For the most part, the new version sticks pretty closely to the 2002 animated film. The story centers on two sisters, Lilo and Nani, who are navigating life after the death of their parents. Nani, a teenager just about to head to college, struggles to hold down a job and watch out for her sister, who is a bit chaotic.

Chris Sanders, who directed and co-wrote the original animated Lilo & Stitch (2002) with Dean DeBlois, voices Stitch in the live-action film. He also wrote on How to Train Your Dragon (2010), The Croods (2013) and on The Wild Robot (2024), which he also directed.