Stitch has become an unlikely star among Disney’s characters. The blue alien is so popular that he ranks in the top 10 bestselling Disney franchises, alongside stalwarts such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, the princesses, Star Wars and Marvel, the company said.

Maia Kealoha, 8, makes her debut in the live-action remake of "Lilo & Stitch." She tells USA TODAY about auditioning for the role and what's next.

When the original animated Lilo & Stitch premiered in 2002, it was preceded by one of the most memorable promotion campaigns of the 2000s. A series of trailers began highlighting the beloved (and then fairly recent) animated movies of the Disney Renaissance,

The original "Lilo & Stitch" had a high-flying finale, centered on an air chase between alien spaceships. But in the live-action remake, director Dean Fleischer Camp ("Marcel the Shell With Shoes On") was keen to bring the story back down to Earth,