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Although Disney Channel has existed since 1983, its slate of original programming only dates back as far as the late '90s, when the concept of Disney Channel Originals started to rise -- gradually overtaking the syndicated shows that originally took up most of the programming grid. In other words, the story of Disney Channel in the 2000s is the very story of how Disney's official TV hub came into its own as a brand.

If you look at the network's original shows from this period, there's a fascinating trajectory from tentative experiments at the turn of the century to more famous, more consolidated hits in the late 2000s, with both the Disney Channel sitcom and the Disney Channel original cartoon taking shape in real time as the institutions they now are. Though it's sometimes held in lower critical esteem than rivals like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, Disney Channel put out...

Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten! Disney previewed a taste of the live-action version of “Lilo & Stitch” at D23 on Friday, starring Maia Kealoha as Lilo Pelekai.

The live action movie will be only in theaters in summer 2025. Disney’s release calendar shows an open slot on May 23, though the date wasn’t specified at D23.

Experiment 626 has entered the chat! The live-action #LiloAndStitch is coming only to theaters in Summer 2025! pic.twitter.com/82KFLEFL5E

— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) August 10, 2024

The reboot follows the original film, released in 2002 and written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. The animated “Lilo & Stitch” follows a 6-year-old Lilo and her older sister Nani, who live in Hawaii and adopt a blue extraterrestrial creature nicknamed Stitch. In this live-action adaptation, Stitch will be brought to life using CGI.

“Lilo & Stitch” has seen plenty of spinoffs,...

Chris Sanders' and Dean De Blois' 2002 animated film "Lilo & Stitch" was released by Disney and was part of what might be considered a "low" period in the studio's history. Disney had a series of bangers in the 1990s, a period often referred to as the Disney Renaissance. That period came to an end in 2000 with the release of "Dinosaur," however, a technology experiment featuring life-like dinosaurs realized in CGI. That was followed by multiple expensive bombs, one right after the other, and almost all the films (from "Fantasia 2000" in 2000 through to "Bolt" in 2008) were costly misfires.

Only two from the period stand out. Mark Dindal's slapstick comedy "The Emperor's New Groove" and "Lilo & Stitch." The latter is deeply beloved by the children who saw it in 2002, and appreciate both its warmth and its weirdo edge.

"Lilo & Stitch" is a riff on "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," wherein a young child,...

Chris Sanders is in final negotiations to voice the character of Stitch in Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Tia Carrere, who originally voiced Nani in the first film, will also play the newly-created Mrs. Kekoa, while Amy Hill will star as a new character named Tūtū.

Sanders, who wrote and directed the original feature alongside Dean DeBlois, voiced the creature, which he also created, in the 2002 Lilo & Stitch, as well as Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003-2006). Sanders has been rumored to return as Stitch for years, but in a 2022 interview with Syfy Wire, he said he hadn’t been officially approached by the studio.

Newcomer Maia Kealoha is playing Lilo, while Sydney Elizebeth Agudong is playing Nani. Kahiau Machado was cast as David Kawena last week, but has since been recast with Kaipot Dudoit. During Disney’s vetting process, previous posts in which...

Some actors become so prestigious, they can get almost any part they want without auditioning; the awards they've won and the box office receipts from their past blockbusters are all that's necessary to land them a highly-coveted role in an upcoming production. Of course, there are plenty of top performers who still have to audition for roles. But unless a bigger name gets into the running, there's often little standing between them and the chance to play an important character.

However, what rarely gets talked about are actors who not only get turned down for famous TV and film roles but aren't even granted the opportunity to audition for a part. It's especially surprising when the rejected thespian is already an A-lister; you'd think their star power would be enough to at least warrant a courtesy audition. Here, we take a look at a few actors who were never given a chance at notable roles.

Henry Gilroy probably wrote your childhood. As a film and television screenwriter, Gilroy's credits include "Batman: The Animated Series," "Jackie Chan Adventures," "Justice League Unlimited," and ""Ultimate Spider-Man." He also wrote for almost every animated series based on a movie, "Lilo & Stitch: The Series" and "DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms," not to mention an extended relationship with the animated "Star Wars" stories. The point is, Gilroy probably knows what he's doing, right? There are simply too many well known credits attached to his name for the guy to be bad at his job. 

And yet, even he struggles with studio interference. That's the fun part of the artistic process -- where the people in charge dissect the script and then take away a third of the cool stuff, maybe more. Sometimes it's justified; other times, it's just plain silly. Want to hear a silly one? Here's the story of...

Dean Fleischer Camp, the filmmaker behind A24’s charming indie comedy “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” will step in for Jon M. Chu as director of Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” remake.

Chu was attached to the project in 2020, but his deal was never finalized.

The movie is still in early stages and has yet to officially set a screenwriter or hire any actors to portray Lilo and company. However, Chris Kekaniokalani Bright is in final negotiations to write the adaptation.

It’s unclear if the movie will debut in theaters or on Disney , the studio’s subscription streaming service.

Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois wrote and directed the original movie, which opened in 2002 and grossed 273 million at the global box office. The animated family film centers on 6-year-old Lilo and her teenage sister Nani, who live in Hawaii and adopt an adorable blue extraterrestrial creature nicknamed Stitch.

This Monsters at Work review contains no spoilers.

Disney launched with the promise of bringing many adored Disney franchises to the small screen, but with big picture ambition, storytelling, and production values. So far, that promise has mostly been met, with the Disney original series like Mighty Ducks: Game Changers and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier feeling like stretched out features diced into episodic instalments. However, Monsters at Work, Disney ’s new sequel series to Pixar’s Monsters, Inc., feels more like traditional television than a “X-hour movie,” for better or worse.

Monsters at Work takes place immediately following 2001’s Monsters, Inc. After Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) discover that laughter generates ten times more power for the Monstropolis power plant than screams, Mike and Sully are put in charge. and tasked with helping the company transition from an organization of scarers to jokesters.

Meanwhile, recent Monsters...

Another popular Springfield resident is getting a long-overdue recast.

Harry Shearer, a white actor who has been voicing Black doctor Julius Hibbert since the character’s debut more than 30 years ago, is stepping down from the role, TVLine has confirmed. In fact, Shearer’s final episode as Dr. Hibbert (Season 32’s “Diary Queen”) aired this past Sunday. Shearer will continue to voice his myriad other Simpsons roles, including Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner and Mr. Burns.

More from TVLineThe Simpsons Recast: Better Things Actor Replaces Hank Azaria as CarlFamily Guy Reveals New Actor Voicing Cleveland Brown in Season 19The Masked Singer...

The “Lilo & Stitch” ohana is expanding, with Jon M. Chu in talks to direct Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation.

Disney has yet to announce if the movie will release in theaters or on Disney Plus, the studio’s subscription streaming service. “Lilo & Stitch” has not set a screenwriter or any cast members.

Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback, the company that recently backed Disney’s “Aladdin” remake, are producing the film, with Rideback exec Ryan Halprin serving as an executive producer.

The original movie, written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, was released in 2002. The animated family film follows a 6-year-old Hawaiian girl Lilo and her teenage sister Nani, who adopt a blue extraterrestrial creature nicknamed Stitch. The movie popularized the song “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” and familiarized audiences to the concept of ohana, which means family — and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

Disney is giving another animated feature the live-action treatment. The Burbank-based company is in the early development stages on a Lilo & Stitch adaptation, which Mike Van Waes scripting. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, producers of live-action Aladdin remake, are attached to produce Lilo & Stitch.

Whether the film will be released in theaters or Disney’s forthcoming streaming platform is undetermined

Released in 2002, the original film, which was directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, followed Lilo, a lonely Hawaiian girl who forms a bond with a doglike extraterrestrial creature, whom she names Stitch. Stitch, who is engineered to cause chaos, has a change of heart as Lilo teaches Stitch the importance of ohana, the Hawaiian concept of family.

The pic spun two direct-to-video sequels, Stitch! The Movie (2003) and Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) as well as a series titled, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, and a TV movie,...

Fox Searchlight's I Heart Huckabees, with its environmentalist protagonist, and an episode of NBC's The West Wing that prominently featured a hybrid vehicle, took home the respective prizes for movies and TV episodic drama at the 15th annual Environmental Media Awards. The EMAs, held Wednesday at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, recognize the creative teams behind television, film and music productions that expand public awareness of environmental issues. In the TV episodic comedy category, the award went to Fox's King of the Hill episode "A Rover Runs Through It," while the award for children's television went to the Disney Channel's Lilo & Stitch: The Series episode "Ploot."...

LONDON -- Buena Vista International Television said Wednesday that it has extended its output deal with German free television channel group ProSiebenSat.1. The deal includes first-run movies from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films such as the forthcoming sequel to The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Aviator. Under the terms of the deal, ProSiebenSat.1 channel Kabel 1 will expand its current branded blocks of Walt Disney Co. programming from two to three hours a week and will add new a new weekly Jetix-branded time slot. Kids titles airing on the branded blocks will include new episodes of Kim Possible, Lilo & Stitch and Timon and Pumbaa. The deals were announced by Alison Homewood, BVITV vp sales for Europe, Middle East and Asia. "The ProSiebenSat.1 Group channels have been an excellent showcase for our programming, so we are pleased to be continuing to work together to help drive the channels with our upcoming content," Homewood said in a statement.