Maia Kealoha & Sydney Agudong

For Lilo & Stitch stars Maia Kealoha and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, there's no place they'd rather be than hanging out with each other, just like the animated counterparts they bring to life on-screen. It's a celebration of the film's themes of family and sisterhood. Watching their joyful bond is like flying by on the Hawaiian roller coaster ride.

While the film leaps from animation to live-action, Kealoha and Agudong assure that it will continue celebrating the spirit of "ohana"—the Hawaiian word for family, and family never gets left behind or forgotten.

"It's kind of like a true story because it's about a lonely Hawaiian girl, and Stitch comes to stitch back their family," Kealoha, who plays Lilo, said. "So Stitch was a really great help."

"And, yeah, I got to meet her," she joyfully added, pointing at Agudong, her older on-screen sister.

Agudong thought it was amazing to play a character she grew up with. "I think it resonated with me because I loved Lilo & Stitch since I was a baby and younger than you [referring to Kealoha], and I really connected to the sibling storyline. That really connected to the whole thing. So that was really amazing."

Since "ohana" is a critical theme about a broken family being fixed after a blue fluffy alien from outer space crash-lands in Hawai’i, the live-action film finds a way to distinguish itself from its animated counterpart while still honoring the word.

"The entire process of filming was we created an ohana," Agudong said. "Like, the entire time, it felt like we were one big, happy family, right?"

"Yeah," Kealoha agreed. "All of the crew on set were like, 'Hi, good to see you again.'"

"I mean, we worked together for so long, too," Agudong said.

The conversation about family wasn't just centered on the film. Agudong also shared how she considers the Kealohas her family. "I think it was really special," she said. "I mean, I think her mom, Brittany—they're all family forever at this point in time, whether or not it's hānai or regular sister, like it's kind of something that I don't think we'll ever forget, you know?"

"How was it for you? Do you hate me?" Agudong jokingly asked Kealoha.

"I love you," Kealoha replied. "Yeah, it would just be stuck in our brain."

"Well, she feels like my mini-child," Agudong said about her relationship with Kealoha. "You're like my mini-child at this point. And I hated that her teeth were growing in."

"Yeah, I got big chompers," Kealoha excitedly said.

While the bond between the two grew throughout filming, it's clear that the experience also brought out some personal revelations. Kealoha admitted, "I didn't really know that I could act and do all this—"

"But you can, girl," Agudong supportively interjected.

"—until I got the role," Kealoha continued. "I figured that I can do anything with the help of my mom and everybody.

Considering how the bond between Lilo and Nani is already powerful in animated form, seeing it in live action would add a new level of emotional nuance. "The difference of the animation versus the live action is that you get a real human sister connection this way," Agudong said.

Of course, with a film adaptation of this size, there's no room for error when reimagining the scenes fans hold close. For Kealoha and Agudong, bringing those moments to life wasn't just about recreating the magic of the animated original—it was about putting their own spin on the dynamic and making them feel authentic to their experiences.

"I feel like this is already gonna make me emotional. I was really excited to bring... oh my gosh, I feel very strongly about Nani and Nani's character," Agudong said. "Bringing the arc and the connection between sisterhood and family throughout this entire thing, especially when they have the scene of their final goodbye before she gets taken and a whole bunch of things happen, and then, you know, there are aliens and all that stuff, Nani comes up to basically say goodbye and have her sister taken from her for social services. I think that was going to be a huge and impactful moment for me, and I deeply connected to that, for sure."

Since Lilo & Stitch delve deep into the themes of sisterhood and family, it also brings to light the importance of representing Hawaiian culture in an authentic way.

"Surfing," Kealoha said when asked if she had any favorite moments in the film that authentically represented Hawaiian culture. "Ooh, and the hula."

"I think the coolest thing about the entire movie is that it is around aloha and ohana," Agudong added. "And Stitch represents a friend that you didn't think was gonna fit in, and you find out that your family is who you choose, and that's Hawai’i, isn't it? Yeah."

Agudong reflected on what live-action Lilo & Stitch could mean for a new generation. "I think we both feel like it's amazing to be able to get an opportunity for Hawai’i, that we get to represent them in that sort of way. And I think that with the new generation coming across, especially with being able to see people like you on screen.”

With the animated version having that balance of heart and humor with cultural specificity, Agudong believes the live-action honors that while bringing more emotional layers to the picture. "I think it does it extremely well. I mean, You [referring to Kealoha] and Stitch have a whole lot of adventures, and you drive Nani crazy, but it's amazing,” she said. “I think it was amazing because [Director] Dean [Fleischer Camp] was really great bringing in the nuance. You're not going to have the highs unless you have the lows and vice versa. You still get to laugh as much as you cry. And I think that's wonderful."

Agudong hopes audiences see how the live-action take doesn't lose sight of the themes and spirit of Hawaiian that was in the original. "I totally agree. I hope that they get the magic that comes out of the original just as much, and they get so much more with our bond," she said. "Maya and I connected so much on this film. I hope they remember that, and I hope that they take away just the essence of the Hawaiian family and the good-hearted, good old Hawaiian roller coaster ride, man."

Kealoha hopes audiences "learn how to be more kind and respectful and make sure that you don't have to fit in. You were made to stand out."

For Kealoha and Agudong, bringing these beloved moments to life isn't just about accuracy—it's about honoring the story's legacy while making it feel fresh and personal. And with the trust and love they've built both on screen and off, it's clear they're doing just that. "We always try to fit in, and we have a lot in common," Kealoha said. "We love hula. We love our ohana. We are both Hawaiian. We love music. We just have a lot in common. But I really love my character, and I'm really honored to be here."

"I think that in Hawai’i, everybody is very strong and independently themselves in that sort of way, but at the same time, we also have a really huge understanding of community, and I think that brings a lot of heart," Agudong said. "That's one of the biggest things from living in Kaua’i that I've learned is that no matter how tough your skin is, you also have a really soft heart, and everybody protects everybody. I think that that was something that I was able to draw from for Nani—her drive is living for her sister."

Honoring the original film was essential, stepping into a live-action format also meant giving the characters room to evolve. For both Kealoha and Agudong, that meant exploring new emotional layers and grounding the story with real-world experiences like the bond the two shared while on set.

"We're just two sisters trying to stay together," Agudong said.

"As soon as Stitch crash lands, even though he's an alien, [Lilo] starts to find out that she's not alone," Agudong said. "I think she figured out how to build a family. And I think both, and that goes with Nani, too—we were able to find a family throughout that when we thought we were alone at the very end."

While the emotional connection between the sisters was at the heart of filming, working with Stitch brought its own kind of magic—and sometimes chaos—to the set.

"My acting coach, Sarah, she played Stitch sometimes," Kealoha said. "She was actually really funny, and she got me into the moment. Stitch just helped me make sure that I can do everything, even though he's just like a doll… his fake eyeballs just looked into my eyeballs, and he said, 'You can do it. You can do anything.'"

That chemistry with Stitch, even though he's a doll, contained a lot of energy. There was so much energy that Agudong couldn't help but notice. "Well, when you guys were at the luau, that was really fun," Agudong added. "And then when he was running around in the Pelikai house, that was crazy.

"Crazy. I love it. Yeah, and then Nani gets hit in the face," Kealoha laughed.

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Audiences will have to grab their surfboards and hang on tight when Lilo & Stitch splashes into theaters on May 23, 2025.