'Lilo & Stitch' review: A near perfect live-action remake, Disney's best one yet

The Star

21-05-2025

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp Cast: Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Hannah Waddingham, Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis, Courtney B. Vance, Tia Carrere, Amy Hill, Jason Scott Lee
Disney has finally done it. They've made a live-action remake of their own animated feature that's actually, really really good.
Granted, the bar was really, really low in the first place. They've made more than 20 of these live-action remakes so far, and the results have ranged from 'So-so' ( Jungle Book , Maleficent , Mufasa ) and 'Meh' ( Aladdin , Beauty And the Beast , The Lion King ), to 'What were they thinking?' ( Mulan , Snow White , Pinnochio ).
With Lilo & Stitch , however, Disney seems to have finally cracked the animation-to-live-action formula with this remake of their 2002 cult favourite hit, managing to strike a perfect balance between remaining faithful to the original while updating it for today's audiences.
And the main reason for that is the fact that director Dean Fleischer Camp gets Lilo and Stitch, the two main characters, so perfectly right from the get go.
Life is so breezy when you're in a jacuzzi.
The remake stays pretty faithful to the animation in terms of story (with a few changes here and there). It revolves around mischievous yet resourceful six-year-old orphan Lilo (Maia Kealoha), whose only wish is to make one best friend.
Her sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) is struggling between trying to make ends meet and convincing social worker Kume (Tia Carrere) that she is capable enough to be Lilo's legal guardian.
Along comes the mischievous blue alien No.626 aka Stitch (Chris Sanders), created by mad scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis) to be a weapon of destruction.
Deemed too dangerous to be let loose, Stitch is exiled by the Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham), leader of the United Galactic Federation (UGF), but escapes and ends up on Earth.
Ruff! See, I AM a real dog!
There, he pretends to be a dog and follows Lilo home in order to evade the clutches of Dr Jumba and his partner, UGF Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen); as well as the wonderfully named CIA agent Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance).
To tell the truth, this remake could have gone so wrong if they had gotten the lead characters wrong. Fortunately, the two lead characters are perfectly cast/rendered.
Kealoha is a revelation as Lilo, playing her with enough cuteness and charm without crossing the line to becoming annoying.
Nani always had trouble convincing Stitch to go for his vet check ups.
The filmmakers have also done a remarkable job with Stitch – he fits into the real world setting completely and naturally, despite being a six-limbed blue furry alien, and they nailed all his facial expressions, body language, and his every movement perfectly.
The supporting cast also turn in strong performances – Agudong is wonderful as the conflicted
Nani, and it is a real pleasure to see alumni from the animated film (Hill, Lee and Carrere) appearing in the movie, especially Hill, in a more significant role as Nani and Lilo's neighbour, Tutu.
Hey, I can fly a spaceship, how hard can driving this truck be?
Another advantage Lilo & Stitch may have over its predecessors is that it is set in the modern world, so the live-action environment and human characters are not overshadowed by the more fantastical elements of the film (yes, even the aliens fit in perfectly). There's also not a single element that sticks out like a sore thumb in the way, say, the horrible animated dwarves in Snow White did.
Tightly plotted, reasonably paced, full of charm and heart, and with wonderful characters to root for, this really is Disney's best live-action remake so far.
Perhaps the best thing I can say about this movie is that I wouldn't mind watching it again, which is more than I can say about for the rest of them.