Disney’s at it again. After the giant box office bomb earlier this year of their live-action Snow White, the studio has remade another of their beloved animated films, Lilo & Stitch, into a live-action CGI movie. If only it were worth watching.
The story is pretty much the same as the zany and lovable 2002 film. The little furry blue alien Stitch (voiced again by Chris Sanders) escapes from his planet, where he was about to be exiled for being too dangerous a weapon created by Jumba (Zach Galifianakis). Stitch crash lands on planet Earth—Hawaii, to be exact—and the chase is on, with Jumba and Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen), the alien expert on Earth, trying to capture the escapee.
Stitch ends up at an animal shelter where he’s mistaken for a dog, which is one of the film’s running gags. He winds up being adopted by little Lilo (Maia Kealoha), an outgoing and rambunctious little girl who doesn’t have any friends. Lilo takes him home, and the two quickly bond over being silly, obnoxious, and mischievous. This makes life even more difficult for Lilo’s older sister, Nani (Sydney Agudong), who is trying her best to be both sister and mother to Lilo since their parents died.
One funny example of this is when Nani is hunting for a job and Lilo and Stitch keep unintentionally sabotaging her interviews by creating chaos and destruction while entertaining themselves.
As Stitch spends more time with Lilo and Nani, he begins to understand what friendship, love, and family are all about. Stitch needs to avoid being captured by Jumba and Pleakley so that he can be part of Lilo’s family for good.
Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch remake has the goofy, madcap chaos of the animated film but is missing the magic and heart that made the 2002 film so endearing. It’s a loud, shallow, and empty retooling of a story already told perfectly the first time around.
The performance of young Maia Kealoha as Lilo is, sadly, one of the weaker parts of the film. Her ear-piercing screams and headache-inducing laughter make Lilo an annoying, unruly brat instead of the odd, well-meaning, and lovable little girl she’s supposed to be. Kealoha also delivers her lines poorly, almost as though she’s reading them. This is especially true in the few quiet and more intimate scenes with her sister, Nani.
Sydney Augdong delivers a decent performance as Nani, the semi-responsible older sister who is desperately trying to take care of Lilo and stay one step ahead of social worker Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere) so she can remain Lilo’s guardian.
The best things about the remake are Chris Sanders returning to voice Stitch and the appearance of Stitch and the character’s integration into scenes. The film does capture the spirit and cuteness of the creature, but it already is there to be watched and enjoyed in the 2002 original film.
Disney’s live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch is soulless, forgettable, and proof that they should have left the original alone.
GRADE C-
Rating: PG for peril, action, and thematic elements
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Running Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
Directed By: Dean Fleischer-Camp
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
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