Today at the Annecy International Film Festival, Disney revealed that a brand new animated short called “Lilo & Scratch” will be released in cinemas this Thanksgiving, along with the new film, “Hexed”.
While little is known about the story of the short, bar it featuring a rescue cat, it will feature classic hand-drawn vibes blended with modern 3D animation.
The short will feature the return of Chris Sanders as Stitch, along with Maia Kealoha, who played Lilo in the live-action version.
This marks the first time Walt Disney Animation Studios has released a new animated short in five years, returning to a tradition that has delivered some fantastic shorts over the years.
Releasing a new short featuring Stitch alongside the new film “Hexed” is a great marketing ploy to help boost the box office numbers for “Hexed”, which may struggle to pull in audiences, as new franchises, along with female-lead animated movies, sometimes fail to pull in enough moviegoers. Adding a short of one of the most popular Disney characters, is a fantastic way of giving “Hexed” a little boost, while also offering Stitch fans a new adventure and giving Disney a chance to experiment with new talent and techniques.
“Hexed”, along with “Lilo & Scratch”, will arrive in cinemas on November 25th 2026, and we should expect to see them both released on Disney+ in early 2027.
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