[REVIEW] Lilo & Stitch

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Disney's Attempt to Remake Lilo & Stitch is More Emotional Than Expected

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Disney's attempt to remake beloved animated classics in live-action has been a topic of debate among filmmakers. The new Lilo & Stitch, directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, is a refreshing adaptation that combines quirk and silliness with genuine heart and depth. Maia Kealoha delivers the perfect Lilo, embodying the right attitude, charm, and humor in the role. She does a strong job selling the reality of her scenes with the CGI Stitch, voiced by Chris Sanders.

The most important relationship between Lilo and her older sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) remains key to this version of Lilo & Stitch. They work together to move past a loss whose aftermath is more deeply felt than the deaths of other mothers and fathers sprinkled throughout the Disney canon. The connection between the two makes it hard not to invest in Lilo and Nani and their bond.

However, the film stumbles as it deviates from its core. The two aliens pursuing Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley, have always been an odd fit with this story, largely there to add some more wackiness around the edges. Their comically inept attempts to blend into their Hawaiian surroundings would be even harder to buy in live-action, so they take on fully human disguises: Zach Galifianakis plays Jumba, while Billy Magnussen plays Pleakley. The two actors are game, with Magnussen looking like he's having a lot of fun getting goofy.

One of the more curious choices of adaptation involves the character of Cobra Bubbles, Lilo & Stitch's amusingly tough-looking g-man-turned-social worker. The remake splits his role in two, with Courtney B. Vance playing Bubbles as an active CIA agent investigating alien sightings, while Nani's fitness as a guardian is determined by a new character, Mrs. Kekoa (played by the original voice of Nani, Tia Carrere). This ends up making one of the major figures in the Lilo & Stitch universe feel a bit extraneous, leaving the fantastic Vance without much to do.

Visually, there are a few moments where it feels like Camp felt beholden to replicate a memorable image from the original by framing it similarly. However, that sort of "What's the point?" mimicry doesn't become prevalent. The director also has fun with some of the bigger sci-fi moments, including some clever visual gags involving an alien gun that can create portals.

As Lilo & Stitch comes to a close, it takes some of its biggest swerves from the source material. One involves giving the film a more specific and hostile antagonist, while other changes arrive at the very end to underline what this version of the story is all about. It's an impactful conclusion seemingly designed to make you say "Aww," and like so much of Lilo & Stitch, it certainly succeeds on that front.

Bottom Line, Lilo & Stitch is a refreshing Disney remake that retains and often amplifies the most stirring aspects of the beloved animated film. Director Dean Fleischer Camp and screenwriters Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Wae understand that the innate joy and humor of the mischievous Stitch work just fine in support of a story about an alien chaos agent falling into the laps of two grieving sisters and helping them figure out their next step together.

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About the Writer

Jenny, the tech wiz behind Jenny's Online Blog, loves diving deep into the latest technology trends, uncovering hidden gems in the gaming world, and analyzing the newest movies. When she's not glued to her screen, you might find her tinkering with gadgets or obsessing over the latest sci-fi release.

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