
‘Lilo & Stitch' stars reflect on film's success and are eager for a sequel
For 8-year-old star Maia Kealoha, it's meant no more Doritos – she's learned she has to keep her teeth clean, especially when doing interviews.
Kealoha, Sydney Agudong and Tia Carrere have been doing lots of those, taking a victory lap with 'Lilo & Stitch' at Comic-Con 2025 and promoting the film's release for digital purchase.
Another change? Kealoha says with a big grin that she's been recognized at stores 'like five thousand times.'
Agudong says the movie 'an ode to Hawaii' and it's been really cool to 'see how much the world has taken to it and how much impact 'Lilo & Stitch' really has had as just this lifelong and timeless story.'
She says she's been fortunate to celebrate the film's success with family and friends and despite premieres and whirlwind interviews, she still gets to 'go to the beach and have fun all over again and I'm just the same.'
Kealoha and Agudong are the breakout stars of the film, which is the biggest blockbuster of 2025, earning more than $1 billion.
'Our little blue friend Stitch is now a billionaire and we couldn't be more excited about it,' Carrere says excitedly.
As for a sequel, Agudong says the trio are feeling 'hanna hou,' a Hawaiian term for repeating or doing something again.
'Though, of course, we cannot confirm or deny the existence of any such project in this universe or the next. Sorry!' Carrere cheerfully noted.

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Toronto Sun
42 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
'Project Hail Mary' sends Ryan Gosling, and Comic-Con, into outer space
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Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Gosling was joined on a convention panel by directing duo Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, as well as screenwriter Drew Goddard and book author Andy Weir — whose previous novel The Martian 'was also turned into an Oscar-nominated film starring Matt Damon. Based on Weir's 2021 book of the same title, 'Project Hail Mary' follows astronaut Ryland Grace (Gosling), a science teacher waking up to learn he was recruited for a space mission to save Earth from an existential solar threat. Gosling described his character as 'a scared guy who has to do something impossible.' 'I knew it would be brilliant, because it's Andy (Weir),' Gosling told the crowd. 'It took me places I've never been. It showed me things I had never seen. It was as heartbreaking as it was funny and I was… not just blown away, but also overwhelmed.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Weir for his part said it was 'so cool' to see his book come to life and complimented Gosling for giving 'many layers to this character I made up.' Lord and Miller, the Oscar-winning duo behind the 'Spider-Verse' Spider-Man animated films, talked about the challenges of shooting a 'crazy ambitious' film which takes place inside a spaceship for the most part. 'We had to build an entire spaceship in two modes of gravity, and then we built this entire massive tunnel at scale,' Miller said. 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One clip showed Captain Christopher Pike played by Anson Mount in an entire episode where the cast is depicted like puppets from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Fans were also offered a first look of a new Star Trek series, dubbed 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' starring Holly Hunter. Hunter plays Nahla Ake, the academy's chancellor and captain of the USS Athena, who in a clip shown at Comic-Con welcomes a new class of cadets. 'It was really interesting to get the offer to be the captain, but then also to combine that with being the chancellor,' Hunter said. 'The captain is there to analyze in emergency situations, and then to delegate. And the chancellor is there to guide, to collaborate and to have tremendous empathy. 'It was just a wonderful combination of things,' she added. Comic-Con continues on Sunday for its final day of events. Sports Columnists Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA


Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Fantastic Four: First Steps' scores Marvel's first $100 million box office opening of 2025
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Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Godzilla fans fete the monster as it turns 70
Published Jul 27, 2025 • 2 minute read A "Godzilla" fan poses at Comic-Con in San Diego, California on July 26, 2025. Photo by Chris DELMAS / AFP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. SAN DIEGO — Godzilla has morphed over the years, but one constant is the devotion of its fans, who celebrated the Japanese monster's 70th anniversary at the pop culture convention Comic-Con. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Japanese studio Toho, which created Godzilla, maintains a calendar of events to celebrate the beast often called the king of monsters, and Comic-Con is on the agenda. Godzilla was born on Nov. 3, 1954 with the launch of the first movie about it, directed by Ishiro Honda. 'I am a very big fan of Godzilla,' said Angela Hill, a teacher who travelled from Arizona to take part in Comic-Con, which this year featured events and displays celebrating Godzilla. One of the world's largest celebrations of pop culture, Comic-Con brings together 130,000 people, many of whom come dressed as wizards, princesses or characters from movies, games or TV series. 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The movie franchise includes nearly 40 films and has spawned hundreds of animated productions about the monster as well as TV series and graphic work. 'Rooting for him' On Saturday the writers Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle signed autographs of their book 'Godzilla: The First 70 Years,' which sold out at Comic-Con. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's a rich history,' Ryfle told AFP. 'This is the longest running feature film franchise in cinematic history that's focused on a single, continuous character. It's been around longer than James Bond.' He said the key to its longevity is that Godzilla has evolved over time but stayed faithful to its origins. 'Godzilla has been serious, it's been scary, it's been heroic, it's been funny. But at the same time this is a movie character that's rooted in something that's very real,' Ryfle said. 'And that's the trauma that Japan experienced, both during World War II, and also the trauma of the aftermath of World War II, the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,' he added. He said Honda, who directed the first Godzilla movie, was a veteran who used the film to send a message against war and in particular against nuclear weapons. Michelle Pena, a Godzilla fan who waited in line to get the autograph of the two writers, said part of the monster's charm is how it has changed over the years. 'Good, bad, hero, anti-hero, you know. And I like that,' she said. 'He's not, like, lovable,' she added. 'He's a big dinosaur-looking thing, you know. He's scary. But, like, you really, really find yourself rooting for him.' Sports Columnists Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA