“It’s fan service, but we decided not to do it in the exact same way,” Morrison says, echoing the overall approach to the new film’s campaign.
As the first 2000s-era Disney cartoon to receive the live-action treatment, Lilo & Stitch proved an effective training ground for how the marketing team might approach the upcoming IRL version of Moana, scheduled to sail into theaters on July 10, 2026. Morrison worked on the campaign for the 2016 cartoon, which remains one of the most-streamed titles on Disney+ and spawned a 2024 sequel that broke box office records.
“One thing from the Lilo & Stitch campaign that will carry over into Moana is the magic of seeing something that you love come to life in live action,” she remarks, noting that the original film remains omnipresent in peoples’ lives in a way that older Disney titles—including Lilo & Stitch—aren’t. “The love and care the filmmakers are taking to honor the Moana legacy is something we’ll be tapping into.”
In other words, you can bet that an Ugly Heihei situation won’t be on the menu.
