Director of the new live-action "Lilo & Stitch" movie reveals why it's so captivating

Director Dean Fleischer-Camp talked about the appeal of Disney's live-action film "Lilo & Stitch" (directed by Camp, released June 6th).

The original 2002 animated version depicted a realistic story with characters experiencing real problems in modern society. At the time of its production, it was an incomplete work with low expectations, which was unusual for a Disney work, with president Tom Schumacher saying, "This work will never survive in the current studio system."

Chris Sanders, one of the directors of the original version, described it as "a movie like a stealth fighter made by Disney." He revealed that it was a hard-fought work that had made it to the point of being released, going through a process that would be hard to imagine given its current popularity, saying, "We made it in Florida to hide it from the studio, and tried not to show it to the public as much as possible. When asked at a meeting at headquarters, "What is 'Lilo & Stitch?', we fudged it by saying, 'We're not ready for that film yet, so we'll let you know later.'"

Regarding "Lilo & Stitch," which has been called such an unusual work, Sanders said, "I think the reason why many of the characters and stories that appear in this movie have not faded and have captured people's hearts is because they are relatable to them." He said that the world has been captivated by the beautiful story of "ohana (family)" in which lonely Lilo and Stitch have a miraculous encounter and build an important bond.

In addition, director Camp, who directed "Marcel Shell with a Shoe" (2021), which was nominated for the 95th Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature Film, analyzed the reason why "Lilo & Stitch" is loved, just like director Sanders, saying, "The animated story was rough, but it also had an imperfection that made it easy to empathize with, and a sense of authenticity.I was shocked by that at the time, and I think that's why the film is still loved today."

This film is a live-action adaptation of the Disney animated film of the same name, produced in 2002. Stitch, an alien from the Galactic Federation, crash-lands in Hawaii on Earth and ends up living with Lilo, a young girl whose parents died in an accident, and her older sister Nani, through a mysterious coincidence. He causes trouble wherever he goes, but as his bond with Lilo and Nani deepens, he learns the meaning of "love" for the first time and realizes the importance of the bond between "ohana" (family).

Director Camp said of this film, "I think this is a real opportunity to take that shocking story and make it a live-action work. In the live-action version, we have further deepened the relationships and emotions of the characters, and expressed a more modern sensibility." The message of "ohana (family)" that resonates through the ages will be passed down in the live-action version, and there is no doubt that it will touch the hearts of audiences as a work that resonates with new generations.

In the Japanese dubbed version, Stitch is played by voice actor Koichi Yamadera, Lilo is played by child actress Yuno Nagao, Nani is played by MOMONA from the 11-member girl group ME:I, the voice of the kind-hearted surfer David is played by Kaito Nakamura from the popular group Travis Japan, and the alien Preekly is played by voice actor Yuji Mitsuya.

In addition to 2D (subtitled/dubbed), this film will be screened in a variety of environments, including "Dolby Cinema(R)" (subtitled/dubbed) and "Dolby Atmos(R)" (subtitled/dubbed), which allow you to enjoy three-dimensional, deep sound that matches the images, as well as "4DX(R)" (dubbed) and "MX4D(R)" (subtitled/dubbed), "immersive" theater systems where the audience seats move according to the scene and special effects such as wind and mist are created to stimulate the senses. The film will be shown in a variety of environments, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful Hawaiian nature, uplifting music, and the moving story of the bonds of "ohana (family)" with powerful images and sound.