HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES — We first met “Lilo & Stitch” in the 2002 animated movie. Now, 23 years later, Disney is blending live-action and animation for a remake.

The new live-action film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday — the same place where the animated movie premiered in 2002.

On The Red Carpet caught up with the stars on the blue carpet.

The beloved Disney characters Lilo and Stitch are back for a new generation with the live-action remake.

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This time, Maia Kealoha takes on the role of Lilo — a little Hawaiian girl who really needs a friend. She finds that friend in an alien on the run, posing as a dog that Lilo names Stitch.

“I’m so happy to be here. It’s my first premiere, so I am so excited,” Maia said.

Chris Sanders, who voiced the role of Stitch in the original version, is back to do it again.

“Stitch simply is an extension of me. He’s chaotic neutral. He causes as much trouble as he fixes, so yeah, he acts like I do,” Sanders said.

There has been plenty of anticipation from fans to see the new “Lilo & Stitch,” and that brings smiles to a lot of the faces involved with the film.

“It’s the reason we all do it. It’s the joy and magic in the room, seeing all of your hard work on a screen with an audience laughing and crying is the best feeling in the world,” said director Dean Fleischer Camp.

The new “Lilo & Stitch” opens in theaters Friday for the long Memorial Day weekend.

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