Writers Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes’ script adds a lot of character and heart to this live-action reimagining, but falls short in delivering a compelling villain.
The best things I can say about Dean Fleischer Camp/s version of Lilo and Stitch is that it recognizes many of the elements that made the original animated film such an endearing classic among Disney fans. The rapport between Lilo and Stitch, the family connection between Nani and Lilo and the balance of focusing the story on Lilo and Stitch as outsiders who find each other and start to belong.
The new adaptation of Lilo and Stitch adds new elements that make the movie feel more grounded. A new social worker character played by Tia Carrere helps to enrich Nani’s backstory and ground the origin of Cobra Bubbles to make it less fantastical. Tatu, voiced by character actor Amy Hill in the original has an expanded role in this film, now played by Hill in live action. And Cobra Bubbles, here played by Courtney B. Vance, has a more well-rounded origin besides being Marcellus Wallace by way of Men in Black.
But the best part of the film lays in the casting of Sydney Agudong as Nani and Maia Kealoha as Lilo. Maia’s casting brings the movie to life. She makes Stitch, once again voiced by Chris Sanders, seem real and believable and you believe that he is real because she conveys that so well. Lilo’s casting is complimented well by Sydney’s Nani, the two have a very well-done sisterly bond. The expanded backstory for Nani, that she gave up a full ride to become a marine biology student to take care of Lilo makes her sacrifices for Lilo mean more and the tragedy of their failure to connect at times more poignant. Lilo is just as much an outcast as she was in the first film, she’s alone, she wants a true friend, an angel who will understand and care for her and it comes across as completely believable.
The storyline in this adaptation is very similar. Stitch is created by Jumba, now voiced by Zach Galifianakis, he escapes from the Federation to Earth and lands in Hawaii and is trapped there from executing his world destroying destiny as he disguises himself as a dog to hide from Jumba and Pleakley, now played by Billy Magnusson. Magnusson does a great job channeling Kevin McDonald’s performance. Galifianakis comes across as a bad fit for Jumba to this reviewer. He’s playing himself. The script also doesn’t do Galifianakis any favors, making Jumba a much more one-dimensional character and a straight-villain with no redemptive qualities. Magnusson’s Pleakley gets that redemptive arc, but Jumba is a character many fans of the original appreciate as a shades of grey character similar to Stitch. While the story hits a lot of the same beats as the original and can be seen as possibly the best of Disney’s live-action remake efforts thus far, it feels unnecessary and really doesn’t distinguish itself as much as it needs to to serve as a movie that stands alone without the original’s existence. This may be more of an indictment of the whole “live action remake” initiative. When it’s been going on as many years as it has now and delivered dud after dud like Pinocchio, Dumbo, Aladdin, and Snow White, it’s almost impossible for Lilo and Stitch to not be the best of the litter by simply existing.
That being said, many of the elements I’ve listed above make it a fun watch. I teared up at Lilo and Stitch several times because the camaraderie did translate to the live action version. There’s lots of elements that have been changed yet the overall bond between the two characters is touching. The CGI used for Stitch makes him seem very real and huggable and that coupled with nostalgia and good performances makes for a recipe for a fun movie that kids and adults can enjoy.
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Lilo and Stitch
★★★ of ★★★★★ stars
A solid entry into the Disney live-action cannon that isn’t as forgettable as most of these films are due to a caring script with some thoughtful additions.
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OUT OF THEATER REACTION