‘Lilo & Stitch’ stays true to its roots, thankfully
The live-action adaptation of “Lilo & Stitch” stays true to its original source material, bringing the beloved story of ohana, the Hawaiian concept of family, to a new generation. What this film does is show that a faithful retelling of a story can resonate strongly with existing fans and new audiences when done right.
“Lilo & Stitch” tells the story of 6-year-old Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha), who is “not a bad kid but does bad things, sometimes.” She lives with her older sister and guardian, Nani (Sydney Agudong). Their lives are turned upside down when Lilo adopts an alien called Experiment 626, also known as Stitch.
Stitch tries to learn how to be a proper companion to Lilo in order to avoid being captured by his creator, the eccentric scientist Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis), and Earth expert Pleakley (Billy Magnussen), an agent of the Galactic Federation. Their cat-and-mouse antics provide much of the film’s comic relief.
As in the original 2002 animated film, the core message of the story is family—and that in a family, no one gets left behind.
In the remake, Lilo and Nani are portrayed with greater emotional depth as they struggle to stay together. Nani’s character is more fleshed out; she is more than just the big sister who suddenly had to act like a mom. We see her as a young woman with her own dreams and frustrations. Her struggle to hold the family together isn’t sugarcoated in funny antics; it’s shown with more honesty thanks to Agudong’s acting.
Key scenes kept
The film retains a lot of the key scenes that made the original endearing, such as the argument between Lilo and Nani where they are separated by a wall but move similarly, both ending up screaming their lungs out into a pillow—showing their bond despite the disagreement.
Tia Carrere makes an appearance as the social worker who looks after the case of Lilo. It’s a nice touch, as she is the original voice of Nani in the animation. Tutu is a new minor character introduced in the film, and she is played by Amy Hill.
Former CIA agent and social worker Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance) takes a more active role in this version. The adults are very supportive of Lilo and Nani, taking them seriously. They make up for what the sisters lack in their lives: guidance, levelheadedness, and practicality.
Another point of comparison is that the original film didn’t have a traditional villain. They are just characters driven by their motivations. In contrast, this film has a clear adversary from the get-go. Jumba is portrayed as selfish, mean, and psychotic, making him feel more like a true villain than before.
This shift is balanced out by making Pleakley even more endearing. In this version, he’s more inclined to protect humans rather than obsess over mosquitoes. Both Pleakley and Jumba take on human disguises for most of the film, leaving Stitch as the primary CGI character throughout.
They did try to make the film as human as possible. This version confronts Lilo’s flaws directly. She longs to become part of something, but is left to her own devices, leading her to behave badly. This was sugarcoated in the animation, but here, we see Lilo as a problematic child. If anything, this also exposes Nani’s struggle to address this head-on with other adults. Nani is barely an adult herself.
But Kealoha is adorable as Lilo. She brings warmth to a complex character who finds connection with an alien who was designed for destruction. Stitch lives up to his reputation as a scene-stealer. He is cute, fluffy, and funny, but he’s also highly intelligent.
Part of Stitch’s charm is his imperfections. He’s not a fairy godmother, but he feels like an angel to a lonely child. Another plus factor to this show is that you can actually discern what he’s trying to say. His lines are clearer, making the show funnier or gut-wrenching.
There are no major surprises in “Lilo & Stitch” if you’ve watched the original, but that’s exactly what makes it work. The story is intact, the memorable jokes are retold with perfect timing, the important scenes are retained. This movie doesn’t try to fix something that’s not broken. Because of this, it is arguably one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations to date.
