that have become remakes. Films like Maleficent, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast were huge hits at the box office. Meanwhile, films like Pete’s Dragon and Christopher Robin took an art house approach to the adaptations. So it’s not clear what we could see in Lilo and Stitch.

Other Disney remakes include Mulan, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians, The Lion King, and Dumbo.

But Van Waes is best known for penning The Crooked Man, a spinoff based on a character from New Line’s The Conjuring 2 set in The Conjuring Universe. He also wrote Not in Kansas, a Wizard of Oz-themed horror project.

Of course, we will keep you up to date on the development of the film.

And here’s the trailer just in case you forgot about Lilo and Stitch or have not seen it yet. If that is the case, just drop whatever it is that you are doing and watch it now.

Trailer

[Source: THR]