The latest edition of Disney’s trend of remaking its animated classics in live action or “realistic” CGI is “Lilo & Stitch.” I remember seeing the 2002 original with my mom, both of us huge Disney fans, and we agreed that the studio’s magic from its mostly-90’s “Renaissance” era was long gone. I’ve come to appreciate the film more over time, but it doesn’t occupy the same space in my heart as a “Beauty and the Beast” or “Lion King.” I thought this might actually work in the new film’s favor, with less concern about it having to live up to the legacy of a masterpiece. But no, it still does enough wrong to fall short of even lowered expectations.
The story follows the two title characters, with their paths destined to intersect. Project 626, later known as “Stitch,” is a monster created in a lab on a faraway planet by crazed alien doctor Jumba (Zach Galifianakis). Too hostile even for the alien community, Stitch escapes his sentence of exile by stealing a spaceship, which he crash-lands on Earth. Jumba and Earth-obsessed scientist Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) are assigned to go to Earth and retrieve the creature, which just wants to run amok.
Meanwhile, on Earth, in Hawaii, six-year-old human Lilo (Maia Kealoha) is having a hard time coping with the recent loss of her parents, often acting out and wreaking havoc of her own. Her adult sister Nani (Sydney Agudong) is trying to raise Lilo by herself so the family won’t be split up, but she’s having trouble adjusting to the role, unable to juggle the tasks of working to pay the bills and keeping tabs on the wild child. A social worker (Tia Carrere, the voice of Nani in the original), warns her that she could lose custody of Lilo if the household isn’t put in order.
Needing a place to live, Stitch disguises himself as a stray dog. Recognizing a fellow free spirit, Lilo insists on adopting him, and Tūtū (Amy Hill), an elderly neighbor on babysitting duty, can’t say no. Nani thinks the crude creature is the last thing the fragile family needs, but Lilo is taken with him. Can the sisters and Stitch survive as a family? Can Stitch evade capture from Jumba and Pleakley? One thing is for sure: there will be lots of hijinks from the reckless child and alien along the way.
The movie has some good things about it. There are gags that work, especially in the early outer space scenes. And the vibe can certainly be sweet when it wants to be. Perhaps best of all, the live-action humans are an upgrade from the occasionally-off-putting character designs that marred the original. Also, it’s a good idea that aliens Jumba and Pleakley take on live-action human disguises for a while, because while I have no problem with the CGI version of Stitch’s design, the update to Jumba’s look is… unfortunate.
But for everything the remake of “Lilo & Stitch” does right, it does more wrong. Gags fall flat. Motivations are nonsensical. The movie pointlessly tries to wedge in beloved character Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance) despite Carrere being just fine as a different take on the movie’s requisite social worker. What’s really frustrating is that both central conflicts could be solved immediately by characters making the decisions that they end up making anyway not based on anything learned along the way. Disney has done worse to better properties in this controversial trend of live-action remakes, but still, this entry lacks magic even more than its predecessor.
Grade: C
“Lilo & Stitch” is rated PG for action, peril, and thematic elements. Its running time is 108 minutes.
Robert R. Garver is a graduate of the Cinema Studies program at New York University. His weekly movie reviews have been published since 2006.
Last Update: May 28, 2025 8:46 am CDT
