When Disney’s mega-hit Frozen first came out, there was an outpouring of praise for the movie as the first animated Disney film to show the underrepresented dynamic of a struggling two-sister relationship on the big screen. However, 2002’s Lilo & Stitch explored that relationship a hundred times better, and I will defend that claim with my dying breath. In all seriousness, the original film from director Chris Sanders (the same animation legend behind all-time classics like The Wild Robot, The Croods, and the first How to Train Your Dragon film) is arguably Walt Disney Animation’s best feature film of the aughts. All the stunning animation, hysterical sense of humor, and surprising emotional depth are all present in a film that exemplifies all one would expect from a Disney classic. Stitch (who has consistently been voiced by Sanders since the original film’s release), in turn, has become a mascot as recognizable as the Mouse himself.
Still, after Disney’s “live-action” The Lion King remake made a billion dollars and proved that absolutely no animated Disney movie was safe, it was only a matter of time before everyone’s favorite blue troublemaker would get caught in the crosshairs. Still, the newest live-action remake does have some solid things going for it, with Sanders back to voice Stitch along with Dean Fleischer Camp, a director who’s demonstrated a great knack for CGI characters with Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. Does the new remake reach the lofty heights of a 20-year-old film that still holds up today? Absolutely not, but the Lilo & Stitch remake does have some bright spots, especially when it comes to the titular duo.
‘Lilo & Stitch’s Characters Are a Mixed Bag

For the .01% of you who don’t already know this tale front to back, the film follows an extra-terrestrial creation called Experiment 626 — a voracious and troublesome little creature who would eventually come to be known as Stitch. After escaping the galactic government, Stitch finds himself crash-landing on planet Earth — specifically, on the island state of Hawai’i. Here, a similarly troubled girl named Lilo (Maia Kealoha) is at risk of being sent to foster care despite her guardian and older sister Nani’s (Sydney Agudong) best efforts. Things start to get more hectic and strange, but also a little better, once Lilo mistakes Stitch for a dog that needs a home. While Stitch learns what it means to have a family, the galactic government has dispatched Stitch’s disgruntled creator, Jumba (Zach Galifianakis), and Earth-obsessed agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) to bring Experiment 626 back into custody.
If there is one element that the Lilo & Stitch remake desperately needed to get right, it was the titular duo themselves, and thankfully, they are the remake’s strongest elements. Starting with the latter, Stitch’s animated design translates much better to live-action than some may think, with the rambunctious alien being just as fluffy and cuddly here as he was in cartoon form, even bringing back Stitch’s sense of humor fairly effortlessly. Chris Sanders’ voice work also sounds as good here as it did in 2002. Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Lilo & Stitch remake is the debut of Maia Kealoha, who manages to be incredibly charming as young Lilo as she follows the character’s journey from the animated film to a tee. Still, the sister relationship doesn’t feel like it fits quite as well here, even with some vague attempts to flesh out Nani as a character, which yield mixed results.

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The other side characters don’t fare quite as well, with a prime example being Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance), who is relegated to a generic government agent in favor of an admittedly well-intentioned change to the original story’s depiction of social work (which allows for a lengthy Tia Carrere cameo). Hannah Waddingham is decent enough in her limited role as the Grand Councilwoman, and Billy Magnussen is perfectly cast as Plaekley, even if his lack of female clothing seems like another example of Hollywood’s current ongoing issue of removing anything that could remotely be interpreted as gender-affirming commentary to appease right-wing audiences. Easily the most drastic (and worst) changes come with Jumba, who effectively replaces Gantu (Kevin Michael Richardson) as the main antagonist. The narrative changes are certainly not going to go over well with hardcore fans of the original, and Galifianakis’ phoned-in performance doesn’t make things any better.
‘Lilo & Stitch’ Is Trying Way Too Hard To Emulate the Original

The longer the torrents of Disney remakes have gone on, the harder it has become to justify their existence beyond “making money.” This becomes especially evident when these live-action reimaginings are borderline shot-for-shot remakes, which Lilo & Stitch absolutely feels like. Bar the end of the film, which makes some noticeable changes for better or worse, the vast majority of the film feels like it’s just checking off a list of beats from the original that need to be covered. The only difference is that the visuals in these scenes are markedly less impressive than the 2D-animated original, and the pacing can be abysmal at times, with the opening prison escape and the bonding surfing moment both feeling extraordinarily rushed. The slower character development that made the original such a standout is just nonexistent here, instead replaced with ‘member berries for fans of the original and boggling product placement for Capri Sun and Slim Jims.
Poor pacing isn’t Lilo & Stitch’s only technical issue. The sheer volume of ADR and off-screen dialogue is frankly astounding, and it makes the already questionable pacing and editing even more apparent. It’s a shame because the CGI on Stitch himself is a night and day difference compared to this year’s disastrous special effects on the seven dwarfs from Snow White. The overall look of the movie just doesn’t capture the beauty and scale of the original in a way that feels satisfying or helps it stand out.
Some may argue that constant comparisons to the original picture are unfair, as a remake, perhaps, should be judged on its own merits. There is truth to that, but when a movie such as this feels so intrinsically hellbent on emulating the original as much as possible, with only arbitrary details changed to make it feel like a different movie in the smallest of ways, it’s genuinely difficult not to compare the two. The references to the original are just so abundant that judging the film on its own merits is hard because it’s pulling from those of another film. As with all of Chris Sanders’ work, the original Lilo & Stitch feels like a product made out of passion for the art form of animated storytelling. As with most, if not all, of the other live-action Disney remakes (bar Christopher Robin, which is a great live-action take on the 100 Acre Wood), Lilo & Stitch feels like it was made by a boardroom of folks who wanted to sell more Stitch merchandise. Chris Sanders and Maia Kealoha have enough charm to keep families entertained, but it’s also hard to deny that these two characters are just as, if not more, endearing in a film you can watch right now on Disney+.
Lilo & Stitch surfs into theaters on Friday, May 23.

Lilo & Stitch

Unlike Ohana, Lilo & Stitch is a forgettable remake that’s best left behind.

Release Date

May 21, 2025

Runtime

108 Minutes

Director

Dean Fleischer Camp

Writers

Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes, Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois

Chris Sanders

Stitch (voice)

Pros & Cons

Lilo & Stitch themselves are a lovable duo.
Stitch translates surprisingly well to live-action.

The side characters struggle, especially Jumba.
There’s a constant barrage of references to the original film.
The film has perplexing pacing and audio decisions.