Following word that the voice of one of the supporting characters in Disney's planned live-action/CGI remake of Lilo & Stitch – alien creature Pleakley – has been found in Zach Galifianakis, we now know who will be playing the "Lilo" of the title. Young newcomer Maia Kealoha has scored the role.
Kealoha, who doesn't have any acting credits but has appeared in Little Miss Kona Coffee pageants, will acting alongside whoever else is cast for the human characters, and a lot of CG.
The original film, directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, followed Lilo, a lonely Hawaiian girl who forms a bond with a doglike extraterrestrial creature, whom she names Stitch. Stitch, who is engineered to cause chaos, has a change of heart as Lilo teaches Stitch the importance of "Ohana" the Hawaiian concept of family and introduces him to the music of one Elvis Presley. The movie was successful enough to spawn to straight-to-home-entertainment sequels, a TV movie and a TV series.
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On's Dean Fleischer Camp is the director who will be marshalling the new version, and we're sure there'll be more news surfing our way before too long.