Disney’s quest to create live-action versions of their animated hits continues with Lilo & Stitch. While many of the animated to live-action conversions have been met with mixed reviews, many fans have been eagerly awaiting Lilo & Stitch. The previews seemed to indicate that the casting was spot on, and Disney was sticking to what made the animated version so widely adored. In our Lilo & Stitch review, we’ll look at how well that adaptation turned out.
Table of Contents
Plot
If you’ve been hiding under a rock since 2002, Lilo & Stitch is about an alien (Stitch) who ends up crash landing on Earth and befriends a lonely child (Lilo). The live-action version follows the same main plot beats, and does a good job of recreating many of the most memorable scenes from the animated film. This is still far and away a children’s film, not quite entertaining adults as well as most Pixar films, but it’s still far more engaging for adults compared to many of Disney’s other live-action remakes.
While the remake doesn’t nail every single scene from the animated movie, it captures the tone and pacing of the original very well. If you’re a fan of the animated Lilo & Stitch, it’s difficult to imagine not enjoying the live-action version. It’s not superior to the animated version in any way, but if you’ve worn out your old Lilo & Stitch DVD, the remake is a nice change of pace.
Casting
One of the biggest complaints when it comes to these Disney live-action remakes is the cast. Lilo & Stitch is cast about as well as anyone could have hoped. Chris Sanders still voices Stitch, so the grunt and growls remain virtually identical to the animated version. The rest of the animated cast has been replaced (or repurposed to a different character), but respectfully so. Everyone is clearly giving it their all, really trying to live up to the high standards set in the animated film over 20 years ago.
Billy Magnussen continues to show impressive range as he embodies Pleakley, and a slimmed down Zach Galifianakis does well bringing Jumba to life. It’s even difficult to imagine Ving Rhames playing Cobra Bubbles instead of Courtney B. Vance, despite both of them handling the role to near perfection.
The stand out in the film has to be Maia Kealoha as Lilo. She’s every bit as adorable and troublesome as her animated counterpart. Sydney Agudong doesn’t fare quite as well, playing opposite Kealoha as her older sister, Nani, but she holds her own well enough. While some fans of the original will surely prefer the animated cast, this is arguably the best live-action remake cast Disney has employed thus far.
Animated Comparison
Lilo & Stitch is not a one-to-one remake. It’s close, possibly closer than any other Disney remake (aside from perhaps The Lion King), but it’s not a one-to-one. What’s important here is that it still feels like Lilo & Stitch. Much like Marvel’s early days of the MCU, the stories weren’t identical to the comics, but they still felt true to the characters and stories.
Most fans of the animated Lilo & Stitch will likely still prefer that animated version, but it’s unlikely many of them will be dissatisfied with what Disney has done here. While not perfect, it is assuredly one of the best animated to live-action remakes Disney has released.
About Lilo & Stitch
Synopsis: A lonely Hawaiian girl befriends a runaway alien, helping to mend her fragmented family.
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Writers: Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes
Cast: Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Chris Sanders, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, Courtney B. Vance, Amy Hill, Tia Carrere, Kaipo Dudoit, Hannah Waddingham
Rated: PG
Runtime: 1 Hour, 48 Minutes
Releases: May 23, 2025
Bryan Dawson has been writing professionally since the age of 13. He started his career as a video game writer and has since worked for Random House, Prima Games, DirecTV, IGN, AOL, the British Government, and various other organizations. For GNN, Bryan taps into his passion for movies.
- Bryan Dawsonhttps://geeknewsnetwork.net/author/bdawson1/
- Bryan Dawsonhttps://geeknewsnetwork.net/author/bdawson1/
- Bryan Dawsonhttps://geeknewsnetwork.net/author/bdawson1/
- Bryan Dawsonhttps://geeknewsnetwork.net/author/bdawson1/
