Review: Lilo and Stitch (2025)

Lilo and Stitch is the latest in what has become a long line of "live action" remakes of Disney animated classics, a blatant attempt by the House of Mouse to inject some fresh life back into properties that were once successful, but that might have cooled over the years. With Disney, everything in their storied history is fodder for a remake or sequel. Bob Iger, the divisive head of the company, calls this "IP mining," which is every bit as cold and calculating as it sounds. Now, just a couple of months after Disney's new refresh of Snow White, they turn their attention to one of the most beloved properties of the last 25 years. 

This new version of Lilo and Stitch is fun and heartwarming, but also completely forgettable. Certain elements of the production, such as the aliens that pursue Experiment 626 (played here by Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen) don't really lend themselves to live action, so these characters are therefore "in disguise" as Earthlings for much of the movie. On the other hand, Sydney Agudong makes for a wonderful Nani, bringing some real pathos to the struggle of being a sister-turned-parent to her younger sibling Lilo, played here by newcomer Maia Kealoha, who simply radiates charm any time she's on screen. In a nice nod, Tia Carrere, the original voice of Nani, appears in a prominent role as a social worker in this movie. It's nice to see Disney acknowledging an actor who helped to make the original 2002 film a classic. 

Stitch himself remains a cartoon character, though this time he's realized with top-notch digital effects rather than hand-drawn animation. Really, this cute little chaos alien is the element that makes the most effortless transition between movie formats. Chris Sanders, who co-wrote and co-directed the original Lilo and Stitch animated film and who has been the voice of Stitch in pretty much every incarnation over the last 23 years, returns once again as the voice of the little blue fuzzball, though this time he has no hand in the writing or directing. 

Some scenes from the original have been adapted here for live action, but it's best to approach these movies as new versions of existing songs. This is not a shot for shot remake, nor have any of these Disney reinterpretations been that. These new movies offer a chance to expand and elaborate on things that we already know, bringing new ideas, new characters, and new scenarios to the table. As such, Lilo and Stitch retains its affection for Elvis, as well as the silly shenanigans that we expect along with several fun easter eggs, but it also contains quite a few set pieces that are brand new for this film. 

This also brings me to a complaint: there's a drowning scene near the end of the movie that is so heavy that it nearly brings the movie to a halt. Disney's most vocal naysayers have long criticized the company for their overuse of death and trauma as a shortcut to emotion. I'm talking about Bambi's mom, Mufasa, Mama Coco, heck, let's throw Bing Bong on the list too. It's such a Disney trope that there are countless "Saddest Disney Deaths" lists on the internet that have DOZENS of entries. Well, Lilo and Stitch very nearly does this again, and I found it to be both unnecessary and ill-fitting for the movie I was watching.

For the most part, Lilo and Stitch is a fun romp about being an outsider and marching to the beat of your own drum, which is a good thing. Because it takes place in a tropical paradise, it looks beautiful and has some gorgeous cinematography. But really, let's be honest here: this movie is mostly targeted toward children, and all it really needs to do is offer some laughs, have a few moments that tug at the heart strings, and sell Stitch merchandise. It achieves all of this well enough that I suspect Stitch Mania, which began in 2002 and led to multiple sequels and an animated series, has now returned for a new generation. There's no reason that Disney can't bring Stitch 2 to screens in 2028, and I have no cause to suspect that they won't...and I'm almost surprised to admit that I wouldn't mind that at all.