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Foreground Image Credit: Glennia, FlickrThis week, Disney+ will be transformed as a billion-dollar success finally finds its way onto the streaming platform.
The 2002 animated feature Lilo & Stitch, directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, first introduced audiences to Lilo, a young Hawaiian girl, and Stitch, the alien experiment she adopts as her dog. Together, they explore the meaning of family through the Hawaiian idea of “ʻohana.” The film’s heartfelt approach, hand-drawn artistry, and soundtrack filled with Elvis Presley music made it an instant success, leading to sequels and a television series.
More than two decades later, Disney reintroduced the tale with a live-action/CG hybrid. Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) directed the reimagining, with newcomer Maia Kealoha as Lilo. Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, and Courtney B. Vance also joined the cast, while Chris Sanders returned as the voice of Stitch.
The project, originally developed for Disney+, shifted to theaters following the billion-dollar success of Moana 2 (2024), which had undergone a similar streaming-to-theatrical transition.
Audiences have welcomed Stitch back to the big screen. The film has earned $1.033 billion worldwide, passing Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie (2025), which brought in $957.7 million (both figures per Box Office Mojo). With Stitch’s popularity continuing across Disney’s parks, merchandise, and media, a sequel was announced in late June.
Lilo & Stitch‘s Live-Action Success Saw Spike in Animated Classic
Streaming platforms also saw renewed interest in the franchise. During the week of June 2–8, 2025, Nielsen reported that the animated Lilo & Stitch entered the Top 10 most-watched movies with 236,000 minutes viewed. It joined titles such as Amazon Prime’s The Accountant 2 (2025), Disney and Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World (2025), and The Wild Robot (2024).
According to Deadline, the franchise remains a strong performer across Disney platforms. “The Lilo & Stitch franchise in series and the original pic has driven over 579 million hours on Disney+ around the globe,” the outlet reported. “The original Lilo & Stitch has accounted for more than 306M hours of viewing on the OTT service. Disney+ global. Retail sales for Stitch have grown from $0.2B in 2019 to $2.6B in 2024, representing a ten-fold increase.”
As What’s On Disney Plus noted: “The original animated film, Lilo & Stitch, continues to get a boost in viewership following the release of the new live-action version, highlighting the benefit of the large back catalog of titles available on Disney+.”
Lilo & Stitch (2025) Arrives on Disney+ September 3
With past theatrical-to-streaming releases often finding success soon after their arrival on the platform, Stitch’s story looks poised to climb once again once the film begins streaming. That streaming date was revealed just a few weeks ago, and starting tomorrow, September 3, 2025, audiences will be able to access the billion-dollar success on the small screen.
The Walt Disney Company will likely be highly excited about the imminent release of Lilo & Stitch on Disney+. In at least two instances this year, two movies that–unlike Camp’s adaptation–struggled at the box office have soared to the top of the Disney+ streaming charts.
Both Marc Webb’s controversial Disney’s Snow White (2025) and Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* (2025) struggled to take off in theaters (the former especially so) but managed to find major success on the streamer.
Take an already massive hit for Disney, and that possibility looks even more likely. Lilo & Stitch has the chance to become one of the most-watched movies in the history of the Disney+ streaming service.
Will you be tuning in to watch Lilo & Stitch on Disney+ starting September 3? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!