Review: ‘Lilo and Stitch' is okay
Opinions are the author's alone and not endorsed by 2 NEWS and/or Nexstar Media Group.
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — For a live-action remake of a spirited animated film, Lilo and Stitch isn't horrible.
To be fair it's better than most of Disney's growing catalog of said remakes.
For instance, the CGI work done for Stitch and the other aliens that appear in the film is really well done. In particular, they present Stitch to a tee, despite the animation style having changed from 2D to 3D.
Maia Kealoha as Lilo also works, as she brings nothing but adorable to the role.
That said, not much else ends up being worthwhile.
No matter the direction this remake went and no matter what changes were enacted on the original, it ultimately left me wishing to see the original instead.
I won't bluff and act like I'm a 'stan' for the 2002 version — full disclosure I haven't seen the original Lilo and Stitch since I was a kid. That said, the animation from that film seemed to bounce back to the front of my mind as the remake continued.
A prime example being the surfing scene where Lilo, her older sister Nani (Sydney Agudong) and Stitch all connect by being one with the waves.
'Lilo & Stich' teams with Tom Cruise and 'Mission Impossible' for a monster Memorial Day weekend
In the original, it's a great moment that finally brings the three characters in sync with each other. In the remake, this scene feels a bit rushed, as if thrown in to check off a box on a long checklist of must haves.
To be fair, this could be my nostalgia talking, but there's a magic in the original animation that isn't available in the remake.
Cobra Bubbles, for example, brings an intimidating edge in the original animation, but in the remake Courtney B. Vance can only look the part.
The character isn't given the same effort in the script and the performance of Ving Rhames just brings a different gravitas in comparison to Vance.
Not to mention the animators bring so much energy to the original version of the character, all of the characters for that matter.
Ultimately, the remake is passable at best. It's fine. The narrative of these remakes not living up to their original animated counterparts is a tired one, but it still applies here.
It is a box-office smash though, days into its run, and it's a fun movie to see with the whole family. So, again it's not a horrible movie.
Okay is okay.
Runtime: 1 hour, 48 minutes.
Rating: PG.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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