This latest live-action version of Lilo and Stitch has a promising pedigree. And there was enough confidence to open in theaters the same weekend as another franchise with an outstanding pedigree, the Tom Cruise expected blockbuster Mission Impossible:The Final Reckoning.
This isn’t the worst live action remake of a Disney animated feature, but that’s faint praise. The 2002 original was manic and funny. It was so popular, it was a phenomenon. Fans expecting more about Stitch and more raucous set pieces will feel let down. This script from the trio of Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes, and Chris Sanders hits many of the plot point of the original, but the vibe goes more for emotional tugs while toning down some of the crazy chaos.
Hopes were elevated when Disney signed Dean Fleischer Camp to direct. He is the director who brought the Oscar nominated Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. But this story line leans towards family relationships, especially between Lilo, played with cutesy but precocious energy from talented Maia Kealoha and concerned teen sister, Nani. Sydney Agudong portrays natural beauty, Nani who must raise her sister and run the household after their parents, in traditional Disney style, have died in an accident.
Stitch is still the alien exile who flees his pursuers and ends up pretending to be a blue dog in Hawaii. This little space creature has been a ubiquitous presence over the past two decades with various animated sequels and TV series. His floppy ears, round dark eyes and toothy grin are made for merchandising and continue to make cash registers sing for Disney whether or not this movie is a hit or a miss.
In the 2002 original, little outcast alien Stitch was looking for a way to change and become part of a family. Lilo, also snubbed by her schoolmates was another outsider who found common ground in her blue, fluffy friend. In 2025, he’s little more than a party animal, destroying a wedding reception, attacking guests and belching loudly after attacking and eating the cake.
Despite Lilo’s rambunctious tendency to get into trouble, the sisters show plenty of chemistry and continually repeat the importance of Ohana, in family no one is left behind. The best scenes are the ones with Nani, Lilo and Stitch surfing the waves, shot by Cinematographer, Nigel Bluck. It’s all very fun and sweet, but we wanted to see more scenes like this in the movie. It got so serious.
Another layer of complication revolves around Nani, about to lose custody of Lilo. Social workers Mrs. Kekoa, (Tia Carrere), and Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance) are left no option but to place Lilo in foster care after Stitch’s antics cause Nani to lose her job. Stitch, created in a lab, has no family, but he’s learning to appreciate the concept which is the high point of the movie.
It isn’t until late in the final act when his Stitch’s creator, Jumba (Zach Galifianakis) and cohort Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) track him down for their planet’s Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham), that we get the first glimpse of the inner warmth and longing for connection that makes Stitch a winner.
Disney has tried a dozen times re-imagining animated classics into live-action remakes. This year’s Snow White was neither well-conceived nor well-received. We were hoping this would grab more hearts, not just be a merchandise money grab.
Walt Disney Pictures 1 Hour 48 Minutes PG
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