Disneyis now officially heating up the summer of 2025 with bothFreakier Fridayand the live-action reimagining ofLilo & Stitch.The direct sequel to 2003’sFreaky Friday,which stars recent Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Lindsay Lohan, hits cinemas onAugust 8, 2025.Meanwhile, director Dean Fleischer Camp’s take on the beloved Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha) and her alien friend, Experiment 626, a.k.a. the adorable Stitch (Chris Sanders), will begin its theatrical run first onMay 23, 2025(perDeadline).
Sanders sat in the director’s seat for his latest big-screen project, thecritically acclaimed animated adventureThe Wild Robot.And for those who haven’t seen Sanders’ delightful film yet, it does bear a striking resemblance to the original concept he had when approachingLilo & Stitch,which he and Dean DeBlois helmed together. Sanders said in an interview withVulture:
“Here’s the weird thing: I didn’t even make that connection until about two weeks ago. I went over to visit Dean DeBlois, my co-director on Lilo & Stitch, who is in the midst of working on the How to Train Your Dragon live-action reboot. And he pointed that out! He said, ‘It’s kind of like you went full circle and went back to the film that you were trying to make before you moved Lilo & Stitch into the human world.'"
The originalLilo & Stitchmade its mark in theaters back in 2002, while the Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan-ledFreaky Fridayremake was released a year later, in 2003. So, both fan bases have been waiting over two decades for these fun follow-ups to finally come to fruition.
Jamie Lee Curtis Praises Her Freakier Friday Co-Star
RemakingFreaky Friday(1976) wasn’t a sure thing. However, as it turns out, critics actually prefer Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan’s Disney reimagining (88% on Rotten Tomatoes) over Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris’ cinematic collaboration (71% Tomatometer rating on RT). And asFreakier Fridaywrapped filming back in August,Curtis celebrated online and praised her co-star, Lohan. Curtis wrote in a post onInstagram:
“The last FRIDAY of this FREAKIEST FRIDAY or shall I call it CRYDAY. We still have a couple days left next week, but it’s winding down and this morning as I arrived at work and looked at the hundreds of people gathering together to make it for the fans, shooting the movie in California…
I’m feeling especially grateful to my ULTIMATE movie daughter, @lindsaylohan without whom we could not have made this movie. Ever. She gifted me a @suziekondi shirt after I complimented her on hers and I wore it today in honor of her. Off to wig and work. Thanks for all the @disneyd23 LOVE! It was LEGENDARY!”
Freaky Friday Stars Tease Manny Jacinto’s Role in the Sequel
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reveal which character Manny Jacinto will play in the sequel to Freaky Friday, Freakier Friday.
Lilo & StitchandFreakier Fridayfeatured prominently at this year’s D23 Expo. And these Disney blockbuster hopefuls will be entering a summer season atmosphere and climate absolutely loaded with highly anticipated competitors. James Gunn’sSupermanwill soar into cinemas, along with Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan’s Crane-kicking team-up inKarate Kid: Legends.
Marvel’sThunderbolts*will also take its turn in trying to continue the MCU’s winning streak after the success ofDeadpool & Wolverine— and following on the heels ofCaptain America: Brave New World’sValentine’s date with the Red Hulk (Harrison Ford) next year. And another huge and anxiously awaited Disney title,Tron: Ares,also returns to the grid in 2025.
