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Live Action “Lilo & Stitch” A Worthy Remake of Beloved Animated Favorite

  • Writer: Matt Palmer
    Matt Palmer
  • Jun 3, 2025
  • 3 min read



To get ready for the latest live action remake from Disney, I also took a look at the 2002 animated family favorite “Lilo & Stitch,” which is still as hilarious and heart-warming as when I first watched it a long time ago. So, let’s get moving and talk about the remake of “Lilo & Stitch,” which may not be as great as the animated original, yet it’s definitely one of the better remakes that Disney has released.

“Lilo & Stitch” is a funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.

Like I stated before, this live action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” is one of the better remakes that the studio has recently been releasing. While it’s not as great or emotionally impactful as the original animated classic, it’s still an entertaining and fun movie experience for the whole family.

This remake provides quite a few humorous moments scattered throughout that will have the whole family laughing. During the movie, we get to see Lilo play “Ohana” with Stitch while imagining him as a dog which provides a few silly moments that can actually be very humorous. 

The 2025 remake also incorporates some slapstick comedy, mainly from Stitch’s energetic and, sometimes, destructive actions. The characters of Jumba and Pleakley also have a few hilarious bits and can sometimes steal the show.

The movie also features some emotional and heart-warming moments as well, especially with the Lilo and Nani sister relationship part of the story. Now, the sisters’ story still remains a central part of the overall story and this movie actually adds more depth to their story, such as Nani wanting to become a marine biologist and a more in-depth look at their situation with the case workers. Also, as a young child actor, Maia Kealoha really knocks it out of the park as Lilo!

Yes, there are some differences between this live action remake and the 2002 animated feature. The Lilo/Nani story does end a bit differently in this version, which has actually divided some viewers and fans of the original. There are a few other changes the remake has made that can also divide a few fans, such as the Cobra Bubbles character



being slightly re-imagined and the characters of Jumba and Pleakley having slightly different characteristics then they had in the animated original. A couple of these changes does work and a couple kind of don’t. 

Overall, while this live action version doesn’t quite live up to the animated classic, this remake of “Lilo & Stitch” is still a very enjoyable movie for the entire family to see, despite the few changes that have been made!

Cast: Maia Keoloha (Lilo); Sydney Agudong (Nani); Chris Sanders (Stitch) (he was also the original voice actor of Stitch in the original); Zach Galifianakis (Jumba); Billy Magnussen (Pleakley); Amy Hill (tutu); Kaipo Dudoit (David); Courtney B. Vance (Cobra Bubbles); Tia Carrere (Mrs. Kakoa) (also voiced the character of Nani in the animated classic).

Writer/director: Chris Kekaniokalani Bright (writer); Mike Van Waes (writer); Dean Fleischer Camp (director) (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On).

Trivia: Chris Sanders, the director, writer and story creator of the 2002 movie, reprises his role as Stitch. He had to juggle his voice work with making his blockbuster animated drama “The Wild Robot” at the same time. This live action remake was originally meant to be released straight to streaming on Disney Plus, but the strong reception from test screenings prompted Disney to instead give it a wide theatrical release.

MPA: Rated PG for action, peril and thematic elements   (runtime 108 minutes)





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