‘Lilo & Stitch’ Review: Umpteenth Lackluster Disney Remake Leaves Behind and Forgets the Original's Magic
Stitch, our favorite intergalactic alien fugitive that disguises itself as a dog, is surely neutered in Disney's Lilo & Stitch’s live-action update. Director Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On) captures the heart of Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois's 2002 2D-animated masterpiece, but in classic lazy-Disney fashion, the thematic maturity that made the original so beloved is lost in live-action translation. What should've been a fine update is instead a middling, frenetic iteration designed for iPad kids. Even so, this is going to make a billion dollars no matter what I say.
Image copyright (©) Courtesy of Disney
MPA Rating: PG (action, peril and thematic elements.)
Runtime: 1 Hour and 48 Minutes
Production Companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Rideback
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Writers: Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes
Cast: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, Courtney B. Vance, Zach Galifianakis, Maia Kealoha
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis) is arrested by the Galactic Federation for creating Experiment 626 (Chris Sanders), a blue, fluffy creature genetically engineered for destruction. After escaping from galactic prison, 626 steals a police cruiser and crash-lands in Hawaii. The High Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham) assigns Jumba and Earth expert Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) to retrieve him.
In Hawaii, 6-year-old Lilo (Maia Kealoha) struggles to fit in while being raised by her 19-year-old sister and guardian, Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong). Lilo’s path crosses with 626’s when she visits a dog pound, where her neighbor Tūtū (Amy Hill) helps her adopt what she believes is a dog. Lilo and the creature — dubbed Stitch — must work to rebuild their broken family, which is being threatened by CIA agent Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance), who is investigating the crash; social worker Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere), who is assessing Nani’s fitness as a guardian; and Jumba and Pleakley, who disguise themselves as humans in their attempt to capture Stitch.
The Trimming of Stitch’s Claws
As aforementioned, Lilo & Stitch is iconic — and my personal favorite Disney animated film — because of its unconventionally mature themes, offbeat personality, and execution. Much of the nuance that contributed to the original 85-minute film's legacy has been lost in this 108-minute adaptation. Instead, it adopts the same kind of frenetic, derivative, and often frustrating energy that plagues many live-action/CG movies. The update is raucous and chaotic, focusing on Stitch’s new but formulaic cartoon antics. It has the same energy as early 2000s films by Tim Hill or Raja Gosnell. Although this Stitch isn't trying to be trendy or cool, his character feels sanitized and safe, finally Disneyfying the strangest Disney character.
The script penned by Mike Van Waes and Chris Kekaniokalani Bright undermines Stitch’s arc, demoting him from a threat to a chaos agent. Though he wreaks havoc, he reflects on himself more quickly but not to the same extent or depth as in the original. Stitch's human companion shares the same unfortunate fate: the weird, precocious, and macabre sides of Lilo's personality are largely suppressed. Her peculiarity is replaced by overwhelming cuteness, and her acting out that’s presented as simply a coping mechanism for her grief and loneliness is nonexistent.
One of the most glaring changes is the omission of "or forgotten" from “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”— not only literally, but also in the story’s spirit and heart. The writers overlook that the narrative centers on two grief-stricken sisters struggling to pick up the pieces. They diminish Lilo and Nani’s isolation, the very thing that gave their “Ohana” motto emotional weight during their conflicts. Without this vital element, well-known story beats, like the joyful “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” sequence, lose their emotional impact. These scenes hit the necessary plot points but are clouded by nostalgia, misunderstanding their cohesion and significance. The same can be said of Elvis Presley’s music: it plays frequently, yet his "model citizen" iconography — central to its relevance in the original — is never acknowledged, reducing the music to a mere nostalgic reference. You see what I mean? The writers actively struggle to recognize the thematic significance of the original.
I’d genuinely have preferred that Fleischer Camp, in addition to directing, had written the film himself, as his Marcel the Shell With Shoes On explored similar mature themes of loss, grief, and broken family within the framework of a family film, with strong poignancy. Marcel was the first movie I saw after my dad’s passing, and it brought me immense comfort. I can only imagine how much solace Sanders and DeBlois’ original provided to families who had experienced the loss of a loved one. That’s why Lilo & Stitch has remained beloved and timeless — but the writers of this update seem unwilling to delve.
Chris Sanders Still Makes My Eyes Sweat
Over 20 years after voicing the character he created, Chris Sanders' Stitch voice remains as sublime as ever. I used to think I was immune to the "this is my family” speech, which is replicated bar-for-bar and to lesser effect, but Sanders never fails to hit home and give me the feels. This is the first live-action Disney movie that made me tear up, all thanks to him and his dynamic with Maia.
Stitch's live-action design is equally as irresistible as his animated counterpart, fully leaning into his "cute and fluffy" or, if we’re being cynical, merchandisable nature. Additionally, Stitch's antics and expressions are infused with the same cartoonish quality, albeit not to the fullest extent due to the hyperrealism of the medium.
Surfing Up New Star Power
Maia Kealoha is a charming Lilo, exuding cuteness and sincere warmth that brings the magic shared between her and this CG alien to life. That girl better be everywhere, just like Hollywood did with Jacob Tremblay after Room. Kealoha acts with impressive strength in her young soul, given the material, and shines opposite Sydney Agudong, who does an impressive job as Nani. This version gives Nani more agency in an intriguing way, showing her sacrifice of attending college for marine biology to care for Lilo, further complicating their relationship. Kealoha and Agudong share a sweet chemistry, and Fleischer Camp skillfully mines the emotions from their sisterly bond. Agudong skillfully portrays Nani's stress and selflessness, and you’re reminded that she is still a child who deserves her own future.
To explore that element, the movie introduces a new character: Tūtū, played by Amy Hill. She is Lilo and Nani's cool and confident neighbor, and the grandmother of Nani's romantic interest, David (Kaipo Dudoit). While her role adds a sense of predictability to the story from the moment she appears, I still found her character enjoyable.
#JusticeForJumba
In addition to diluting the original’s uniqueness, in true Disney live-action fashion, the film frustratingly concentrates on needlessly over-plotting what was once simple or assassinating already perfect characters. For example, Cobra Bubbles is reimagined as a CIA agent who later poses as a social worker — an unnecessary change and a waste of Courtney B. Vance.
But my main grievance lies within the character assassination of Jumba. In this version, there is no Gantu, which is fine with me. I am of the opinion that Gantu was the weakest element of the original, and anyway he was more prominent in the spin-off television series. On the other hand, Jumba is assigned the antagonistic role, which is really unsettling for a character who plays a significant part in Pleakley and Lilo's Ohana. As Jumba, Zach Galifianakis is terribly miscast. I wasn't expecting a Eurotrash accent or anything, but his natural voice which doesn't match Jumba's hyper realistic computer-generated form. Even in human form, while he adds a bit of menace, this antagonistic translation is derivative, reducing the nuance of Jumba's growing fascination with his greatest creation’s unexpected depth. Meanwhile, Billy Magnussen is a superb Pleakley, capturing his upbeat enthusiasm throughout in both alien and human form. Even though we don’t see him in drag — which I realize is because of budgetary constraints of rendering two CG aliens as well as Stitch moseying around Hawaii — there's a middle ground of having him wear femme attire.
Lilo & Stitch Crash Lands in a Space it Kind of Doesn’t Belong
Finding a new drinking buddy in Moana 2, Lilo & Stitch is another outcome of Disney's indecisive and short-sighted "made for Disney+ but sent to theaters at the final hour" strategy and plays like it. The cold open breezes through the galactic federation stuff as though the film is on a timer to utilize Industrial Light and Magic VFX's services as little as possible so its budget won't balloon past 100 million. The story, riddled with all these cheapened elements, has an alarming lack of cohesion in its storytelling, stitched (no pun intended) together by ADR and insert shots. The blatant budgetary constraints impact the third act, where the writers seem to say, “Hey, ever played Portal?” and use it as a device to rush toward an asinine finale.
Final Statement
The heart of the original is preserved thanks to Chris Sanders’s timeless performance as Stitch and Maia Kealoha’s star-turning portrayal of Lilo, both well rendered by Fleischer Camp’s direction. However, because the writers misunderstood the original classic’s potency and relied on trite family film tropes, the live-action Lilo & Stitch ends up as just another average Disney update.
