#review: Is Disney's Lilo & Stitch remake a good watch?

David Ho views and reviews the latest Disney live action remake - Lilo & Stitch

Hot on the heels of Snow White comes Disney’s latest live action remake in Lilo & Stitch.

For those unfamiliar, the story follows the adventures of Experiment 626 (aka Stitch), an aggressive and intelligent being that resembles a blue koala with a bad case of ADHD and an attitude problem. Created by the alien mad scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba, Stitch is destined to be exiled but escapes by hijacking a police cruiser. He crash lands on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'I with Dr. Jumba and ‘earth expert’ Agent Pleakley in hot pursuit.

In order to avoid falling into their clutches, Experiment 626 is adopted as a ‘dog’ from an animal shelter by Lilo, a young Hawaiian girl. The spirited and mischievous Lilo is under the care of older sister, Nani, who struggles with being thrust into the caregiver role after the girls were left orphaned by their parents’ passing.

Lilo & Stitch marks one of Disney’s most successful live action takes in some time. The performances by the cast is genuinely heart-warming and enjoyable, with Maia Kealoha’s performance as Lilo and Sydney Agudong as Nani forming the heart of the story. The film shows the sisters’ struggles with the demands of daily life, grief, and moving on a family with laughs and tender moments in equal measure. The screeching from Lilo does grate a bit, but shouldn’t phase anyone used to having little kids in their household.

The CGI for Stitch and the rest of the aliens stands up well enough. Stitch fans will be relieved to know that the chaotic alien is still very adorable in live action form, instead of nightmare fuel as originally feared by some.    

Billy Magnussen (previously seen in another Disney outing as Prince Anders in the live action Aladdin) is the voice and human embodiment of Agent Wendell Pleakley. He gets the funniest lines in the film and does his utmost to deliver the laughs by bouncing off Zach Galifianakis’ Dr. Jumba, who is now the main villain of the movie. Captain Gantu, the shark-like primary antagonist from the original, is nowhere to be seen in this version.  

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Despite changes to certain characters and the ending, Disney fans will love the many nods to the original animation. Tia Carrere, Jason Scott Lee, and Amy Hill, who are the original voice actors for Nani, David, and Mrs Hasegawa, respectively, appear in the film. Easter eggs for other Disney works, like The Little Mermaid and Moana, also abound to thrill dedicates house of the mouse fans.

This 2025 live action remake stands between being a shot-by-shot copy of the original (like The Lion King of 2019) and a complete reimagining (like Mulan of 2020) by only gently remixing some elements. But it doesn’t add more to what was already in the original, like how Ariel and Prince Eric’s dynamic was improved in The Little Mermaid remake or making Princess Jasmine a more fleshed out character in the live action Aladdin.  

Whilst this remake might not feel completely warranted, especially with its 20 minute additional runtime over the original, it does give fans of the original (along with a new generation of fans), a chance to get excited about the film and catch it in theatres again (and Disney+ later on). 

Verdict: This is an utterly enjoyable watch with your ohana, which means family if you need a reminder. It will leave you in tears and in... stitches. 

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