Lilo & Scratch

Set shortly after the events of Lilo & Stitch (2002), the short film follows Stitch as he battles with Scratch, an alien that looks like a cat who Lilo adopts.^[1][2]

• Chris Sanders as Stitch, a blue koala-like alien also known as Experiment 626.^[2]
• Maia Kealoha as Lilo Pelekai, a Native Hawaiian girl who is Stitch's best friend and owner. Kealoha reprises her role from the 2025 live-action film.^[2]

During the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 26, 2026, it was reported that a new Lilo & Stitch animated short film, Lilo & Scratch, would be attached to screenings of Disney's upcoming animated film Hexed.^[1] The film marks the first theatrical short from Walt Disney Animation Studios in five years and is a direct follow up to the original Lilo & Stitch (2002).^[3] Hexed director Fawn Veerasunthorn helmed the short film alongside Malcon Pierce.^[2] Director of the original film and voice of Stitch, Chris Sanders returned to reprise his role. Maia Kealoha takes on the role of Lilo's animated counterpart after portraying her in the 2025 live-action film.^[3]

For the short film, Walt Disney Animation Studios developed a new animation pipeline that combined hand-drawn traditionally animated characters with computer-animated models seamlessly. Veerasunthorn's goal was for the film to look as close to the original 2002 film as possible while creating a workflow that allowed for artists to use a variety of tools and mediums at their disposal.^[4] Alex Kupershmidt, who was the supervising animator of Stitch on the original film, returned to animate on the short by hand, on paper. He pushed for the team to push the visuals and make them more cartoony.^[4] All instances of computer-animation in the film were designed to appear as close to 2D as the artists could make them. For example, in a scene where Stitch, who is hand-drawn, and Scratch, who is a computer-animated model, are interacting both were made to look indistinguishable from one another.^[4] The backgrounds in the short film were painted both traditionally and digitally depending on the artists choice of medium.^[4]

Lilo & Scratch premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 26, 2026, also known as "626 Day" or "Stitch Day" in reference to Stitch's codename, and is scheduled to be theatrically released alongside Hexed on November 25.^[1][5]