Lilo And Stitch (2025) ★★★

Released: 21 May 2025

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Starring: Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere, Courtney B. Vance, Hannah Waddingham, Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis & Jason Scott Lee

For the record, it has been a while since we’ve had a Disney live-action remake that didn’t resort to the default rhetorical “cash grab” label. Not since the days where David Lowery charmed audiences with Pete’s Dragon or Jon Favreau’s rapturous swing for the ‘bare necessities’ in The Jungle Book feel like the only ones worth shouting about. There’s a reason why for the underlying cynicism: in an age of nostalgia, and culture wars, looking for something genuine and sincere – staple qualities that built the ‘House of Mouse’ – now feels like a rarity when films such as Robert Zemeckis’s Pinocchio, The Lion King (2019) or Marc Webb’s Snow White (Rachel Zegler innocent) leave a soulless aftertaste. Yet for better or worse, the machine still rolls on, and it’s hardly a surprise whenever a new remake is announced, the immediate gut reaction is ‘low expectations’.

But the obvious notion is that these films are for a new generation of fans despite the universal consensus that the live action films pale in comparison with its superior animated form.  But to wait for a film that feels earnest in its intentions to make an effort to take audiences on a heartfelt journey shouldn’t have taken this long, but here we are. Disney’s latest attempt, Dean Fleischer Camp’s Lilo & Stitch, is a rare example of such a feat – high on cuteness and charm with its heart in the right place. It’s easily one of the better live-action adaptations, even if it buckles under certain changes that stop it from reaching the highs of the 2002 original. 

Just like the animated classic, Camp’s film introduces us to Experiment 626 aka Stitch (voiced by Chris Sanders), a blue, genetic alien creation who was built for destruction by his creator Jumba (Zach Galifianakis). Breaking several violations for illegal experimentation, the Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham) sentences the mischievous alien to exile. As Stitch escapes from his fate, he steals a spaceship and crash lands on Kauai, Hawaii, where his life changes forever.

Despite some pacing issues, there’s still a thankful sigh of relief where Camp leans into the basics without descending into a ‘shot for shot’ remake. Writers Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes retain the emotional core that captures the original’s spirit, and in doing so, build a foundation where throwing in newer elements add more involvement for its central lead stars, Maia Kealoha (Lilo) and Sydney Agudong (Nani). 

The 2025 version places more emphasis on their on-screen dynamic above everything else, a fraught sisterhood stemming from their parents’ death and the growing pains of abandonment, survival and potential separation. Nani is placed in a guardianship role where she juggles jobs, bills, her food cupboard (there’s a great scene involving heating up Capri Sun in the microwave to serve up as tea for her social worker, played by original Nani voice actor Tia Carrere) and sacrificing her desire to pursue marine biology. As for Lilo, the lack of friends only increases her loneliness and her desperate desire to find her voice amongst the chaos.

Lilo & Stitch’s enduring legacy has been that it acts as the antithesis of the traditional Disney formula. Gone are the princesses and royalty (sorry Elsa and Anna) to recentre on a working class family and their everyday struggles. We’ve all felt those pains in some parts of our lives, which make it worthwhile as an adaptation.

While most live-action remakes repeatedly trade their expressive and unconstrained animated mediums for woeful photorealistic digital eyesores, for the most part, Lilo & Stitch readily accepts its predecessor’s wacky, cartoonish vibe. Stitch’s movement and animated expressions are big and emotive, making it easier to accept his updated visual design and comic personality when interacting with the real world elements. True to fashion, his entrance on Earth by gatecrashing a wedding party to the sounds of Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’ is one of the highlights of the movie.

But this move also brings out the best out of Kealoha. Acting alongside a CG character is always a tough challenge for any actor, and yet pulls off the transition with confidence, imbued by some great comedic timing of her own in reacting to Stitch’s antics. That fun rapport culminates into the signature and iconic scene where Stitch rides the surfboard with his new family.

Yet, the interesting notion befallen to Lilo & Stitch is not that it’s working hard to earn the trust of its audience nor the fact it takes some risks with the animated material. Originally made for a direct-to-Disney+ release, this doesn’t receive the same benefits as its other Disney live-action counterparts, which underserves its storytelling cause. For context, Snow White (2025) received $209 million. Stitch’s effort comes in on a $100 million budget.

That budgetary difference is felt with Stitch’s on-screen arc. “Ohana” is still an integral core of Stitch’s growth and newfound purpose and sure, the little koala-like critter is still fun and mischievous as he pretends to be a dog to every onlooker. But his lack of on-screen time or slightly toned-down temperance is noticeable, reducing the poor fella into a ‘very cutesy, very demure’ sidekick within his own film. It would also explain why certain scenes feel truncated, rushed or not included to meet the less than desirable budget constraints, such as Stitch dressed as Elvis and the duckling scene from the original or why characters like Pleakley (a fun Billy Magnussen performance) and Junga spend more time in their human clone form than their alien bodies.

Those changes don’t extend to its supporting characters either who are left with the bare minimum material to work with, particularly Courtney B. Vance’s Cobra Bubbles in a reworked role from the original film. Nor does it linger too deeply into the disparity between the local and tourist cultures in Hawaii. But ultimately, Lilo & Stitch doesn’t work without Sanders voice work, and however disjointed the meshing of Stitch’s scenes are, something clearly works from this iteration when its third act can produce tears for this loveable creature. 

Lilo & Stitch captures the right spirit and warmth despite the glaring caveats that hamper it from reaching its full potential. But at least that sincerity goes some way in making this a solid entry in the live-action saga, that the younger generation would love.