Disney’s Lilo & Stitch Remake: Not Needed, Still Lovely

Lilo & Stitch

★ ★ ★

Lilo & Stitch is the next Disney animated film to convert to “live action,” and it seems the House of Mouse has no intention of slowing down this trend. I put live action in quotes because the film still relies upon heavy CGI. The opening sequence is fully animated, as is its main character, Stitch (Chris Sanders), throughout the film. The mad scientist who created him, Jumba (Zach Galifianakis), and self-proclaimed Earth expert Pleakley (Billy Magnussen), are also digitally rendered for much of the runtime. This begs the question: why not just remake it entirely in CGI? Or why even remake it at all since the original still stands tall as a beloved Disney feature?

Much like the original, this film is about finding your way in the world when your foundation is shattered. It’s about grief and belonging. Echoing life, the answer often comes in the most chaotic of circumstances.

Chris Sanders as Stitch and Maia Keaolha as Lilo
© 2025 Walt Disney Pictures

What we get here is a mashup of obvious computer animation and live action that doesn’t blend together visually as well as it should. Rather than a seamless enhancement to the story, the digital characters are obvious standouts from their live action human counterparts.

Still, as far as Disney animated remakes go, this one stays true to the beats and heart of the original story. Stitch is an alien created in a lab on a distant planet and is considered an uncontrollable abomination. This planet houses the Galactic Council, who govern the universe from afar, often without its inhabitants’ knowledge or consent. The Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham) has deemed that Stitch is to be exiled on Earth. Jumba and Pleakley are to keep watch over him there.

Zach Galifianakis as Jumba and Billy Magnussen as Pleakley
© 2025 Walt Disney Pictures

Meanwhile in Hawaii, a young girl named Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and her adult sister Nani (Sydney Agudong) struggle with life after their parent’s untimely death. Lilo struggles to relate to other kids at school and often finds herself in conflict. Nani struggles with making ends meet and holding down a job, because she often has to bail Lilo out of trouble. Much like the original, Lilo seems to be unconcerned that Nani is now facing real-world problems. This includes keeping them together while trying to convince Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere), their social worker, that she’s fit to be Lilo’s guardian.

Moments after Mrs. Kekoa gives Nani a list of tasks to complete within a week to start to show she can handle raising Lilo, Stitch crashlands near their home. The rest of the film follows Lilo and Stitch’s budding friendship – and the escalating chaos it brings to Nani and their quiet Hawaiian town.

The film carefully peels back the layers of Lilo and Nani’s relationship, which leads to mutual respect shaped by grief, responsibility and that special bond only sisters have. As they adapt to life with Stitch, they learn more about one another. This bond becomes crucial as they work together to save Stitch from the alien guardians and the CIA.

Amy Hill as Tutu and Courtney B Vance as Agent Cobra Bubbles
© 2025 Walt Disney Pictures

Lilo & Stitch stays fairly true to the original, offering little more than a retelling of the story with live action humans in the original animated roles. Sometimes the acting comes off a bit forced and two-dimensional. Kealoha struggles a bit keeping up with Agudong’s acting. Likewise, Agudong’s more emotional scenes feel a tad forced. By the time the film ends, the two seem to find their chemistry, leading to a touching and emotional conclusion.

It might be an unnecessary remake, but it’s a fun little film – one I enjoyed far more than I expected. I have little doubt younger audiences will immediately stream the original as they await this one to hit the home digital market.

Given the choice, I’ll stick with the original, but this remake still honors the spirit of ʻohana and might just win over a new generation.