LILO AND STITCH (2025) review

written by: Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes
produced by: Jonathan Eirich and Dan Lin
directed by: Dean Fleischer Camp
rated: PG (for action, peril and thematic elements)
runtime: 108 min.
U.S. release: May 23, 2025

A couple of months ago, everyone hated on Disney’s live-action “Snow White,” and now we have a live-action “Lilo and Stitch,” which is something arguably worse. It’s an endeavor that reaffirms animation is a better medium for these stories. We know that, so why can’t the House of Mouse get it? Well, like anything, it’s all about the money. Instead of rehashing their animated classics, they’re mining material from the 21st Century for the first time, adapting their animated feature “Lilo and Stitch”, which became a modest sleeper hit in the summer of 2002. Stitch, the irreverent and manic, albeit adorable, blue-furred koala-looking dog creation from outer space, became a surprisingly popular character and a major merchandise staple that spawned direct-to-video sequels, video games, a television series, and a theme park attraction. Now, director Dean Fleischer Camp (“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”) has been tasked with keeping the brand name alive.

Lilo Pelekai (newcomer Maia Kealoha) is an imaginative and rambunctious six-year-old Native Hawaiian girl living with her big sister, Nani Pelekai (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong), on Kauaʻi after the death of their parents. Nani does her best to keep up with the constant demands of being Lilo’s guardian, trading in her dreams of attending college for marine biology to figure out ways to pay for mounting bills and keep local social worker Kekoa (Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani in the original) at bay. The goal is to remain together, but the siblings are struggling, and one night, a greater complication crashes into their lives when Experiment 626 arrives on Earth. The genetic creation made for destruction by mad scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis) on the planet Turo is a wild beast looking for trouble and now the Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham), leader of the United Galactic Federation, has assigned Jumba and Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) to retrieve the rambunctious alien from Earth. The problem is Experiment 626 winds up in an animal shelter and soon connects with Lilo, who turns him into Stitch (Chris Sanders), a pet for the lonely girl, who tries to control the critter as he inevitably complicates Nani’s stressful life.

Hilarity and heartstrings are pursued, as physical comedy is balanced with touching interactions between Lilo and Nani, and eventually, Lilo and Stitch. Experiment 626 is clever enough to hide in plain sight by sucking in his antennas and extra limbs, and appealing to the adulation of all that find him cute and adorable.  Granted, the monster is legitimately cute, but so is Lilo, who is played with undeniable charm by a spirited Kealoha, making her acting debut here. She and Agudong were born and raised in Hawaii and lend an authenticity that grounds the story, despite all the outer space Earth antics that don’t translate well to live-action on Earth. At least they have great chemistry with a believable sibling connection and friction.

Two relatively new screenwriters, Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes, are challenged to refresh the source material for a new audience while anticipating that viewers who saw the original back in 2002 will be drawn back to theaters for more Stitch-based silliness and chaos. Since he was introduced in the original animated feature, Stitch became oversaturated, similar to how Wolverine showed up in just about every Marvel comic back in the 90s. In their never-ending quest to live-action the crap out of their animation catalogue, Disney is blind to the fact that oversaturation leads to fatigue.

While the writers provide some updates to the original script from Sanders and Dean DeBlois (both of whom also directed the 2002 original), many of those changes can be found in this iteration’s supporting characters, and ultimately they seem unnecessary. These characters serve as support for Lilo and Nani and consist of: septuagenarian Tūtū (Amy Lee, who voiced Ms. Hasagawa in the original), a concerned neighbor who gets around on a four-wheeler, local lūʻau fire performer and lifeguard, David Kawena (Kaipo Dudoit), who has a crush on Nani (coincidentally, Jason Scott Lee, who voiced David more than once in the animated versions, plays a lūʻau manager here). Cobra Bubbles (an underutilized Courtney B. Vance) appears here as a CIA agent sent to capture Stitch, whereas in the original, the character was the social worker checking in on the Pelekai sisters. None of these changes are a big deal or necessary, but this whole endeavor doesn’t validate its existence.

The more outlandish and cartoony characters from the original feature are the aliens, and they draw more attention than anything else when they’re on screen, which seems out of place. The character of Stitch is rendered accurately, and he’s funny and offers some fun moments, but his interaction with humans isn’t as organic as it was when everything was animated. When Dr. Jumba and Agent Pleakley use their sci-fi gadgets to switch into human form to avoid human detection, it typically just requires Galifianakis and Magnussen to act silly, which isn’t all that successful and winds up feeling like we’re in a different movie altogether when Camp is focused on the duo. Their antics are unfunny, and it all looks jarring and out of place in live-action.

Who would’ve thought that the most compelling moments in this new “Lilo and Stitch” are the purely human moments with Lilo and Stitch? Kealoha exudes a likeable kid energy, and Agudong shines as the overwhelmed big sister, making the character’s struggles relatable for viewers of any age. As a character, Stitch isn’t as adorable as his animated form, just more obnoxious. So, don’t expect the movie to conjure fond nostalgia. The film winds up being a prime example of why. The story’s heart remains the same: everyone matters, and no one is left behind or forgotten. This was reiterated in the original animated feature, “Lilo and Stitch,” by emphasizing the phrase “Ohana” (meaning “family,” though not limited to blood relatives) and showing what it takes to keep family together.

However, Disney apparently forgot how integral the 2D animated look and design of the original “Lilo and Stitch” made the film stand out and work so well. Granted, not everyone liked that movie, but it included a vibrant color palette and entertaining comedic energy, with unique hand-drawn character design and movement that countered the 3D animation Pixar was busy making. That being said, it should be noted that Disney released another solid 2D animated feature, “Treasure Planet”, around Thanksgiving, making 2002 a good year for animated features for the studio, free from remakes and sequels. Imagine that.

Like the original, this “Lilo and Stitch” is opening on the same day as the latest Tom Cruise movie. In 2002, “Minority Report” was released on June 21st. This live-action version is released the same day as “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”, pitting the two movies against each other during Memorial Day weekend. If you’re wondering why these live-action remakes still get made, consider this: the new “Lilo and Stitch” grossed $197.8 million during its opening weekend, whereas the original grossed a total of $282 million worldwide. That answers that question.

RATING: **