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Lilo & Stitch Review
Image Credit: Disney
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Directed By: Dean Fleischer Camp
Written By: Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes; Based on the 2002 animated film and characters created by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders
Runtime: 108 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated PG for action, peril, and thematic elements.
Maia Kealoha – Lilo
Sydney Elizebeth Agudong – Nani
Tia Carrere – Mrs. Kekoa
Zach Galifianakis – Jumba Jookiba
Billy Magnussen – Pleakley
Courtney B. Vance – Cobra Bubbles
Hannah Waddingham – Grand Councilwoman
Amy Hill – Tutu
Chris Sanders – Stitch
Disney returns to the live-action remake well with Lilo & Stitch. Based on the beloved animated feature of the same name, director Dean Fleischer Camp crafts a relatively pleasant, easygoing entry that brings some genuine heartfelt emotion to the table. However, the new live-action feature fails to live up to the original, creating an entry that’s far more rushed and less sophisticated than the animated version.
Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes’ script follows many of the same beats as the original feature. Renegade mad scientist Jumba Jookiba (Galifianakis) creates a mischievous genetic experiment that is highly intelligent and bent on destruction. The Grand Councilwoman (Waddingham) of the United Galactic Federation sentences Experiment 626 into exile. Instead, Stitch makes a daring escape, purloining a police cruiser and unwittingly crash-landing on Earth. There, Experiment 626 seeks to hide out and disguises himself as a shelter dog so he can be adopted by a precocious six-year-old orphan, Lilo (Kealoha), who names her new friend Stitch (Sanders).
Unfortunately for Lilo, her older sister Nani (Elizebeth Agudong) struggles to keep things afloat as her little sister’s sole guardian after their parents passed away. Nani has limited time before a social worker, Mrs. Kekoa (Carrere, the original voice of Nani), steps in to take over Lilo’s welfare. Meanwhile, the Galactic Federation tasks Dr. Jookiba and Pleakley (Magnussen) with infiltrating Earth to take Stitch back into their custody before the pint-sized creature causes any damage or risks exposing Earth to alien life. Stitch’s sole purpose for existence is chaos and destruction, but he finds a genuine friend, and Lilo learns the true meaning of “Ohana.”
Dean Fleischer Camp succeeds in maintaining the genuine heart and endearing relationship of Lilo and Stitch from the animated film. Thankfully, Chris Sanders returns to give voice to Stitch. Even rendered for a live-action feature, Stitch’s undeniable charm blares through the story. Young thespian Kealoha also delivers an inspired, believable performance, especially considering she’s mostly performing opposite a CG-animated creation.
The prologue weirdly rushes through the Galactic Federation scenes. Part of that problem is that the film loses its chief villain from the original, Captain Gantu. Instead, the remake uses Dr. Jookiba as the new central antagonist, diminishing the narrative’s bite and appeal. Sadly, Galifianakis looks and sounds oddly miscast as the rogue mad scientist, who should have a genuine heart of gold.
One change that makes sense for the remake concerns how Pleakley and Dr. Jookiba deal with their Earth disguise. In the animated version, they simply wore human clothing to blend in, even though they looked like unusually shaped aliens wearing human clothing. In the remake, they wear special cloaking devices to copy the forms of other humans they meet, giving them more humanoid appearances, which is how Galifianakis and Magnussen portray their extraterrestrial characters in live action. Magnussen emerges as the stronger of the duo, relishing the chance to perform the spritely, amiable Pleakley. It’s rather disappointing that Galifianakis delivers such a flat performance compared to that of his co-star.
Elsewhere, the remake script adds multiple new characters who dilute and overcomplicate the plot. Cobra Bubbles now acts in the script as a CIA agent investigating alien activity on Earth, portrayed by Courtney B. Vance. It’s nice to see Tia Carrere portray a character in the live-action version, as she voiced Nani in the original film and multiple animated follow-ups, including the Lilo & Stitch animated series. However, splitting Cobra Bubbles’ role into two characters lessens the impact of both Cobra and Mrs. Kekoa.
Another new character is Lilo and Nani’s kindly neighbor, Tutu (Hill), who adds little to the overall plot other than setting up a very convenient resolution later. The new narrative elements add little to the overall experience, and the film could have utilized Captain Gantu to add a superior challenge for Stitch in the finale. The script recycles some of the same jokes and beats from the original, but some exchanges play as severely rushed or dumbed down from the animated version. It almost appears that the live-action version talks down to its younger viewers more, while the animated version embraces and uplifts childhood imagination, respecting their intelligence far more than the live-action update.
Despite its flaws, Lilo & Stitch does find its footing because Stitch is still great, and the charming storyline with Lilo remains intact. It’s an acceptable, inoffensive remake of an animated classic and one that kids and families will likely still embrace, even though the original version is leagues better.
