And now, the heartwarming story about a lonely Hawaiian girl and a crazy blue alien has been reimagined as a live-action film.
It brings with it a big, warm wave of nostalgia and a fresh infusion of love, laughter and even tears.
Eight-year-old breakout star and native Hawaiian Maia Kealoha plays Lilo and she will tell you, she was born to do this.
"I was made like that," she says. "God created me like that."
Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" is in theaters nationwide Friday
Maia was just five years old when she heard about an open casting call on her home island and told her mom to sign her up. By the age of six, she had booked the film and they were shooting in her native Hawaii.
She explains how she approaches new challenges like this.
"Just throw away your fears and bad feels in a throwaway fear box," she says. "Leave the happiness inside and be grateful that you're there. Take the risk!"
Chris Sanders is Stitch.
"I can do anything that Stitch does because we are the same," he says.
Sanders is not only the voice of the mischievous blue alien, but he also created the character 40 years ago.
"It was all about redeeming a villain," he says. "I wanted to do a story where a villain became the hero of the story. Stitch has impulse problems. He makes mistakes. I think, for that reason, people empathize with him and they really see themselves in him."
Sydney Agudong plays Lilo's older sister, Nani. During filming, a sisterhood was born.
"It was actually there," Maia says. "You actually feel all the feels."
"Being able to create the bond with Maia was a blessing," says Sydney.
In the film, Lilo and Nani Pelekai lose their parents and Nani is trying to navigate life while also caring for Lilo.
"It was really cool to be able to dive deeper into Nani's story and the relationship between the sisters," says Sydney.
Tia Carrere voiced the character of Nani in the original animated film. She's back in this live action reimagination as the social worker and welcomed Sydney to this moment.
"I talked to her and said, 'You embody everything that Nani should be. You're strong, you're daring, you're bold and you're brave,'" says Carrere.
Courtney B. Vance is new to the crew as Agent Cobra Bubbles, who is trying to catch Stitch.
"It's a wonderful family in Hawaii and I felt the same thing when I came onto the set. It's good to be here," he says.
The film also features the hilarious comedic duo of Zach Galifianakis as Jumba Jookiba and Billy Magnussen as Pleakley. They will leave you in stitches.
"There were days when you would walk to set and you would make me laugh so hard," Galifianakis says to Magnussen.
The funny guys play undercover aliens, disguised as humans, on the hunt for Stitch.
"It was a treat," Magnussen says. "The gift to be a part of something like this is unbelievable. Unbelievable."
Each and every frame was filmed in Hawaii. Director Dean Fleischer Camp says he wanted this to feel fully authentic and dig deeper into the storylines.
"I thought it was a real opportunity when making this live action film," he says.
"The original is pretty unique as a Disney animated film because it takes place in a contemporary society and it stars mostly humans who are going through real stuff. It makes them feel authentic, relatable and real," added Camp. "It felt like we could deepen the emotional experience of seeing these characters in live action."
Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" is in theaters May 23rd.
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