'Lilo & Stitch' Review: Waiho i keia means leave this behind in Hawaiian

While Dean Fleischer-Camp attempts to salvage the latest entry in one of Disney's most frustrating trends, all the talent in the world can't save the life-action formula from itself

I still remember seeing Lilo & Stitch (2002) in the summer of 2002. I went to my hometown cinema (shout out to the good people at NCG Alma Cinemas) with my Mom and sister and remember walking out a very satisfied little customer. It must have worked on our family because, during the following Christmas, Lilo & Stitch was the first DVD our family ever bought (alongside Ice Age (2002) and The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002) because my sister and I had great taste). As the years have gone by, I continue to look back on Lilo & Stitch with fond memories. In a time where traditional 2D animation wasn’t doing very well, lumped in with the underwhelming Brother Bear (2003) and preschool fodder Home on the Range (2004), Lilo & Stitch was a delightfully offbeat, beautifully animated adventure that’s still looked back on with affection.

When the Disney live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch was announced a few years ago, hatred seethed from those pessimistic over a potentially botched take on a childhood favorite. However, the film’s production had an ace up their sleeve with director Dean Fleischer Camp onboard. While still new to the Hollywood system, the tender affection he brought to Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022) made him a force to be reckoned with in the world of family-friendly entertainment. The fact that he was able to release a humble, big-hearted directorial debut under A24, a company so often known for challenging, adult-specific entertainment and one that acts as one of the best movies of the year is wildly impressive. It’s no wonder that Disney took notice and quickly enlisted him for a tentpole project, especially when the studio’s recent live-action remakes haven’t been doing all that well. While, to his credit, Camp is able to inject some much needed sentimentality into the formula and capture the original film’s offbeat sense of humor, Lilo & Stitch (2025) proves that a solid director alone isn’t enough to dig a film out from under the weight of its own problems.

The longstanding criticism of Disney’s live-action remakes continues to persist with Lilo & Stitch (2025). Despite what works about the film, it’s difficult to shake the fact that a better version of this film has existed for over 20 years. Not only that, but a film that’s better animated, funnier, more touching, and exciting in a more succinct runtime. The original Lilo & Stitch clocks in at 85 minutes and accomplishes more with its story than the new Lilo & Stitch does with an extra 20+ minutes tacked on. What accounts for the extra time? I couldn’t really tell you, since a majority of Lilo & Stitch (2025) plays from the original film’s narrative structure beat by beat. I’m not really sure where those 20 minutes went, but again, they don’t prove their necessity.

There are a few changes from the original story, but none of them really alter the outcome. There’s no Captain Gantu to serve as the ultimate antagonist; instead, the film puts all of its eggs in Jumba’s basket, performed by a horribly miscast Zach Galifianakis. While he’s proven his worth as part of ensembles in the past, the major characterization change this time around makes the audience long for the character’s original thick Russian accent and brooding presence. In Lilo & Stitch (2025), he’s just… a guy. The same can be said for Billy Magnussen as Pleakley, a notable downgrade from the neurotic, fleshed out vocal performance from Kevin McDonald in the original film. Magnussen, while acting as a decent mimic of the original character, brings nothing of his own to the role to the point of frustration. In fact, most of the B-plot involving Jumba and Pleakley act as most of the major changes for no real purpose. Without delving too hard into spoilers, the lack of Gantu in the remake changes the motivations of one of the characters entirely and ruins the flow that the original film captured so beautifully, keeping the audience on their toes for unpredictability in the plot. The remake has a few weird moments like that where it changes things not for the benefit of the plot, but simply to be different from its source material. Instead of asking what can be different, the script should have asked itself, “How can we improve?”

Not all hope is lost, however. Although the character leans toward a younger direction than its animated counterpart, Maia Kealoha embodies the personality of Lilo well with a vibrance and madcap energy all her own. I always assumed that Lilo’s age fell in the 8-10 year old range, but I was mistaken because she’s always been six years old. I learned something new! While I wasn’t as won over by Sydney Agudong’s performance as Nani, wishing for her exasperated, nurturing character of the original film to shine through, she’s able to perform sufficiently. The best aspect of the film is Stitch himself, with 2002 co-director Chris Sanders returning to voice his character. In a remake constantly at a loss for proving its worth, Stitch is the rare exception, whose CG equivalent surprisingly gives the film the same comic edge. There isn’t much to Stitch as a character on his own, outside of his touching transformation in the third act, but the mix of energy, comedic timing, and affectionate charisma makes the film shine in the pantheon of Disney animation. I’d be lying if I said those same qualities weren’t alive in this version of Stitch, so props for nailing that. Really, Lilo and Stitch are the best part of Lilo & Stitch (2025). It’s just a shame everything else around them falls hopelessly by the wayside.

C

Feature image credit to Disney via Deadline