When you think about Lilo & Stitch, you probably hear that specific, gravelly "Aloha" in your head. It’s iconic. But the story of the voices in Lilo and Stitch is actually a lot weirder and more heartfelt than your average Disney press kit lets on. It wasn't just a bunch of actors in a booth. It was a weirdly intimate experiment that changed how Disney handled voice acting forever.
Most people don’t realize that the directors themselves are all over this movie. Usually, big studios hire a "star" and call it a day. Here? They let the creator of the character actually be the character. It’s probably why the movie feels so much more grounded and less like a "product" than some of its early 2000s peers.
The Weird Genius of Chris Sanders as Stitch
Let’s be real. Nobody else could have been Experiment 626.
Chris Sanders, who co-directed the film, didn't just design Stitch; he birthed the voice. He started doing that signature rasp back in 1985 when he first came up with the character for a children's book that never happened. It’s a mix of a growl and a purr. When you hear Stitch say "Ohana," it’s not just an actor reading lines. It’s the guy who spent fifteen years trying to get this movie made.
There's this legend that Sanders would stay in character between takes to keep the energy up. It worked. He managed to make a destructive blue alien sound vulnerable without it being cringey.
Daveigh Chase and the Lilo Connection
Then you have Daveigh Chase. She was about ten or eleven when she voiced Lilo Pelekai.
If her name sounds familiar, it’s because she also played Samara in The Ring. Talk about range. She brought this specific, quirky pacing to Lilo that felt authentically "weird kid." Lilo wasn't a "Disney Princess" child. She was messy. She screamed. She was grieving. Chase’s performance captured that feeling of a kid who is trying to be okay but isn't.
Honestly, the chemistry between her and Sanders (Stitch) is the backbone of the whole thing. Even though they weren't always in the booth together, their rhythms match perfectly.
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Tia Carrere and the Heart of Hawaii
One of the biggest wins for the voices in Lilo and Stitch was the casting of Tia Carrere as Nani.
Disney actually listened for once. Instead of casting a generic "big name" actress, they went with Carrere, who is a Honolulu native. She didn't just voice Nani; she helped rewrite the dialogue. She and Jason Scott Lee (who voiced David Kawena) made sure the pidgin and the slang felt real. They weren't just playing characters; they were representing their actual home.
They even sang together. That "Aloha Oe" scene? That’s them. It’s raw. It’s not over-produced. It’s just two people who understand the weight of that song in Hawaiian culture.
David Kawena: The King of Patience
Jason Scott Lee is a legend. He played Bruce Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Seeing him transition to David, the softest, most patient boyfriend in Disney history, was a trip.
David is basically the unsung hero of the movie. He’s the guy who waits. He’s the guy who supports Nani without making her problems about him. Lee’s voice has this natural warmth that makes you believe he’d wait forever for Nani to get her life together. It’s a grounded performance in a movie about aliens.
The Supporting Chaos: Jumba and Pleakley
You can't talk about the voices in Lilo and Stitch without mentioning the comedic duo of David Ogden Stiers and Kevin McDonald.
- Jumba Jookiba: David Ogden Stiers. Most people knew him from MASH* or as Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast. But his Jumba is something else. He created this pseudo-Russian/alien accent that shouldn't work but totally does. He’s the "evil" genius who is actually just a big softie.
- Agent Pleakley: Kevin McDonald from The Kids in the Hall. His high-pitched, frantic energy was the perfect foil to Stiers’ booming bass. Their banter was often improvised. You can tell they were having a blast.
The Casting That Most People Miss
Ving Rhames.
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Yes, the guy from Pulp Fiction and Mission: Impossible is Cobra Bubbles. He’s a social worker who looks like he could snap a tree in half. Rhames brings this incredible gravity to the role. When he says, "I'm a social worker," you feel the threat, but you also feel the duty. It’s one of the most underrated voice performances in the Disney canon.
And then there’s Kevin Michael Richardson as Captain Gantu. Richardson is a voice acting titan. He has that deep, resonant rumble that makes Gantu feel ten feet tall.
Mrs. Hasagawa and the Local Flavor
Amy Hill voiced Mrs. Hasagawa, the lady with the fruit stand and the "dogs" (which were actually experiments). Hill is another actor who brought authentic AAPI representation to the film. Her dry delivery is some of the funniest stuff in the movie.
"I have very many dogs now."
Iconic.
Why This Specific Cast Worked So Well
Most animated movies today feel like they’re trying to sell you a soundtrack or a celebrity cameo. Lilo & Stitch didn't do that.
They prioritized the sound and the vibe over the "A-list" status. They used actors who understood the culture of Hawaii and actors who weren't afraid to get weird. The result is a movie that sounds lived-in. It feels like a small town in Kauai, even when a spaceship crashes into the forest.
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The Legacy of the Voices
Since the original 2002 film, most of these actors stayed with their characters for the sequels and the TV show. That’s rare. Usually, the big stars bail for the direct-to-video stuff. But Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere, and David Ogden Stiers stayed.
They cared.
The voices in Lilo and Stitch created a family that extended past the screen. Even when Chris Sanders eventually left Disney to go to DreamWorks (where he directed How to Train Your Dragon), he kept coming back to voice Stitch. He is Stitch.
What to Look For in the Live-Action Remake
As of 2026, the live-action Lilo & Stitch has sparked a lot of debate about the voices. While Chris Sanders is expected to return as the voice of Stitch (because, again, who else could do it?), the rest of the cast is naturally changing to fit the live-action format.
- Maia Kealoha is taking on the mantle of Lilo.
- Sydney Agudong is Nani.
- Kaipo Dudoit is David.
The big question is whether they can capture that same "lightning in a bottle" energy that the original 2002 cast had. The original voices in Lilo and Stitch set a ridiculously high bar for emotional honesty.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
If you’re a die-hard fan or a collector of the franchise, there are a few things you should know about the voice cast’s involvement in merchandise and media:
- Check the Credits on Games: If you’re playing Disney Dreamlight Valley or Kingdom Hearts, listen closely. Not all Stitch appearances use Chris Sanders. Some use "sound-alikes," though Sanders usually tries to do the major entries.
- Original Soundtrack Value: The original CD soundtrack features snippets of dialogue between the songs. These are great for hearing the raw chemistry of the actors outside of the film's mix.
- Autograph Hunting: If you’re looking for signed memorabilia, Tia Carrere and Chris Sanders are known for being incredibly gracious with fans at conventions. Their signatures on original cels are highly prized.
- The "Lilo" Shift: In some later spin-offs, like Stitch! (the anime) or Stitch & Ai, Daveigh Chase does not return as Lilo. For the "true" experience, stick to the original film, Stitch! The Movie, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, and Leroy & Stitch.
The magic of these performances is that they don't feel like performances. They feel like a family. That’s the "Ohana" the movie is always talking about. It wasn't just a marketing slogan; it was the way they built the movie from the vocal booth up. Stuck in a room, making weird noises, and trying to tell a story about a broken family that finds a way to be whole again.