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Maia Kealoha, the Big Island girl who played Lilo in Disney\u2019s live adaptation of \u201cLilo & Stitch,\u201d will team up with two bumbling elves to revive the Christmas spirit in a new 2026 holiday comedy that recently wrapped production in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n \u201cCongrats to Maia Kealoha!!\u201d wrote Reel News Hawai\u2018i in a Thursday morning (Feb. 12) Facebook post<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Big Island actor plays Alma in the upcoming Christmas movie \u201cNutmeg & Mistletoe.\u201d<\/p>\n Alma\u2019s town lost the spirit of Christmas, so the young girl writes to Santa \u2014 not for presents, but for help. What she gets are two misfit North Pole elves who are sent undercover as humans.<\/p>\n Nutmeg, played by Sarah Jeffery, is brainy and practical anxious about her reputation as an inventor while Mistletoe, her partner in the mission to restore joy to Alma\u2019s town and portrayed by Madeleine Arthur, is exuberant, impulsive and \u201cdelightfully chaotic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe elves bumble through smalltown life, attempting to blend in,\u201d says a description about the film shared by Reel News Hawai\u2018i and Deadline. \u201cUltimately, they discover what Alma always knew: joy grows when it\u2019s shared.\u201d<\/p>\n Essential Film Group recently launched world sales at European Film Market in Berlin, according to a story by Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n Joining Maia; Arthur, of \u201cTo All the Boys I\u2019ve Loved Before\u201d fame; and Jeffery, who starred in \u201cCharmed,\u201d as co-stars of the holiday film are Arianna Rivas, who was in \u201cBlack Phone 2,\u201d and Nia Vardalos from \u201cMy Big Fat Greek Wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n Rounding out the cast are Cedric Yarbrough from \u201cReno 911,\u201d Jeff Meacham of \u201cBlack-ish,\u201d Angelique Cabral from \u201cLife in Pieces,\u201d Tyler Barnhardt of \u201c13 Reasons Why\u201d and Reid Miller from \u201cJoe Bell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNutmeg & Mistletoe\u201d is directed by Peter Herro and written by Jennifer Bascom and Deborah Dodge. It will open in theaters this Christmas.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter creating and designing video games for 25 years, it\u2019s been incredibly inspiring and refreshing to make something totally different: a Christmas comedy!\u201d Charlie Cleveland told Deadline. \u201cIt\u2019s been a thrill to work with some of the most talented crew we could find anywhere in the world here in Hollywood. We hope to spread laughter and Christmas joy to the world when it releases in Christmas 2026!\u201d<\/p>\n Cleveland is best known for creating the video game \u201cSubnautica.\u201d He is one of the movie\u2019s producers and also financing the film through Abyssal Films.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t wait to share Nutmeg & Mistletoe with audiences everywhere,\u201d Stacy Jorgensen, one of Cleveland\u2019s co-producers on the movie, told Deadline.<\/p>\n Maia has been gaining fans since her debut in May 2025 as Lilo in the live action \u201cLilo & Stitch,\u201d quickly becoming a household name in Hollywood.<\/p>\n She was born Dec. 15, 2016, in Kailua-Kona and was crowned Mini Miss Kona Coffee in 2022. The Big Island girl also danced hula and tahitiano as a toddler.<\/p>\n Maia is nominated for Best Younger Performer in a Film at the upcoming 53rd Saturn Awards for her breakout performance as Lilo. Hawai\u2018i County Mayor Kimo Alameda even proclaimed June 3, 2025, as Maia Kealoha Day, celebrating her talent and inspirational path.<\/p>\n \u201cNutmeg & Mistletoe\u201d marks another milestone in Maia\u2019s burgeoning acting and film career.<\/p>\n Announcement of her starring in the upcoming Christmas comedy came after she played Lani Hale \u2014 daughter of James Hale, played by Dave Bautista, and niece of Jonny Hale, portrayed by Jason Momoa \u2014 in the Amazon MGM Studios production of \u201cThe Wrecking Crew,\u201d<\/a> which was released at the end of January nationwide on Amazon Prime Video.<\/p>\n Maia also appeared in Episode 14 of Disney Channel\u2019s new show \u201cElectric Bloom.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0The episode \u2014 \u201cHow We Handled an Unexpected Visitor\u201d \u2014 aired in October last year.<\/p>\n She is also expected to reprise her role as Lilo in the live action \u201cLilo & Stitch 2,\u201d which is now under development by Disney<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n