Disney used D23 in Anaheim on Friday night to show the first new image from Lilo & Stitch 2, and it was Angel, Stitch’s pink love interest, standing out with glowing antennae. Maia Kealoha came onstage to introduce the film, giving the sequel its first public face months after Disney set it for a May 28, 2028 release.
That timing is why the reveal landed with extra weight. Disney had already told audiences on June 26 that a sequel was coming, and the live-action remake had only recently passed more than $1 billion at the global box office. The studio is moving quickly to keep the franchise in view, but Friday’s presentation was still the first real sign of what the next movie will actually show.
Angel is not a new invention for this project. The character, also known as Experiment 624, first appeared in The Series, and the role gives the sequel a built-in complication because Angel can use a siren song that can turn reformed experiments back to evil. That makes the live-action follow-up more than a simple reunion story: it gives Disney a way to expand the central Stitch dynamic without leaving the character’s history behind.
Chris Sanders is returning to direct, which matters because he has long been tied to the original world and because the remake’s success revived a property Disney clearly believes can still fill theaters. Camp said before taking the project that the idea had to be right, not just driven by market demand, and added that working with Sanders was a dream. He also said the movie was built to play as a big summer event, describing it as funny, action-packed and emotional.
Even so, Disney has not filled in the rest of the picture. The Friday reveal gave fans Angel and confirmed the release date, but it stopped short of explaining how she fits into the live-action story or what other changes are coming to the sequel. For now, the clearest answer is the simplest one: Disney is signaling that Lilo & Stitch 2 is no placeholder and no afterthought. It is a real studio priority, and the next step is whether the film can turn a beloved side character into the kind of sequel hook that carries a franchise into 2028.
