The Chinese premiere of Lilo & Stitch, a live-action animated remake of Disney's classic work released in 2002, was held in Beijing on Friday, bringing audiences back to the warmth they felt in the animated version 23 years ago.
The story of this modern classic centers around a young Hawaiian girl named Lilo and a mischievous alien creature known as Stitch, formally called Experiment 626, who crash-lands on Earth while escaping intergalactic authorities.
The film' central theme revolves around "ohana", the Hawaiian concept of family, with characters emphasizing that "ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."
The live-action remake of the classic work has finally been brought to screen, bringing joy to many Chinese moviegoers who dressed up like the characters in the film to attend the premiere ceremony in Beijing.
"I am dressing up like the live-action version of Lilo, and I dressed [the Lilo doll] in the same outfit as mine," said a moviegoer.
"I brought my Stitch doll from home to watch the premiere together," said another audience member.
For many, part of the excitement was seeing how classic scenes from the original animation have been faithfully recreated for the big screen.
"It's incredibly faithful to the original. When we watched it, we felt the casting made every character look just like they do in the animated film, and Stitch is fluffy and absolutely adorable," said another moviegoer.
"When I saw the ending, all I could think was 'here it comes -- the most iconic scene.' And without even realizing it, tears just started streaming down my face," said another moviegoer.
Lilo & Stitch fans in Beijing dress up to attend long-awaited premiere of live-action remake
