Lilo & Stitch Review

I try not to approach movies from a negative angle. However, I can't help but develop negative thoughts when they remake classics, which often end up falling short of the original. Hand-drawn 2D-animated Disney classics are the first casualties in this remake fad. In 2025, The Lion King was the first such disappointing remake, and Lilo & Stitch is most likely going to be the second. These remakes don't seem to be born from creativity. The only apparent goal is to push out a brand-new wave of merchandise for the classics they've already heavily invested in, squeezing every last drop from them. So, I didn't see any silver lining before entering the cinema - and I was right.

On the planet Turo, Dr Jumba Jookiba (Jack Galifianakis) is convicted by the United Galactic Federation of illegal genetic experimentation which led to the creation of Experiment 626 (Chris Sanders), an aggressive and nearly indestructible creature with advanced learning capabilities. Jumba is imprisoned, while 626 is sentenced to exile for his destructive behaviour.

However, 626 escapes by stealing a police cruiser and using its hyperdrive to reach planet Earth, crash-landing on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i. It is run over by a tourist trolley and taken to an animal shelter. The Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham) offers Jumba his freedom if he captures 626, pairing him with deputised "Earth expert" Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen).

A Hawaiian girl named Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha) visits the animal shelter where 626 is being treated. Realizing that Jumba and Pleakley are after it, 626 gets itself adopted by Lilo as a human shield. Lilo names 626 Stitch.

Stitch continues to wreak havoc in his new home, while Jumba and Pleakley pursue him. Later, the CIA also catches wind of the situation, and one of its agents joins the hunt for the alien creature.

The 2002 Lilo & Stitch is easily one of the favourite movies of every Disney fan, including me. But what I see in this live-action animation is essentially a slideshow of all the iconic moments from the original - only with worse acting and worse presentation. Go watch the original. If you've seen it already, rewatch it - the difference is like night and day. Fundamentally, it seems they didn't understand what they were adapting.

The original movie, despite its 85-minute runtime, feels complete and thoroughly entertaining. This remake, with a 108-minute runtime, feels sloppy, disjointed and, at times, cheap.

Every change this movie makes to the original feels unnecessary. The extra 20-something minutes are filled with additions that serve no real purpose - and, in the worst cases, actively make the movie worse.

In the 2002 version, the key characters were Lilo, Stitch, Nani, Jumba and Pleakley. In this so-called live-action animation, only Stitch is a fully CGI character. They've cheaped out on Jumba and Pleakley, anthropomorphising them - likely to cut CGI costs.

Also, the focus this time is more on the real-life human characters - David, Nani, Cobra Bubbles, Mrs Kekoa and Tutu. The spotlight moves from the fun, innocent and animated characters to real humans bogged down by their daily struggles.

Bubbles was in the original too, but his portrayal here is pathetic. He's reduced to a prop rather than a character. Bubbles worked in the original because he posed a real threat to Nani and Lilo. Here he's reimagined as a modern citizen and CIA agent, more mechanical than human, stripped of flesh and feeling.

A new character, Mrs Kekoa, is introduced as a social worker who regularly checks in on Nani. This change dilutes the narrative's impact and disrupts the dynamics between characters. And the main antagonist, Captain Gantu, is completely absent. He was the brutish captain of the Galactic Federation and a longstanding rival of Experiment 626.

Overall, this remake removes several key characters, adds new ones, and inserts unnecessary scenes that contribute nothing meaningful to character development or plot progression.

That said, there are a couple of positives (just a couple): the portrayal of Hawaiian tourism, its people and landscapes, and the casting of as many Hawaiian actors as possible, which sticks (at least partially) to the original spirit.

The ensemble performances are underwhelming. However, the central characters - Lilo (played by child actor Kealoha) and Stitch (CGI character voiced by Sanders) - still manage to shine somewhat, much like in the original. Stitch remains lovable and is adorably animated.

Technically, the movie is a disaster. Despite its being released in 3D, you won't feel its impact.

Children might still enjoy this film, but Disney adults will likely be disappointed. If you truly love the original Lilo & Stitch, you will find this remake dreadful. It lacks everything that made the original so memorable.