Lilo and Stitch' director Dean Fleischer Camp discusses box office successes and why shooting Stitch's death was a stand out moment.

One of my favorite things about live-action Disney movie remakes is how they find ways to pay tribute to the original voice actors, and I love that this trend continues with the new Lilo & Stitch movie.

“It’s all based on Chris Sanders’ original artistic style [who directed the animated original with Dean DeBlois and returns to voice Stitch],” said Fleischer Camp, who comes from a drawing and painting background. “That movie, I think more than any Disney movie, is a representation of one artist’s lens on the universe.”

The director of the live-action version of Lilo & Stitch reveals one of the key changes made to Stitch and why it was necessary.

The film was originally aimed for Disney+. But it was rerouted to a theatrical release and is on a pace for at least $950 million in ticket sales.

So the short, short version of Lilo & Stitch’s live-action ending is that Stitch (Chris Sanders) almost drowns after escaping the clutches of his creator, Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zack Galifianakis). But thanks to Ohana and some jumper cables, Experiment 626 is revived and allowed to serve his sentence of exile on Earth with Lilo (Maia Kealoha).

Lilo & Stitch” has once again placed first on the box office charts. According to studio estimates Sunday, the hybrid live-action Disney movie added $63 million in domestic ticket sales.

Lilo & Stitch begins its third weekend in theaters today, and the film has overtaken yet another classic from one of the most iconic directors of all time. At the time of writing, Lilo & Stitch has grossed $298 million at the domestic box office and $334 million internationally for a global total of $632 million.