Film Review: Lilo & Stitch
Images courtesy of The Walt Disney Company.
Disney’s live-action remakes have become something of a cinematic inevitability, rolling out with the frequency of Marvel sequels and the predictability of a theme park ride. Some have been outright disasters (Pinocchio, anyone?), while others (The Jungle Book) have managed to carve out a respectable place in the studio’s modern canon. 2025’s Lilo & Stitch, however, falls somewhere in between - neither a complete misfire, nor a revelation, but a film that survives on the sheer goodwill of its predecessor.
Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), this adaptation sticks closely to the bones of the 2002 animated classic. The story remains largely unchanged: Stitch (voiced once again by Chris Sanders) is a genetically engineered alien fugitive who crash-lands in Hawaii, where he’s mistaken for a dog and adopted by the lonely, rebellious Lilo (Maia Kealoha). Their bond, built on misfit solidarity and the Hawaiian concept of ohana (family), is the emotional core of the film, just as it was in the original.
Where Lilo & Stitch succeeds is in its ability to retain the heart of the story. Kealoha is a revelation as Lilo, capturing the joy and enthusiasm of an autistically-coded young girl with an authenticity that elevates the film beyond its otherwise uninspired execution. She’s tasked with acting opposite a fully computer generated Stitch (a bizarre choice given how positively received the practical approach to The Mandalorian’s Grogu was), and yet she makes every interaction feel genuine, selling the terse emotional beats with remarkable ease.
Speaking of Stitch, the film wisely allows him to remain a cartoon character in spirit, even if he’s rendered in photorealistic CGI. His exaggerated movements, chaotic energy, and expressive eyes ensure that he doesn’t fall into the uncanny valley that has plagued other live-action adaptations (The Lion King, I’m looking at you), and likewise, the film doesn't take the fun out of his presence by trying to explain away the physics or how he could logically pass as a shelter dog. Stitch’s antics - whether tearing through a wedding or wreaking havoc in Lilo’s home - are some of the film’s best moments, reminding audiences why he became such an iconic character in the first place.
The CGI-heavy opening sequence, set in the United Galactic Federation, is visually bland even for an alien fan such as myself, making one long for the hand-drawn charm of the original film. Villains Jumba (The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis) and Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) struggle to translate well into live action, their alien designs feeling more awkward than endearing, with Galifianakis especially phoning in his performance. While the film does attempt to deepen the emotional stakes between Lilo and her older sister Nani (Sydney Agudong), it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the original’s raw, heartfelt portrayal of sibling struggles.
Ultimately, this modern update of Lilo & Stitch is a film that coasts on nostalgia. It’s a serviceable remake that will entertain younger audiences and satisfy longtime fans who simply want to see their favorite blue menace back on the big screen, but for those hoping for something truly special - something that could stand alongside the original rather than merely echo it - this version falls short.
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Lilo & Stitch is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more info, click here.