LILO & STITCH

Director
Dean Fleischer Camp

Starring
Maia Kealoha
Chris Sanders
Sydney Elizabeth Agudong

When an experimental creature escapes from an alien facility, it crash lands on Earth and befriends a lonely young girl named Lilo [Kealoha]. Taking the form of a dog-like beast, the blue animal, dubbed Stitch [Sanders], and Lilo grow close as a pair of misfits. But the aliens who created Stitch are hot on their tails, charged with recovering the mischief maker.

On paper this live action remake of the beloved 2002 original does everything it should and yet it just doesn’t connect. There’s plenty of energy and zeal on show but it never gets to the heights of a major theatrical release, leaving a distinctly ‘made for streaming’ aftertaste. But more than that, the narrative is missing a lot of the charm and teeth of the original – a playful chaos that gave this character and setting so much appeal and impact. There simply aren’t enough antics, and a lot of the fun has been replaced with an abject sorrow. Whether this is an issue of translation to live action, or the presentation and focus of the new story beats, a cloud of despondency hangs over the proceedings.

Most of which can be traced back to the script choices; frankly odd script choices. From plot points being jettisoned in favour of a new approach, to callbacks that feel mandatory and subsequently strike hollow. And, as with most Disney live action remakes, the runtime is nearly half an hour longer than the animated original, yet it does less with that time. What’s more, characters are merged, separated, and shuffled in terms of priority. Lilo’s sister Nani [Agudong] is given more of a centralised focus and backstory, stripping time away from the bonding between Lilo and Stitch. Bubbles the CIA agent is a shadow of his former self and much of his interactions are replaced with Tia Carrere as a more grounded social worker, and fan favourite Captain Gantu is entirely absent, but it’s Jumba and Pleakley that suffer the most changes.

The dynamic between Jumba and Pleakley’s in the original is that one is a neurotic busy-body and the other is an imposing but ultimately soft individual. And sure, we can talk about the disappointing visuals and use of human body disguises over laughably poor sets of wigs and ill-fitting shirts, but that’s a sort of excusable budgetary constraint – especially when the casting of Billy Magnussen is commendable. But making Jumba the primary adversary robs him of a lot of those softer edges and his eventual character progression. And, frankly, Zach Galifianakis’ performance is just too mean – especially when Disney already have the necessary on-screen energy in David Harbour’s Red Guardian.

That said, Kealoha as Lilo is undeniably delightful. She exudes a combination of sincerity and whimsy that, while separate to her animated counterpart, is more than capable and endearing to watch. Then you have the CGI animated Stitch, who is a touch less expressive than the animated version, but looks great and retains enough chaotic energy and cuteness that will immediately captivate younger audiences. I’m also not opposed to the expansion of the idea of “Ohana means family” to, essentially, “it takes a village to raise an Ohana.” With the inclusion of David’s grandmother Tutu, played by Amy Hill being a nice touch. All of which, of course, is manoeuvred to service Disney’s fine-tuned surgical precision to make audiences cry. But more on that later.

For those new to this film, I imagine it will be received as perfectly serviceable. A “what’s all the fuss about” release. But for fans of the original and the various early 2000s expansions, this is a hollowed-out shell, masquerading as something familiar and cherished. Neither the complete disaster that some will label it as, nor an underdog worth defending and championing. Remember 2019’s live action Lady And The Tramp? Lilo & Stitch is basically another one of those.

Release Date:
23 May 2025

The Scene To Look Out For:
**spoilers**
2002’s Lilo & Stitch ends with an infamous chase scene. Infamous primarily because it was originally an airplane flying through a city, which had to be changed, following the events of 9/11. While this adaptation has a spaceship chase, it’s entirely stripped back, and substituted with a drowning scene. Realising he’s far too heavy to be saved from the seabed, Stitch simply lets Lilo go and accepts his fate. This is utterly crushing. There was a significant amount of blubbing from kids and adults alike in the audience, and felt like a prime example of heart-string pulling to excess.

Notable Characters:
The only real new inclusion that I enjoyed was a trigger-happy axolotl-like creature serving on the bridge of the alien ship. Just a silly inclusion that amused me.

Highlighted Quote:
“Maybe my parent’s talked to your family and sent us to each other.”

In A Few Words:
“Dodges the live-action Snow White bullet, but also entirely fails to reach the live-action Jungle Book heights.”

Total Score: 2/5

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