Lilo & Stitch

Lilo & Stitch
Starring Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Zach Galifianakis
Directed by Dean Fleisher Camp

Back in the early 2000s Disney took some serious risks with its movies, and some didn't pay off as much as they wanted ("Atlantis: The Lost Empire," "Treasure Planet"), while others re-vitalized the company. One was "The Emperor's New Groove" which - to me - is still criminally underrated and one of my favorite Disney movies of the recent decades, and the other was "Lilo & Stitch" - a story taking place in Hawaii about two sisters who encounter an alien being that disguises itself as a dog and lives among them, and learning the meaning of "ohana." Even now, twenty-three years later, we all know what "ohana" means - ohana means family, and family means nobody is left behind or forgotten." The film earned over $270 million worldwide and Stitch became a Disney icon that still sells massive amounts of toys, apparel, and anything else with its face on it. It's sad Disney has foregone with their risk-taking, instead relying on turning their beloved animated films into live-action (with very, very, very...very...diminishing results), and when "Lilo & Stitch" was announced as next in line to get a live-action update, I was very hesitant. While it didn't come out when I was a child (I was 21), it still holds a special place in my heart. When it was released, all I heard was negative aspects of the movie, so going into it I was even less hesitant, but the movie did a great job at blending the shot-for-shot remake as well as forging its own path, and in the end I appreciated what they did with it.

After the recent death of their parents, Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) and her younger sister Lilo (Maia Kealoha) are living alone, while Nani tries to make ends meet as Lilo is a social outcast, picked on by other kids, having no friends, and running amock through the small town they live in. Meanwhile, in deep space, Experiment 626 (Chris Sanders) escapes captivity and heads to Earth, followed closely by its creator Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis) and Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) to retrieve it so it can face justice under the Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham).

Landing on Earth, Experiment 626 finds itself hunted by Jumba and Pleakley and disguises himself as a dog and is adopted by Lilo, and at first he uses her as a shield but as he interacts with her and Nani, he learns the true meaning of family, even as Nani struggles to make ends meet and keep her broken family together.

The original "Lilo & Stitch" was a fun, exciting, and emotional ride through the world of a disjointed family, struggling to make ends meet, and also facing the emotional turmoil of recent tragedy. Nani and Lilo are inseparable, and while Lilo does things that makes Nani furious (and causes her to lose several jobs), you feel their deep bond and connection through it all. That essence lies true with this film, as Lilo is still a rambunctious child who loves causing trouble, and Nani struggles to hold it all together. What's vastly different, however, is how both films end. Not to give it away, but the 2025 version vastly differs from the original, with many people outraged by it. However, after seeing it for myself, I can see why it had to happen, and it's not as bad as others claim it to be - it makes sense, and still keeps the family unit together, as broken as it might be.

The sibling connection between Sydney Elizebeth Agudong (in her debut lead performance) and Maia Kealoha (in her first acting role ever) is palpable and realistic, as Nani keeps trying to make it through the day as Lilo runs on her little adventures, unable to keep hold of it all due to the overwhelming weight of responsibility she finds herself thrust into. This film focuses more on Nani's struggles, but also her talents. She wants to be a marine biologist, and she's got amazing talents that go by the wayside so she can focus on Lilo. It seems too much for her, and this film introduces a few new characters to help her out. One is Amy Hill, who plays David's grandmother Tutu who lives next door (and who also voiced Mrs. Hasagawa in the original animated movie) and is spunky, fun, and a great addition. The other is Mrs. Kekoa, a social worker who tries to help Nani with her struggles. She's played by Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani in the original, and it's a genius choice in casting, as you sense her deep love for Nani and Lilo and the advice she offers almost feels like she's talking to her younger self.

Then Stitch arrives, and everything is hurled into greater turmoil, and greater fun. Stitch is once again voiced by Chris Sanders (who, in an odd coincidence, directed the animated movie with Dean DeBlois, who also directed the animated film "How to Train Your Dragon," and who's live-action version comes out next month), and offers nearly beat-for-beat performances at the beginning and the emotional moment when he realizes what family means, to the point I was repeating what he was saying verbatim and reminiscing the first time I saw the original. Stitch is also given more this time around than before, and a much different ending as well, and director Dean Fleischer Camp (who also directed the amazing "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On") both honors the original and forges a new path, and as we all know, people don't like it when things change.

Remakes are a fickle thing, as people will either a) claim it's a cheap shot-for-shot remake with no soul, or b) change it so much they're angry at all the differences and feel the original should be left alone. "Lilo & Stitch" manages to both appease and tick off both camps, as in moments it's a shot-for-shot remake, and others it's changed so drastically it's almost like a whole new movie. While I appreciate and love the original, I'm not a stickler on it being a total retread, and the changes made were ones I could understand in the grand scheme of things, even if a few of them weren't ones I agreed with. If you go into this with the mindset that you're going to see a different version of the animated movie you loved and you can open yourself up to those changes, you'll probably enjoy them - but if you go into it with a hard heart thinking it shouldn't have been made, well, why are you seeing it in the first place?

The Score: A-