When I realised that the original film came out in 2002 – I gasped. Was it that recent? Wasn’t Lilo & Stitch (2002) an artifact of the 1990s? Didn’t it belong to the Disney Renaissance period of movies?

The answer is no. The truth is that our (okay, maybe not our, maybe it’s just my) sense of time feels so fuzzy because Lilo & Stitch (2002) feels like one of those timeless fairy tales when actually, it’s a very modern and original creation by the House of Mouse. That it’s so beloved that it warners a highly anticipated remake speaks volumes of the nostalgia that comes with our ferocious blue alien.

And it’s a pretty good remake of the original, to boot.

Synopsis

Lilo & Stitch (2025) is a live action sci-fi comedy that’s a remake of Lilo & Stitch (2002). It revolves around a dangerous but cute alien experiment that escapes to Earth and gets adopted by an unsuspecting family. However, other aliens are on the hunt for it, and the only way out is to discover the true meaning of family.

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Writers: Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes

Cast:

• Maia Kealoha (Lilo Pelekai)

• Sydney Agudong (Nani Pelekai)

• Chris Sanders (voice of Stitch)

• Zach Galifianakis (Dr. Jumba Jookiba)

• Billy Magnussen (Pleakley)

• Courtney B. Vance (Cobra Bubbles)

• Tia Carrere (Mrs. Kekoa)

• Amy Hill (Tūtū)

• Kaipo Dudoit (David Kawena)

• Hannah Waddingham (voice of Grand Councilwoman)

Run time: 105 minutes

Disney Channel Movie vibes

There’s just something about a bunch of adults bungling over what is actually a rather dangerous situation – and having the child be the sensible one (or in this case, sort of save the day). It’s such a wholesome feeling to see them all messing up in a (mostly) good-natured way, only for them to learn their lesson later. The entire tone and mood of the film feels so family-friendly, and if you’ve ever grown up watching Disney Channel Movies – this feels right at home. And because the original film already had the same sort of vibes, this really does end up being one of the better remakes that’s faithful to the original where it counts, and updates other parts for relevancy and believability.

Makes important updates to the original tale

In the original film, the only social worker we see is Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance) – who is assigned to two underage girls. It’s played for laughs and visual comedy in the original, but it can quickly look very wrong in a live-action adaptation. Fortunately, this is where the film wisely assigns a female social worker in the form of Mrs Kekoa (Tia Carrere) to them first, which looks better. It also gives Nani (Sydney Agudong) a strong backstory and levels up her competence, because her situation can look questionable in a live-action adaptation. Finally, the film provides a stronger social support system for Lilo and Nani, in the form of Tūtū (Amy Hill). This makes more sense in the grander arc of the story, although Tūtū as a character has some issues.

Maia Kealoha delivers a stunning performance as Lilo

Maia Kealoha plays the lead character Lilo – and quite amazingly, she was the same age (6) as the character she plays during production. She displays incredible range without overacting, and manages to portray Lilo exactly as written. What surprises me is how subtle and authentic her performance is – she doesn’t play it up as many child actors do in comedies, but she’s able to laugh and scream with real emotion when required. The incredible thing is that her co-star, Stitch, is literally not there (as a CGI creation) – meaning that for most of her scenes, she had nobody to act off on and yet deliver a convincing portrayal of Lilo.

But Lilo the character is a horrible person

The problem is that Lilo, as written, is presented as a horrible human being. What does she do? Well, we see her committing trespassing and theft in her introduction – sneaking into people’s houses to let out their chickens sounds fun, but has rather terrible repercussions in real life. She poisons dogs by feeding them sweets (and the film somehow plays that up as adorable), locks her own sister out of the house (which is terribly dangerous), and picks her nose (hygiene issues). I can’t imagine Lilo the character being a role model for any 6-year-old, nor any sane parent wanting their child to emulate Lilo. So it’s another feather in Maia Kealoha’s cap that the actress remains likeable despite playing a very unlikeable character.

Tūtū is a terrible surrogate mother for the main characters

Lilo & Stitch (2025) introduces a surrogate mother figure for Lilo and Nani  – their next door neighbour Tūtū. The problem is that Tūtū oversteps her boundaries far too many times. She insults people wantonly because… she can? Worst of all, in this adaptation, it’s Tūtū who helps Lilo to get Stitch (under the impression that Stitch is a dog), reasoning that a pet will help Nani and Lilo.

This is an incredible irresponsible act. Imagine if your neighbour suddenly gifted your child with a pet, without the guardian or parent’s consent. Now, imagine that the guardian of the child is struggling financially – you want to burden a low income family with a pet that they didn’t ask for? Do you know how much pets cost to take of properly? Not to mention the time and effort required to take care of a pet?

Tūtū is exactly the kind of presumptuous, meddlesome neighbour you do not want in your life. It’s only because it’s a comedy and her reprehensible actions are excused by “good intentions” that it seems fine, but really… Tūtū should be kept far, far away from Lilo and Nani.

Adaptation issues

In an animation, it’s relatively believable that Stitch can be mistaken for a dog.

But in a live action movie, for all the adults to assume he’s a dog is mind-boggling. Even if Stitch has roughly the same size and shape and number of limbs as a dog – he’s blue. Stitch is blue. How are all the adults mistaking him for a dog? Have they never seen a dog before?

This is where the adaptation falters a little. If this issue were glossed over, it wouldn’t be so glaring – but literally every adult takes turns to call him a dog, highlighting this again and again. It would have been better if they just… didn’t mention that they think he’s a dog. At least you can pretend that they weren’t looking very carefully.

Should you watch this?

If you’re a fan of Lilo & Stitch (2002), then yes, this is good remake of the original. It maintains the same heart and style, while updating the relevant parts to modern day sensibilities. As a family movie (like the original), there are absolutely no dark parts that might make you think twice when it comes to younger audiences. The actual writing and characterisation of the various characters in the film can induce some head-scratching at times, but that’s really through the lens of an adult. For kids, it’s a safe watch that presents the key themes of friendship and love.

Score: 2.9/5

Lilo & Stitch (2025) is out in cinemas now.