It's no secret that Disney has struggled when launching new theatrical franchises in recent years. Strange World was a major flop. Wish was a disappointment despite Disney's 100th anniversary marketing. And Elio opened well below Pixar box office standards. Even Encanto, which is now one of the company's biggest cultural hits, had a weak theatrical run.
Which brings me to Hexed, Disney Animation's next original animated feature. Scheduled to release later this year, it's marks another attempt by Disney to launch a brand new theatrical release.
Perhaps learning their lesson, Disney is doing something they haven't done in five years to generate buzz for the movie: playing a new theatrical short ahead of it.
Announced at Annecy, Lilo & Scratch is a new 2D/CG hybrid theatrical short that will screen ahead of the Hexed when it plays in theaters this November.
Directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn and Malcon Pierce, Lilo & Scratch takes place shortly after the events of the original Lilo & Stitch animated movie. It follows the duo as their life is upended when Lilo brings home a rescue cat named Scratch.
“For the first time in five years, we have a new theatrical short,” said director Fawn Veerasunthorn to the Annecy crowd, adding: “We are in this room because every single one of us loves animation.”
The audience got a first look at the opening minutes of Lilo & Scratch, which Cartoon Brew described as "packed with physical comedy" and animation that faithfully channels the spirit and aesthetic of the original.
"This is the kind of mayhem we love with this character,” said Walt Disney Animation Studios' Malcon Pierce, teasing a "wild, chaotic chase around the island" that will unfold.
Chris Sanders, who voiced Stitch in the original movie, is reprising the role of everyone's favorite troublemaker, while Maia Kealoha, who starred as Lilo in the recent live-action adaptation, will return to voice the character. Also returning is original supervising animator Alex Cooper Schmidt who animated scenes for the short on paper.
“He was always reminding us to push the animation very, very far, saying, ‘What are you afraid of?'” Veerasunthorn said.
Lilo & Stitch has become one of Disney's biggest franchises, so Disney is probably hoping its popularity will bring people to the theaters. Lilo & Scratch will debut alongside Hexed on November 25, 2026.