If you close your eyes and think of Lilo Pelekai, you hear her. It’s that raspy, slightly defiant, but fiercely tender voice. "Ohana means family." It’s one of the most iconic lines in cinema history. Most people don't realize that the girl behind that voice was only ten years old when she recorded it. Daveigh Chase didn't just play a character; she basically gave Lilo her soul.
But then, she just... vanished? Kinda.
If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok lately, you might have seen some pretty heavy videos about her. There's this clip from the 2003 MTV Movie Awards where Sean "Diddy" Combs invites a 12-year-old Daveigh to an after-party. It's awkward. It’s honestly hard to watch knowing what we know now in 2026. This has sparked a massive wave of "Where is she now?" searches. People are worried. They’re curious. And unfortunately, the story of Lilo and Stitch Daveigh Chase is a lot more complicated than a Disney fairytale.
The Girl Who Was Everywhere
In 2002, Daveigh Chase was the biggest child star you didn't quite recognize by face, but you knew her work. It’s wild to think about her range. In the same year she was voicing the sweet, eccentric Lilo, she was also crawling out of a TV screen as Samara in The Ring.
Talk about a career 180.
She also voiced Chihiro in the English dub of Spirited Away. That’s three massive, culture-shifting roles in a single window of time. She won an Annie Award for Lilo. She won an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. She was beating out guys like Willem Dafoe and Daniel Day-Lewis. At twelve.
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For a while, she stayed in the Disney fold. She did Lilo & Stitch: The Series and the various sequels like Stitch! The Movie. But if you look closely at the credits for Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, Daveigh isn't there. Dakota Fanning stepped in. Why? Official word back then was "scheduling conflicts." Daveigh was busy filming other things, including a transition into more "grown-up" roles like Rhonda Volmer in HBO's Big Love.
Why Did Daveigh Chase Stop Playing Lilo?
The hand-off to Dakota Fanning felt weird to fans. Honestly, it still does. While Fanning is a legend, the voice was off. Daveigh eventually came back for the final movie, Leroy & Stitch, in 2006. That was the last time she ever voiced the character.
After that, the trail starts to get a bit rocky.
A lot of child stars hit a wall when they turn eighteen. For Daveigh, the transition seemed to happen in the indie film world. She starred in S. Darko, the sequel to Donnie Darko (she played the little sister in the original). It didn't do great. By the mid-2010s, the big roles started drying up. Her last major credit on IMDb is from 2016, a voice role in a video game called Let It Die.
Then, the headlines changed. They weren't about awards anymore.
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- 2017: She was arrested for riding in a stolen car.
- 2018: She faced charges for possession of a controlled substance.
- The "Diddy" Clip: The recent resurfacing of the 2003 MTV clip has led to a lot of speculation about what young stars were exposed to back then.
It’s easy to look at these facts and think you know the whole story. We love a "downfall" narrative, don't we? But people who actually know her or follow her closely say she’s spent a lot of time back in Oregon, trying to live a life away from the Hollywood meat grinder.
The Live-Action Lilo and Stitch Context
With the live-action Lilo & Stitch movie arriving, everyone is looking back at the original cast. Chris Sanders is back to voice Stitch (because, let's be real, nobody else can). But Lilo is being played by a newcomer, Maia Kealoha.
Some fans were holding out hope for a Daveigh Chase cameo. Maybe she could play a grown-up Lilo? Or a different character entirely? As of now, there’s zero evidence of that happening.
The reality is that Lilo and Stitch Daveigh Chase represents a specific era of Disney magic that felt "real." Lilo wasn't a perfect princess. She was a kid who struggled with grief and didn't fit in. Daveigh brought that grit to the booth. You can't replicate that with AI or a soundalike. It was lightning in a bottle.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Career
People think she just "failed." That's such a narrow way to look at it.
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If you actually look at her filmography, she worked consistently for nearly twenty years. Most actors would kill for that. She wasn't just "the girl from The Ring" or "the voice of Lilo." She was a singer who opened for Reba McEntire. She was a favorite of Steven Spielberg (he personally picked her to sing in A.I. Artificial Intelligence, though the scene was cut).
The "Lilo" years were a peak, for sure. But the industry is brutal. It’s especially brutal to young women who don't fit into the "starlet" mold as they age. Daveigh always had an edge. She was "weird" Lilo and "creepy" Samara. Hollywood doesn't always know what to do with "edge" once the actor hits 25.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to reconnect with her work or understand her impact on the franchise, here’s what you should actually do:
- Watch the "Skip" Episode: If you want to hear what Daveigh sounded like as an older Lilo, check out the Lilo & Stitch: The Series episode titled "Skip." It features a teenage version of the character, and Daveigh voiced both parts. It’s the closest we ever got to seeing her "grow up" with the role.
- Check Out "Spirited Away": If you've only seen her in Disney stuff, her performance as Chihiro is a masterclass in subtlety. It's widely considered one of the best English dubs in anime history.
- Support the New Cast: While it's tempting to compare, the new live-action film is a chance for a new generation. Maia Kealoha is Hawaiian, which adds a layer of authenticity the original (as great as it was) was missing in its lead casting.
- Don't Believe Every Rumor: There are some pretty dark theories floating around Reddit and TikTok about her current status. Unless it’s from a verified source, take it with a grain of salt. She has largely stayed off social media since 2017 for a reason—privacy.
Ultimately, Daveigh Chase’s legacy isn't her mugshots or the weird Diddy clips. It’s the fact that she gave a voice to every kid who felt like an outsider. She made us believe that a broken family could still be "good." That's the part that sticks. That's the ohana.