10 Must-Watch Films and TV Shows Set in New York

May 28, 2025May 27, 2025

By Cassandra Pinkney

New York, New York—the city so nice, they named it twice. One of the most populous and visited crossroads in the United States, New York City has graced the world with endless art and innovation throughout its storied history.

The city that never sleeps is also quite the muse, acting as the backdrop for some amazing films and television shows. The newest addition to New York’s filmography is FX’s Adults, a comedy series about a group of twenty-somethings crashing at their friend’s family home in New York as they try to figure out who they are. To get ready for the two-episode premiere of Adults on May 28, here are some of our favorite stories set in New York and available on Disney+ and Hulu.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

When most teenagers cut class, it’s usually not to save the world from a supervillain. Lucky for us, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is not your average teenager! This web-slinger hero hails from Queens, New York, the backdrop to much of Spider-Man’s first solo film, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). You can watch this New York story and some of the hero’s other adventures in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), all on Disney+. And be on the lookout for the newest chapter in Peter Parker’s story, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, coming summer 2026.

The Rescuers (1977)

Treasure hunters Medusa and Mr. Snoops abduct a six-year-old orphan mouse named Penny to help them find the world’s largest diamond, the Devil’s Eye. Penny asks for help in a message in a bottle that gets intercepted by the Rescue Aid Society in New York City. Bianca, the international organization’s Hungarian representative, volunteers to save Penny and chooses the nervous and superstitious Bernard as her partner. This tale of two brave agents who go on a mission to save their fellow mouse is quintessentially New York and perfect for the whole family!

Hamilton (2020)

Hamilton is an original hip-hop musical turned cultural phenomenon about the life of Alexander Hamilton. The filmed version of the musical, available on Disney+, features the show’s original cast that took the world by storm when the musical opened on Broadway in 2015. New York features heavily in the musical, setting the stage for some of its most memorable and impactful moments. But is it hard to believe that New York would be so influential? The Schuyler sisters put it best when they said, “History is happening in Manhattan!”

Only Murders in the Building

When a string of mysterious murders begins at an upscale apartment building in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, residents and true crime afficionados Charles (Disney Legend Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) are on the case. This trio of amateur investigators find themselves in heaps of hilarious situations as they look for stories to use on their podcast, Only Murders in the Building. The first four seasons of this Emmy®-winning series are available on Disney+—and a fifth season is on the way.

Oliver & Company (1988)

Oliver & Company is inspired by Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist story, trading in the locales of 19th century London for the Big Apple. Oliver, a stray kitten, joins a group of stray dogs, led by a Jack Russel Terrier named Dodger, who stick together and brave the streets of New York City alone. Fans of this film will remember the endlessly catchy tune “Why Should I Worry?”, where Dodger shows Oliver the ropes by parading through the city like he owns the town.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

If you venture toward the tip of Long Island, you might find yourself in Camp Half-Blood. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a television series based on Rick Riordan’s incredibly popular book series of the same name. The story follows New York-native Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), a young demigod and son of Poseidon. After being accused of stealing Zeus’ Master Bolt, he must work with other kids at Camp Half-Blood, a training camp for demigods, to return the lightning bolt and restore order to Olympus. The first season is available to stream now, and season two will premiere on Disney+ December 2025.

Newsies (1992) and Newsies: The Broadway Musical (2017)

“Uptown to Grand Central Station, down to City Hall…” Those are just a few of the places in New York where the Newsies spend their days hawking newspapers in this timeless tale. Disney Legend Alan Menken provided the score for the fan-favorite musical about the newsboys’ strike of 1899, adding a quintessentially Disney flair to this inspiring story about standing up for what’s right. Disney+ has two versions of this story to choose from—Newsies, the 1992 film starring Christian Bale as Jack Kelly, and the 2017 filmed version of Newsies: The Broadway Musical, featuring Jeremy Jordan and other members of the original cast.

Daredevil: Born Again

“I can’t see my city. But I can feel it.” Daredevil: Born Again is a dark, gritty story about Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a lawyer who takes justice into his own hands as the vigilante Daredevil. His enemy, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), has stepped into a new role as mayor of New York City and threatens to tear the city apart. Much of the series takes place in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, making it a fantastic watch for anyone who wants a more rough and rugged story set in the city that never sleeps.

Night at the Museum (2006)

Have you ever wondered what happens to museum exhibits when all the visitors leave? Well, Night at the Museum (2006) has an answer for you! This film, set at the American Museum of Natural History and starring Ben Stiller, is a New York story perfect for the whole family. Whether you want to see fossils playing fetch or cave paintings in the subway, this film has you covered. And if you’d rather venture out of the city instead, you can always take a trip to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) or the British Museum in London in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014).

FX’s Adults – Premieres May 28th on FX. All Episodes Streaming on Hulu

Like all young adults in big cities, the ensemble cast of FX’s Adults is trying to find their way in the world. The quintet of characters encounters the same struggles that all twenty-somethings face, like dried-up love lives and career uncertainty, and has hilariously bad ideas on how to fix what’s wrong. Coming of age as adults, these friends try to shape themselves into good people, despite being neither “good” nor “people” yet. Catch FX’s Adults May 28 on FX. All Episodes Streaming on Hulu.

Exclusive: New Marvel’s Uncle Scrooge: Earth’s Mightiest Duck Limited Comics Series Announced

May 23, 2025May 23, 2025

By Sohrab Osati

When Earth needs saving, who better to save it than Uncle Scrooge! Coming off Marvel Comics one-shot, Uncle $crooge and the Infinity Dime #1, prolific writer Jason Aaron is back with an all-new adventure for Marvel and Disney fans this August. With art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Mahmud Asrar, Ciro Cangialosi & more, the story finds us in a planet that:

“...has been conquered by alien invaders, the Connoisseurs, nefarious hoarders of the rarest antiquities from throughout the cosmos. As they tear the Earth apart, pillaging its fabled treasures, only the world’s greatest adventurer can possibly stop them. But Scrooge McDuck is facing a battle unlike any he’s ever fought, trapped inside his own mind, fighting to preserve his most precious memories. From writer Jason Aaron (Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime, plus some other things) and an extravagance of all-star artists comes the most epic adventure in Duck history.”

Marvel’s Uncle Scrooge: Earth’s Mightiest Duck

Jason Aaron on Uncle Scrooge: Earth’s Mightiest Duck #1 (of 4):

“Scrooge McDuck is one of the greatest heroes in the history of comics, bar none. It was a thrill to get to write him in the pages of Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime, as we took him on a journey across the multiverse. With this new series, I knew we'd have to go bigger, not just by incorporating more Marvel artists into the mix, but by sending Scrooge on the most epic story of his career, as he fights to save the one thing more precious to him than gold or any exotic treasure: his own memories of a life of adventure.”

Be sure to stop by your local comic book shop this August!

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Disney Musicals in Schools Expands with New Stage Connect Program

May 23, 2025

By the D23 Team

For nearly two incredible decades, Disney Musicals in Schools has helped create empowering musical theater programs in public elementary schools in 22 cities across the United States and the United Kingdom—allowing over 100,000 kids to experience performing in their very first school musical! And now, Disney Musicals in Schools is poised to bring that magic to more students than ever before with the launch of Stage Connect…

Normally, recipient schools receive free performance rights and ShowKit materials to a 30-minute Disney musical created specifically for elementary school performers—while also gaining free, in-school support from a pair of Teaching Artists, who guide classroom teachers through producing their first school musical.

Stage Connect, a brand-new teacher training program that expands Disney Musicals in Schools across the U.S., delivers that same, high-quality teacher professional development from the in-person program via online learning. It removes any geographic barriers and extends Disney Musicals in Schools to communities that may not have access to the traditional program.

From now through July 1, any public elementary school can apply for free access to Stage Connect and free performance rights to a Disney show! Recipient schools can choose from the following titles: 101 Dalmatians, Aladdin, The Aristocats, Finding Nemo, Frozen, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and Winnie the Pooh. With Stage Connect, educators will get the training they need to successfully produce one of these school musicals, regardless of their prior experience.

“We’re thrilled to expand the transformative power of school theater across the country by providing teachers with quality materials and innovative, accessible training,” says Lisa Mitchell, Director of Education & Audience Engagement at Disney Theatrical Group. “Disney Musicals in Schools is designed to spark creativity, foster a love for the arts, and help kids gain valuable skills such as confidence, empathy, and collaboration—all while experiencing the joy of putting on a show. All kids deserve access to the arts, and we’re hopeful Stage Connect can bring us one step closer to that goal.”

Hosted by L. Steven Taylor and Bonita Hamilton from Broadway’s The Lion King, Stage Connect features demonstration videos and downloadable resources that coach teachers through all facets of putting on a show.

Recipient teachers will take the Stage Connect online courses before beginning their rehearsal process. The platform provides on-demand reference materials, downloadable resources, and instructional videos every step of the way.

Up to 200 schools will be selected for the 2025-26 school year, and recipient schools must commit a team of four teachers (or other school staff) to the program. For more information—including how your school can apply!—please visit DisneyMusicalsinSchools.com.

How Lilo & Stitch Filmmakers Crafted a Heartfelt Live-Action Adventure

May 23, 2025May 21, 2025

By Zach Johnson

Opening in theaters Friday, Disney’s Lilo & Stitch is a live-action reimagining of the animated classic that touched hearts around the world upon its release in 2002. Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp and produced by Jonathan Eirich and Dan Lin, the story has been reimagined for modern audiences while honoring the essence of the beloved animated tale.

“We tried to adapt it in a way that paid loving tribute to the original, but wasn’t a one-to-one literal translation,” Fleischer Camp said. “We were very clear-eyed about the fact that animation and live action are two completely different mediums; there are things you can do well in live-action that you can’t in animation, and vice versa. It was always our goal to make something that rhymed spiritually with the original film but was a little modernized.”

Producers faced the unique challenge of translating an iconic animated film into a live-action spectacle while honoring the cultural nuances and values intrinsic to the story — something Eirich knows a thing or two about, having previously produced Aladdin (2019).

“The headline is: Don’t Mess It Up,” Eirich said with a laugh. “Now, that doesn’t mean, ‘Do a shot for shot live-action remake.’ The fans want to be sure that fans of the original are making all these decisions and all these changes with love and with a lot of thought behind them. A big thing for us was looking at everything and asking, ‘Is this just different, or is it potentially better and new?’ And if it was the latter, we’d say, ‘Let’s push the story in that direction.”

Through that process, Eirich said, “You realize there are key moments — like ‘Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride,’ for example — where we, as fans ourselves, would be mad if they weren’t in the live-action movie. Once we figured out what those were, we thought about the logistics. If we’re bringing this into live-action with human actors, what are the best ways to navigate the story? How can we deliver a new experience for a new generation?”

In many ways, Fleischer Camp said, the original Lilo & Stitch was “ahead of its time.”

“The story takes place in contemporary society,” Fleischer Camp said. “It’s not a fairy tale kingdom. There are no Disney Princesses; in fact, it stars the absolute opposite of a Disney Princess. Because of that, in live-action, we’re afforded the opportunity to go a little bit deeper with the characters and ground them in a totally real, very emotional way. We get to tell a real story of a lived experience, growing up in Hawai’i, between these two sisters.”

To do that, however, filmmakers collaborated with several people who worked on the original film — including Chris Sanders, who directed the film and returns to voice Stitch. A trio of cast members who voiced characters in the animated feature — Amy Hill, Tia Carrere, and Jason Scott Lee — also appear as new characters in the live-action adventure.

“The original filmmakers are very proud of their work on Lilo & Stitch — rightfully so — and they were enthusiastic about helping us along the way,” Fleischer Camp said, calling it “an honor” to collaborate with them all. “We made an effort to fold them into the process.”

From Eric Guaglione, who served as an animation supervisor on both films, to Alex Kupershmidt, who was the lead animator for Stitch in the original film, their contributions were invaluable. “Their enthusiasm and their support was incredible,” Fleischer Camp said. “We could not possibly have made this movie without the people who made the original.”

For that reason, Eirich said, Lilo & Stitch should be seen on the biggest screen possible.

“There’s an authenticity and a naturalism to Hawai’i that you’ve never seen before onscreen,” he said. “It’s the perfect kickoff to summer. This movie is such an emotional roller coaster. It’s fun, it’s chaotic, and it has so much heart. We talk a lot about the experience of laughing and crying with other people in a cinema — there’s nothing like it.”

Composer Michael Giacchino Looks Back on Tomorrowland, 10 Years Later

May 22, 2025May 22, 2025

The creator of many celebrated film scores reunited with longtime collaborators Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof for the Disney Parks-inspired movie that’s fast becoming a beloved classic.

By Lucas O. Seastrom, Lucasfilm

It’s only fitting that the composer for Tomorrowland “the film” had already composed music for Tomorrowland “the place.” Not long after he’d finished work on the score for director Brad Bird’s The Incredibles in 2004, Michael Giacchino got a call from Walt Disney Imagineering, asking if he’d be interested in composing new music for the iconic Space Mountain at Disneyland.

“Wait, what? I get to do that?” Giacchino remembers thinking. “That’s better than almost anything else you could ask me to do – to work with the Imagineers on something that’s going to be there at Disneyland for years to come.” Growing up in New Jersey, Giacchino and his family made a trip to Walt Disney World when it first opened, where the Magic Kingdom made a strong impression. “I thought, what is this magical place? How do I live here?” he recalls. “I feel like, as an adult, I was able to answer some of those questions and become a part of this thing that I loved so much.”

The Incredibles was Giacchino’s first feature-length movie score, one that “broadened my horizons,” as he puts it, opening up many new career opportunities. “I love this idea that the things you’re passionate about, the things you put your time into, they become a part of you and inform what your world is,” he explains. “It all comes from the love of it. When you put your positive energies into the things that you are passionate about it will reshape your world in ways you can’t know.”

That would come full circle a decade after Giacchino’s work on Space Mountain when Brad Bird recruited him for another film project, 2015’s Tomorrowland, now celebrating its 10th anniversary. It was a story after his own heart. “Ultimately, Tomorrowland is about getting you to that place where you feel like those things, those loves and passions, if you put them out in the world, they won’t just make the world better, but they’ll make you better, too.”

A young woman wearing a red NASA cap gazes upward with wide eyes, holding a glowing pin between her fingers. The image appears to be seen through a screen, with scan lines adding a retro, surveillance-style effect.

A Top-Secret Project

Giacchino first learned of the budding Tomorrowland project from writer and producer Damon Lindelof, with whom the composer had worked on the ABC television series Lost (2004-2010). Lindelof had originated the concept with fellow writer Jeff Jensen as an aspirational story about the quest to build a better future. Soon director and writer Brad Bird signed on as well. “It was this top-secret thing,” Giacchino recalls, “and it didn’t take long for me to call Brad and say, ‘Hey what is going on? What is this?’ It was both of my worlds coming together.”

Tomorrowland takes dreamers Frank Walker (George Clooney) and Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) on a journey to rediscover Tomorrowland, a cross-dimensional realm established by the world’s great minds to innovate solutions to society’s challenges. Helping them along the way is an ageless young girl, Athena (Rafey Cassidy), who is in fact an Audio-Animatronic. Opposing them is David Nix (Hugh Laurie), the cynical, authoritarian ruler of Tomorrowland who has accepted humanity’s doom as inevitable. The film opens with young Walker’s visit to the 1964 New York World’s Fair, where Walt Disney had premiered a number of iconic attractions.

Giacchino was on hand during the production’s location shoot at Disneyland, where the current it’s a small world attraction was presented as its World’s Fair counterpart. “Brad took me backstage in the ride and I got to see how it was put together,” the composer recalls. “I walked behind all of the flats and you could see the directions drawn on them about how they fit together, the same ones from the World’s Fair.”

Giacchino also managed to land a speaking role as a ride operator for small world, and explains how he named his character “Mike Lazarus,” envisioning him as a onetime crooner who finds work at the Fair after the mid-60s rise of rock and roll pushes him out of the music business. Admitting it’s “a dark backstory,” Giacchino says it was all concocted “out of silliness and fun,” something Bird encourages in his films.

The opportunity to recreate Disney’s presence at the World’s Fair extended to the film’s musical score as well. Along with the many original compositions by Giacchino, the Hollywood Studio Symphony also recorded a new orchestration of “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” by Robert and Richard Sherman, first composed for the Carousel of Progress in 1964.

“We were on the stage recording at Sony, and Richard was there with us that day,” says Giacchino. “The orchestra was going full tilt and he had tears in his eyes. It’s one thing to listen to music; it’s another thing to listen to an orchestra and feel that music. He hadn’t heard that played live in a long time. It affected him, and Brad and I were standing right there with him. It was one of the most incredible moments of my life, seeing him reflect on all the years that had passed since he and his brother wrote that song.”

A child in makeshift armor and a helmet walks alone down a dirt path through a sunlit field, wearing a large homemade jetpack. The bright sun hangs low in the sky, casting long shadows as the child gazes toward the horizon with determination.

Themes That Tell Stories

For Giacchino, composing a movie score is all about understanding the story, characters, and emotions. “Music can ruin the movie if it doesn’t understand what the story is. Audiences will pick up on it. Even if they can’t explain it, they feel it, and they disconnect from the story.” He often waits to see the rough cut as his first impression as opposed to reading a script and forming his own ideas beforehand. A composer’s ideal role is to work in tandem with the director, something Giacchino learned in part working on multiple projects with Bird.

Score plays a critical role in Tomorrowland from its opening frames, when the soulful tones of Athena’s emotional theme combine with the rousing anthem of Tomorrowland and its founding organization, Plus Ultra. Giacchino and Bird wanted to introduce the story with a sense of hope.

“Let’s get the audience in the right mood from frame one,” Giacchino explains. “Let’s put it right up front so there’s no question as to what it is and what mood we want them in. We did that in The Incredibles, which at the time was not thought to be a good thing to do. Others said, what about the logo music and all these other things? Brad felt strongly about the idea of starting in a way that was more mysterious. Ratatouille [2007] was the same and Tomorrowland was no different. The audience can settle into the ride that we’re bringing them on.”

Athena’s theme mixes sadness with hope, reflecting both the struggles of Tomorrowland to meet the world’s needs and the melancholic state of Frank, who fell for Athena as a child, not realizing she was in fact a robot. “It has a bit of heartbreak because life is hard and it doesn’t always go the way you want it to go,” Giacchino comments. “Athena understood that, but she also still held hope for something. She was always ready to be engaged in a fight to make things the way they needed to be. There was never a question as to what was right or wrong with her. It was always forthright, going straight ahead. I wanted that theme to have a mix of those two ideas, an understanding of life and a resolute feeling. That was such an important part of the movie.”

The fanfare that makes up Plus Ultra’s theme serves multiple needs in the story. There are grand and somber versions, as well as a resounding variation when young Frank takes off in his jetpack for the first time. It all adds up to a sense that “this is a place for everyone,” as Giacchino puts it. He stresses flexibility in his compositions and works methodically to identify the correct feelings for each piece. “It’s an emotional and analytical exercise, a sort of marriage between art and science, which was great because that’s what this whole movie was about, in a way.”

A young girl stands in awe, gazing at a breathtaking futuristic city filled with gleaming skyscrapers and massive looping transportation structures covered in greenery. Sleek buildings and flying vehicles surround her, suggesting a world of advanced technology and limitless possibility.

Visions and Flickers

When Frank, Casey, and Athena finally arrive in Tomorrowland, Nix takes them to “the monitor,” an enigmatic device that harnesses newly-discovered particles to glimpse a possible vision of the future. The vision, however, is susceptible to the emotional state of its beholders, which in turn can be influenced by the monitor’s own tantalizing images. It seems that humanity’s despondent tendencies have been manipulated by this machine at the expense of hope and optimism. As Casey takes control of the monitor, she experiences a montage of the coming apocalypse, and Giacchino’s score takes a decided turn.

“That’s the reality check,” the composer explains. “You can have as many hopes and dreams as you’d like and an attitude that it’s going to work out, but it doesn’t always. The music in that scene represents the danger of what is also possible if you’re not careful. It’s a gut check. Then you decide, well I understand it, so it’s important to be clear about all sides of things. If you are just an optimist, you are going to trip and fall at some point because you’re not watching for the things that are coming your way. You need just a bit of cynicism in you to double check your optimistic side.

“If you keep the cynicism in a particular place and acknowledge it, that can be a very valuable tool, as long as you don’t allow it to control you,” Giacchino continues. “It can paralyze you. You have to keep it slightly at bay, but acknowledge it. When we ignore problems, they get worse. Humans are the absolute best at creating problems and not solving them. Instead of solving them, they’ll choose to put it somewhere and not think about it. We have to keep an eye out for this stuff so it doesn’t overtake us.”

With her eyes ever open, Casey refuses to accept the inevitability of the monitor’s predictions. With the possibility of a better future, the images flicker, showing brighter horizons. The score follows suit with a shimmer from the string sections that almost feels akin to the piece of score in Walt Disney’s Pinocchio (1940) when the wooden boy’s nose grows in length as he tells a lie. Giacchino agrees with the comparison, noting that the flicker is “an act of conscience,” or like Jiminy Cricket giving advice to Pinocchio.

“It’s something that’s reminding you and pointing you in a better direction,” the composer says. “We all need that in our lives. It shows up as friends, family, or something you read that makes you think differently about a particular thing. Using that musically, it’s just a personification of what that is. It’s not something that you can physically see. It’s a signpost for us.”

Three characters stand in a futuristic, cosmic setting filled with vibrant lights and digital distortions. In the center, Hugh Laurie portrays Governor Nix, wearing dark, armored attire and staring intently ahead. On the right, George Clooney appears as Frank Walker, partially in profile. Facing them with her back to the camera is Britt Robertson as Casey Newton.

A Poignant Finale

When Nix tries to do away with the heroes who are a threat to his own fatalistic resignation, it’s Athena who makes the ultimate sacrifice to save her friends. Her final goodbye to Frank is accentuated by Giacchino’s beautifully restrained score, with soft notes from a celeste.

“When dealing with emotional scenes like that, which need to resonate, I always feel that being quieter and smaller is more powerful than being loud and in your face,” Giacchino says. “If you have a friend that just went through a tough experience and they came to you to talk about it, would you yell at them? You wouldn’t tell them loudly, ‘No, it’s gonna be fine! It’s great!’ or ‘My God! I can’t believe it! That’s terrible.’ You would be quiet and just listen. That’s the best thing you can do. If we can do that with the score, that’s going to be the most powerful thing for an audience member.”

Tomorrowland’s final montage strings together a series of dreamers from all walks of life, each discovering their own Tomorrowland pin, the invitation to visit this world and embrace a hopeful, constructive outlook for the future. Giacchino’s score reprises a familiar bridge sequence used throughout the film. “It’s a motif that bolsters the idea of moving ahead. Everything needed to point in that direction, and that bridge was a simple version of that.”

But whereas earlier in the film, this rising movement fizzles under the complications and struggles of trying to realize such a vision, the final scene brings it to a powerful crescendo, full of rich possibility.

A wide shot from Tomorrowland shows dozens of people standing in a golden wheat field, all facing a gleaming futuristic city on the horizon. The towering cityscape glows under a clear sky, symbolizing hope and progress as people from around the world are drawn toward it. The moment captures the film’s central theme of optimism and imagination.

A Story that Lives On

“Tomorrowland as a film and a concept for me is about bringing out the best in the world,” Giacchino asserts. “What can the world be? What do we want it to be? We may still be far off from having what we want it to be today, but I like having it there as a reminder. Individuals need to be reminded so that the whole group can work together to create a better place. Small reminders are important.”

The composer observes that in the 10 years since the film’s release, he’s discovered a passionate following among the audience that’s only grown in size. “It wasn’t the biggest success when it first came out, which was disappointing at the time, but over the years we’ve realized that it has touched a large group of people in a way that we didn’t know. As you go out and engage with fans, you realize what it’s meant, and that new people are discovering it. We all felt a really positive energy making it, and we’re feeling that energy towards the film now.”

Unleash Stitch Summer with These Alien Essentials

May 22, 2025May 20, 2025

With the summer sun starting to shine and Disney’s live-action reimagining of Lilo & Stitch following close behind, we’re excited to share our favorite Stitch products for the season! From alien accessories and toys to tropical coffees, here are some fun Lilo & Stitch products to watch out for:

Stitch Cheese – Babybel

Snack on Stitch-themed Mini Babybel cheeses—coming soon! From July 21 to August 31, these limited-time cheesy delights will be available as a snack for any crazy activity. Conveniently wrapped in their signature red-wax coating, you can toss these into any picnic and bring Stitch in on the fun. With 4 grams of protein per serving and 100% real cheese, these Stitch Babybels will add a little mischief to your snack time. Just don’t forget to share!

Look for these on-the-go snacks in your local grocery store, beginning this July, or visit Babybel.com.

Summertime with 626 – Citizen

Click to purchase “A Stitch in Time” Watch

Click to purchase Stitch Eco-Drive Watch

Stick with Stitch all the time with CITIZEN’s Stitch-themed watches! With three different styles to pick from, you can choose your adventure’s tempo… and for those who love the sun, know that the Stitch Eco-Drive Watches harness the power of light to move the dial’s three hands! The island themed “A Stitch in Time” Watch features a smooth blue leather strap and a dial of plumerias—perfect for a tropical getaway. A second version of the Eco-Drive Stitch watch features a velvety pink dial. Or, keep an eye out for the “Stitch & Angel Together” Watch; it features a deep navy-blue backdrop for our favorite alien couple and a stainless-steel case.

The pink dial Stitch watch and the “A Stitch in Time” Watch are currently available online at the Disney Store; the “A Stitch in Time” Watch is also available at Trend-D at Disney Springs. In June, the “Stitch & Angel Together” Watch will be available throughout Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, and online at the Disney Store.

Lilo & Stitch Disney Classics Top Flip Flops – Havaianas

Explore a warm beach with Stitch—in the perfect pair of flip flops! For those hot summer sands, Havaianas Disney Classics Top Flip Flops are perfect to keep your feet comfortable. The wider straps, bright colors, and Stitch’s smile make these the ultimate summer sandal. With multiple size options, you can match with the whole family—shop for men’s, women’s, and kid’s sizes to bring the 626 fun to you.

These flip flops are available for purchase at the official Havaianas website. For each size, check out these links: Men’s sizes, Women’s sizes, and Kid’s sizes.

Stitch Coconut Craze & Stitch Ohana Blend – Joffrey’s

Remember Stitch’s baby bottle full of coffee? With notes of coconut and crumbly graham cracker, Joffrey’s Stitch Coconut Craze is sure to delight anyone just as much that java delighted everyone’s favorite blue alien! But if you want a different taste of paradise, keep an eye out for Joffrey’s newest Ohana Blend; featuring classic island notes of creamy coconut and sweet pineapple, this medium roast coffee will transport you to a lively luau. Use it to energize all your tropical treks and travels… Just don’t destroy the whole city!

Visit joffrey’s.com to purchase Stitch Coconut Craze and Stitch Ohana Blend (available May 1).

Character Set – LEGO®

Click to purchase Angel

Click to purchase Stitch

Build your favorite aliens with new Lilo & Stitch LEGO sets! With Angel and Stitch’s movable ears, turning heads, and variety of props, they’re able to hit all the cutest poses. Accessorize Angel with butterflies and floating hearts for a sweet display or decorate Stitch with his ice cream cone and flower.

Stitch is now available on LEGO.com; Angel is available for pre-order, to ship on June 1.

Stitch Collection – Pandora

Keep the spirit of ‘Ohana close to you with the new Stitch and Angel Charms from Pandora. They’re also available as a matching set of stud earrings where Stitch and Angel are in crawling positions! If you prefer necklaces, the Stitch Collier Necklace featuring Stitch holding a clear cubic zirconia and a sterling silver chain could be your new best friend.

Speaking of friends: If friendship bracelets are your preference, the Stitch Snake Chain Bracelet symbolizes the alien’s strong bonds with his pals. For something more lowkey, the Stitch & Stone Ring is perfect with its black enamel detailing and clear Stitch silhouette.

Find all these items in person at Disney Parks; your nearest Pandora retail location; or online at pandora.net.

Ray-Ban | Disney Lilo & Stitch Optical & Sun Kids – Sunglass Hut

When your kids channel their inner Stitch during playtime, Sunglass Hut has got them covered from the bright summer sun. These Ray-Ban Lilo & Stitch Sun Kids and Lilo & Stitch Optical Kids feature lightweight bio-based frames and adorable Stitch prints. And no matter what chaos your kids are up to, the bio-rubber nose pads and temple injections will stay secure.

These Stitch-themed spectacles are available to purchase starting mid-May. Keep an eye out on Ray-Ban.com for the color options, including Ray-Ban Kids’ best-selling purple.

Stitch T-Shirt – GAP

Add that alien flair to your wardrobe with GAP’s Stitch T-Shirt. As part of their overall Lilo & Stitch collection, this comfortable blue tee will keep you cool through the summer.

Visit your local GAP store or find it online at GAP.com.

Many Moods Stitch Interactive Plush Toy – Just Play

Bring Stitch’s mischievous antics to life with this interactive plushie! Jiggle him around to see his reactions, or rock him for a nap to see him yawn and snore. With expressive, LCD-screen eyes and over 50+ sounds and reactions, the play possibilities are endless. Have fun hanging with Stitch and enjoying his alien antics all summer long!

Visit your local Walmart, or walmart.com, to purchase the Many Moods Stitch Interactive Plush Toy.

Disney’s Stitch and Angel Mini Backpack – Loungefly

Last but certainly not least, Loungefly’s Stitch and Angel Mini Backpack is the cutest gift for you and your favorite alien. Its iridescent detailing, 3D-cherry blossoms, and heart-shaped front pocket are sweet additions to the bag. Meanwhile, the padded strap, gold-colored metal hardware, and vegan leather add to the comfort—making it the right backpack for any date.

Visit Loungefly.com to purchase Disney’s Stitch and Angel Mini Backpack.

Which Stitch product was your favorite? Bring it with you to watch Disney’s Lilo & Stitch in theaters on May 23^rd, 2025!

Matteo Lane on His New Hulu Comedy Special and Lifelong Love of Disney

May 22, 2025May 19, 2025

By Cassandra Pinkney

Matteo Lane is a New York City-based comedian from Chicago, IL, with an impressive breadth of talent. A creative in every sense of the word, Lane explored many other creative pursuits before beginning his comedy career—including oil painting, opera singing, and fashion illustration. That inborn creativity led him to gravitate toward Disney at a young age, where he began to develop an impressive knowledge of the studios’ history.

His latest comedy special, Matteo Lane: The Al Dente Special, premiered May 16 on Hulu and Disney+; written, performed, and executive produced by Lane, the special covers his travels, unique family background, and friendships in his signature snarky and sassy wit.

D23 had the chance to sit down with Lane to talk about The Al Dente Special—but not before chatting with the comic about all things Disney!

D23: What are some of your first memories with Disney?

Matteo Lane (ML): Sleeping Beauty. I’m a fan of [Disney Legends] Marc Davis and Eyvind Earle, and a lot of the artists that came out of that era of Disney, from like 1937 through basically the 1960s. I love Marc Davis—he’s my favorite artist of all time. I just think he was an amazing draftsman and an amazing animator; he created Maleficent and Cruella de Vil. He did a lot of the female drawings because he was very good at drawing a believable body, which is something that’s very difficult to animate. I went to art school, and I worked as a storyboard artist and animator and fashion illustrator for so long, so that’s how my appreciation for Disney comes in.

D23: Like you said, you have a very artistic background with a lot of skills that can be seen as quintessentially Disney. So how has Disney influenced your art?

ML: Like I said, I was very influenced by the things I liked. I love Sleeping Beauty. I thought it was really highly stylized, and it looked different than the other animated movies. I think a lot of my influence came from that and the art direction of Earle, and Davis—and the coloring and styling of the “Renaissance tapestry” look of those of those backgrounds and character design. It was like a mix of 14th century French medieval tapestries and the 1950s. So it was that aesthetic that always stuck with me. A lot of my sketch or line work, or character work, all has that feel to it.

D23: What about Disney resonated with you as a child, and what continues to resonate with you as an adult?

ML: Well in the 1990s, we got VHS tapes of Disney movies. We didn’t have DVDs; we didn’t have Netflix; we didn’t have Disney+. So, you had eight Disney movies, and you watched those over and over again, like Aladdin and The Lion King and stuff like that.

It’s an outlet for kids to express themselves and to sing and to watch stories that may have difficult themes to them, but the guise of animation makes them more approachable. You learn about death, you learn about family, you learn about love, and you learn about bad versus good. There are all the tropes of a childhood story but just thrown into a broader animated musical.

D23: You’ve ranked your favorite Disney Villains before…

ML: Number one is Maleficent!

D23: …But can we ask you to rank some other Disney favorites? Who are your top three favorite Disney Princesses?

ML: In terms of design, in my opinion, one of the prettier princesses is Cinderella—in the pink dress before it gets ripped up. I always loved the design of that dress… I like the way it looked; it had the ruffles coming out of the two bows in the front, with the sort of drape. I actually never liked Cinderella in the ball gown that the Fairy Godmother made her, because they put her hair up—and as a kid I hated when the hair went up! Like when Belle put her hair up… let the hair down! I want the hair down with that dress! So, I would say Cinderella’s pink dress.

I would then say Jasmine in the red was great, because it was like a slightly different. There’s something about just changing an already existing outfit into something slightly different, like Sleeping Beauty with the blue and the pink dress.

You know what? Before Cinderella’s, I’d put Sleeping Beauty in the pink dress. I always preferred it pink. I didn’t like it blue. I liked it pink! So, in order, I would say, Sleeping Beauty in pink, Cinderella in pink, and Jasmine in red.

D23: We’re sensing a love of warm tones…

ML: Yeah, I like warm tones. My favorite color is orange. I like orangey reds; I like orangey yellows. I don’t like purple, I don’t know why. I prefer Marc Davis’s original design of Maleficent with the red coat rather than the purple. But, you know, Eyvind Earle had a vision, and we all followed suit.

D23: Okay—what are your top three favorite Disney films?

ML: Number one, Sleeping Beauty. Number two, 101 Dalmatians… We’re keeping it to animated films, right?

D23: You can choose whatever you want!

ML: I’ll keep it to animation. So, I would say, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians—which were right after each other, by the way—and then I guess I have to pick one from the 1990s… Let me see—well, I do love the music of Hercules the best. But maybe Mulan. I’ll do Mulan for number three!

D23: What are your top three favorite Disney songs?

ML: Number one would probably be “A Star is Born” from Hercules. Then number two would be “Go the Distance” from Hercules. And then number three would be… you know, I always loved “I See the Light” from Tangled. I like that song a lot!

D23: You obviously know a lot about Disney history! Where did this knowledge come from?

ML: We had a giant Disney book when I was younger because my mom liked it. It was all about the art of Disney; the sketching and the keyframes and the drawings and the animation and the paintings. And they would go movie by movie. I always loved looking at that book; I loved looking at all the artwork and the drawings. You just pick up a lot from it, you know?

And then, obviously, I was a kid in the 1990s, so our whole life was The Lion King! And you were inundated with ABC—because, you know, we had four channels!)—and so you’re inundated with [announcer voice] “And behind the scenes of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast…” and you’d watch all the voice actors and all that stuff. So yeah, you just pick it up as you go along.

D23: Your new special, The Al Dente Special, is now out on Hulu and Disney+. How does it feel to have your work streaming alongside the films you grew up watching and that mean so much to you?

ML: Well, I feel sorry for the 7-year-old that wants to watch Beauty and the Beast and instead, they’re watching me complain about flying through Europe!

But seriously, it feels cool! it feels great. None of it sinks in—it’ll all sink in later. I’ll have an answer for you a couple months from now. I think.

D23: What can your fans expect from this new special?

ML: I think that this special is just like catching up with a friend at brunch that you haven’t seen over the past year—and they’re telling you all the stories and adventures they’ve been on. Just an hour of escapism. Just laughing. Let’s just laugh!

Matteo Lane: The Al Dente Special is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+!

QUIZ: Are You More Like Lilo or Stitch?

May 22, 2025May 13, 2025

By Cassandra Pinkney

Lilo and Stitch may be an unlikely pairing, but they’re certainly one of our favorite Disney dynamic duos. These two found each other by chance and became more than just best friends… they became ‘ohana. Both Lilo and Stitch have big personalities, which make them a perfect match for one another. Which character do you think you’re the most like: Lilo or Stitch? Take this quiz to find out!

DOWNLOADABLE: Celebrate Lilo & Stitch With This Fun Activity Pack!

May 20, 2025May 21, 2025

By the D23 Team

Ready for a lil’ Hawaiian roller coaster ride with the whole family, in the comfort of your own home?

Disney’s live-action reimagining of Lilo & Stitch hits theaters this Friday, May 23—and to get into the spirit, we’ve got special access to an adorable, Stitch-ified activity pack, available for download right now!

This activity pack is chock full of coloring pages; “Spot the Difference” games; word searches; a Stitch mask you can cut out and wear; and so much more! You can download this pack for free by clicking the link below:

DOWNLOAD NOW

In the meantime, don’t forget to meet the cast and characters of Lilo & Stitch... or read a Lilo & Stitch excerpt from the Summer ’25 issue of Disney twenty-three, the publication available to D23 Gold Members. (Not a Gold Member? Join today!)

And naturally, you don’t want to miss Lilo & Stitch, in theaters beginning May 23!

‘Ohana Means Lilo & Stitch

May 19, 2025May 15, 2025

By Christina Sturdivant Sani

[Excerpted from the Summer 2025 issue of Disney twenty-three. To enjoy this and upcoming issues of the publication, become a Gold Member today!]

When Disney released the animated film Lilo & Stitch in 2002, it created a “unicorn” in the Disney canon, according to Lilo & Stitch fan Jonathan Eirich. “First and foremost, you have Stitch—a whirlwind of terror wrapped in the cutest exterior imaginable,” Eirich, a producer on Disney’s Haunted Mansion (2023) and Aladdin (2019), tells Disney twenty-three. “It was a perfect storm to allow such a quirky, idiosyncratic story to get made—one that’s not about princesses or being perfect, but rather about real, deeply flawed characters discovering a found family.”

On May 23, Disney will release a reimagined live-action version of the film, which Eirich was excited to produce.

“In recent years, you could feel the fan fervor for [Stitch] building. I saw him everywhere out in the world, so you knew fan interest was there,” he says. “That comes with enormously high expectations to get it right… but I love that challenge.”

Set in Hawai‘i, the original film introduces us to Lilo, a little girl who’s being raised by her struggling older sister, Nani. Feeling lonely and dismissed by her peers, Lilo goes to an animal shelter where she adopts Stitch, whom she believes is a dog. In reality, Stitch is an alien creature programmed to cause chaos, and he’s on Earth trying to evade capture by an intergalactic police force.

While their journey is frenzied, Lilo and Stitch develop a close bond rooted in the Hawaiian concept of ‘ohana, which means family. All the while, Nani tries to quell the rambunctious duo and keep a stable job, after being threatened by a social worker who wants to transfer Lilo into foster care.

The right director for this remake needed “heart and humor in [their] filmmaking,” Eirich says, plus animation and visual effects experience to bring Stitch to life. He found that in Dean Fleischer Camp, whose film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022) was nominated for an Academy Award^® for Best Animated Feature Film in 2023.

“In that film, you see this quirky, clever, and beloved character of Marcel make us laugh throughout—but more than anything, make us cry,” says Eirich, who had known Fleischer Camp for years and reconnected with him after the Oscar^® nomination. “His film was so deeply emotional, and that notion of dealing with loss and finding a family in Marcel was so directly applicable to what is at the core of Lilo & Stitch.”

“I basically make movies to try to make my dad cry in public, so Marcel… and Lilo & Stitch were perfect opportunities for that,” Fleischer Camp tells Disney twenty-three. In the animated Lilo & Stitch, he adds, “The sisters getting torn apart and the struggle that they’re going through is unusually terrestrial for a Disney movie.”

Remaking the sisters’ tale in live action called for even more depth of storytelling, he says. “Live action demands that you tell a real story and have real emotional stakes and that it’s grounded in people’s lived experience of how hard life can be.” Part of his job, he continues, was “trying to figure out the real-world version of what the original Lilo & Stitch did—and that was a fun challenge.”

As a director, that meant ignoring “the swirling chaos going on all around me and trying to put myself in the shoes of an audience member who’s going to see this movie two years later… and ask really basic questions like, ‘Does this joke make me laugh?’; ‘Do I empathize with this person’s struggle?’; ‘Is this storytelling clear?’—those basic things that seem really far off when you’re in a jungle in Hawai‘i… That’s my approach.”

One thing the filmmakers knew for sure: The movie would portray authentic Hawaiian culture. In addition to shooting the entire film in Hawai‘i, they hired screenwriter Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, “who is an extraordinary writer and also born and raised in Hawai‘i,” Eirich says, adding that Bright’s mother was the director of the choir that performed the music for the original film and for the reimagining.

Those touches of authenticity “are felt throughout,” Eirich says, thanks to Bright and “an army of consultants” including Lāiana Kanoa-Wong, Mandi Kaleilani Medeiros Scott, and Mark Keali‘i Ho‘omalu—who ensured that the music, dialogue, locations, and spirit of the film all felt true to the Hawaiian community.

The team was also strict about casting Hawaiian actresses for the lead roles, says Eirich, who calls the search for their Lilo “broad and relentless.” What was particularly challenging was auditioning girls between the ages of 8 to 10. “There is such an innocence to Lilo—she doesn’t understand why she does the things she does or why people around her don’t think she ‘fits in.’ The older the actor, the less of that innocence you saw, so we really started to zero in on 6-year-olds as the sweet-spot age,” he says. Not only did the actress have to resemble and embody Lilo, but she also had to memorize lines and have the endurance for a long feature film shoot, he adds.

Late in the process, they found an audition tape for Maia Kealoha, who says she has a lot in common with Lilo. “We love our culture, we love helping others, and we’re both—I guess you could say—spunky,” she tells Disney twenty-three.

Kealoha was an “absolute revelation,” Eirich says. Fleischer Camp agrees, calling her “an enthusiastic collaborator,” despite this being her very first acting role. “Maia was like… ‘I don’t know what moviemaking is, I don’t know what acting is, but I’m here to perform. What do I do?’” By the end of shooting, “she was such a pro,” Fleischer Camp says. “No ego about it and such a natural performer.”

Similarly, the casting team was impressed by Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, who plays Nani and “is a discovery in her own right,” Eirich says. For Agudong—who’s seen the original Lilo & Stitch “close to one hundred times”—playing Nani was “a creative dream,” she tells Disney twenty-three. “The wonderful thing about art and film is that nothing is set in stone—you prep, study, practice, experiment, and still the moment they call ‘action,’ the slate is clean, and you rediscover your character all over again in real time. And that’s when magic happens.”