Lilo & Stitch (2025)
7.2 /10
1849 Reviews
Rate This Movie:
The wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Lilo
... Nani
... Stitch (voice)
... Jumba
... Pleakley
User reviews
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/lilo-stitch-movie-review-one-of-disneys-most-heartfelt-adorable-remakes-yet/
"Lilo & Stitch is one of Disney's most adorable, emotionally sincere live-action remakes to date.
With charming performances - protect Maia Kealoha at all costs - an incredibly cute Stitch, and a heart as big as the world, Dean Fleischer Camp proves that there's room for new versions when they're made with soul and purpose.
The human-alien relationship remains the driving force of a simple yet deeply moving story that reminds us of the true meaning of "ohana". It's not perfect, but like its protagonists, it's perfectly imperfect. And that's enough."
Rating: B
Director:
Writer:
Chris Kekaniokalani Bright (Screenplay)
Chris Sanders (Original Film Writer)
Dean DeBlois (Original Film Writer)
Mike Van Waes (Screenplay)
Genres:
Release Date:
2025-05-17
Run Time:
108 min
MMPA Rating:
PG
Reviews of
Lilo & Stitch
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/lilo-stitch-movie-review-one-of-disneys-most-heartfelt-adorable-remakes-yet/
"Lilo & Stitch is one of Disney's most adorable, emotionally sincere live-action remakes to date.
With charming performances - protect Maia Kealoha at all costs - an incredibly cute Stitch, and a heart as big as the world, Dean Fleischer Camp proves that there's room for new versions when they're made with soul and purpose.
The human-alien relationship remains the driving force of a simple yet deeply moving story that reminds us of the true meaning of "ohana". It's not perfect, but like its protagonists, it's perfectly imperfect. And that's enough."
Rating: B
Hmmm! I wasn’t sure if I was watching a sentimental edition of “Hawaii Five-O” here or a collection of outtakes from a “Sonic” movie as this rather disappointingly trundles along for the guts of two hours. It’s starts off quite promisingly as we see the “Grand Councilwoman” sentence the latest creation of madcap scientist “Jumba” to exile under the supervision of himself and Earth expert “Pleakley”. It turns out that the eponymous blue critter is actually quite a malevolent beastie adept at causing no end of mischief, and with the authorities now on his tail, he concludes that the safest thing to do is to hide in plain sight and get him self adopted by the none-too-bright “Lilo” (Maia Kealoha) who actually thinks he’s a dog! What is even dafter is that her elder sister “Nani” (Sydney Agudong) also reckons there is nothing so abnormal about a lively blue pet that can enunciate - though that’s perhaps because she is dazzled by the affections of the beefcake poster boy next door “David” (the hilariously wooden Kaipo Dudoit). Anyway, that’s the scene set as the predicable character arcs take us on a journey from bereavement and rebelliousness to the certainty of it’s long-in-coming denouement. It has it’s Laurel and Hardy moments, and at times there is some very light comedy - usually from Billy Magnussen, but I’m afraid that the story hasn’t the courage of it’s initially mischievous convictions and I rather lost interest as a sea of sentiment washed over me. Maybe it needs a “Brightburn” style director’s cut to spice it up a bit, but as it is it is an ok watch for the kids but not much more.
While watching Disney’s new live-action version of Lilo & Stitch, the film felt fairly accurate to the original 2002 animated film for the first half of the film while the second half seemed insanely different in comparison. However, upon revisiting the original film, the live-action version features many unwanted modifications.
Pleakley and Jumba are butchered in the new film. Now played by Billy Magnussen and Zach Galifianakis respectively both spend the majority of the film as humans (they use alien technology to mimic humans early in the film). This was likely done as a cost-cutting measure, especially after the opening of the film is all CGI, but it’s awkward. Lilo & Stitch was originally meant as a Disney+ exclusive and has the lowest budget ($100 million) of any Disney live-action remake since Cruella.
Magnussen at least has the same personality and a similar voice to Kevin McDonald’s in the original film. The new film turns Jumba into the main villain and strips the character of his Russian accent. In the original film, Jumba is hunting Stitch up until the point where Stitch simply asks Jumba to help him which he abides by.
As humans, both Magnussen and Galifianakis seem to be wearing false teeth or something as they both have overbites that completely alter their speech. It gives the characters this uncanny valley appearance that is way more unsettling than it should be.
Cobra Bubbles is no longer a former CIA agent turned CPS social worker. He’s now just a CIA agent with no personality whatsoever. Courtney B. Vance portrays Bubbles in the film and while his acting skills are fine his frame isn’t big enough. Oddly, Disney is currently hiring actors who never saw the original film for their remakes though. Galifianakis didn’t even know who Jumba was while Courtney B. Vance didn’t watch the film because Stitch scared his kids. It’s no wonder their performances aren’t satisfying.
The new film splits the Bubbles character into two characters. Bubbles is a straightforward CIA agent while Tia Carrere (the original voice of Nani) portrays the CPS social worker and is essentially all of the softer and kinder aspects that made Bubbles interesting. She manifests what made Bubbles interesting, but is otherwise a bit flat while trying to be a worthwhile character on her own.
Lilo and Nani now have neighbors who are also part of their Ohana. The film strips David of whatever charm he may have had in the animated film. Kaipo Dudoi portrays him as a bumbling idiot who can’t talk or put a sentence together to save his life. His grandma Tutu (Amy Hill) is almost never in the film without riding her 4-wheeler. She takes Lilo to the pound to pick up Stitch behind Nani’s back whereas it was Nani’s idea in the animated film.
Some big alterations come in the form of both Lilo and Stitch. Lilo lashed out in the animated film but had a vivid imagination. In the new film, Maia Kealoha has the right voice and mannerisms, but the way she is written injects all of the obnoxious behavior of her character and none of what makes her interesting.
In the 2002 film, Stitch doesn’t say more than three or four words at a time until the ending where he asks to say goodbye and talks about his little and broken family still being good. Most of his dialogue is his alien language and various catchphrases. He begins talking in full sentences halfway into the live-action film. There are also no cute and fluffy jokes, which is a crime in itself.
The new film erases Stitch’s infatuation with The Ugly Duckling, which feels like a huge story shift. Stitch learns what family is and learns that he doesn’t have parents because he was made in a lab and not born naturally. He relates to The Ugly Duckling because he wants to be a part of a family. A family he never had can’t come pick him up or make him feel better, so he finds his own.
There’s also this new concept of Stitch getting heavier the longer he’s in the water. This new story element will obviously factor into how things unfold later in the film, but Stitch didn’t like water originally and couldn’t swim. For possessing “enhanced intellect,” deciding to go into the water when you can’t swim and because you’ll likely never reach the surface again if you fall in seems dumb.
The other differences are mostly little ones that are still bothersome. There’s less of an emphasis on Elvis and his music, Stitch loses his red alien clothes after he’s run over in the animated film whereas he just kind of lands naked in the live-action one, he adores cake in the live-action film whereas he takes one bite and then spits it back up whole in the animated, there’s no coin-operated spaceship sequence or Stitch getting into the laundry and wearing a bra on his head and a towel like a cape to look like a superhero, and he hijacks a Power Wheels in the new film instead of a Big Wheel.
The film looks fairly good, as all of the animated characters transitioned to live-action rather seamlessly. All of the Stitch sequences are great. Stitch's interactions with Lilo are still fun. The sequences with Jumba’s portal gun are some of the best in the live-action film. As a huge fan of the original film, this remake suffers from feeling unnecessary, especially since Stitch is still one of the most popular Disney characters.
Lilo & Stitch is a watchable live-action Disney remake with some entertaining moments, but its knack for revising half of what made the animated version memorable and molding it into something more mediocre is baffling.
well this was so much better than I expected, this was honestly so good and my kid came out the theatres as happy as ever. Very amazing and unexpectedly funny movie!
This movie hit me in the feels. Stitch gets run over by that truck in exactly the same way as my dog. Both axels. I'd seen that scene many times in my head. Was weird to see it in this context. Never saw my dog again. Ends at 1:33 for me. The rest is good but I just wanted to hug my dog.
I liked it. The kid wasn't annoying. The story is good. I never saw the original.
RIP Tigra
Cast & Crew of
Lilo & Stitch
Cast
... Lilo
... Nani
... Stitch (voice)
... Jumba
... Pleakley
... Cobra Bubbles
... Tūtū
... Mrs. Kekoa
... David
... Grand Councilwoman (voice)
... Lū'au Manager
... AJ
... Kumu Hula
... Agent Foster
... Agent Huynh
... Agent Zhao
... Concierge
... Doctor Pereira
... Mertle
... Mertle's Dad
... Mertle's Mom
... Mertle's Friend #1
... Mertle's Friend #2
... Mertle's Friend #3
... Local News Reporter
... Mr. Agas
... Lū'au Employee
... Older Tourist
... Veteran Cleaning Lady
... Janitor
... Animal Control Worker #1
... Animal Control Worker #2
... Best Man
... Big Hawaiian Dude
... Hammerhead Guard
... Ship Voice (voice)
... Hula Dancer
... Hula Dancer
... Hula Dancer
... Hula Dancer
... Hula Dancer
... Hula Dancer
... Hula Dancer
... Fire Knife Dancer
... Fire Knife Dancer
... Tahitian Dancer
... Tahitian Dancer
... Tahitian Dancer
... Tahitian Dancer
... Tahitian Dancer
... Tahitian Dancer
... Lū'au Drummer
... Lū'au Drummer
... Lū'au Drummer
... Lū'au Drummer
... Lū'au Drummer
... Lū'au Drummer
... Hula Drummers
... Hula Drummers
... Coffee Shop Owner
... Emcee
... Cop
... Hot Tub Guy
... Riti
... Rude Guy
... Pleakley Proxy
... Pleakley Proxy #2
... Mertle's Dad
... Hammerhead Guard (voice)
Crew
... Director
... Executive Producer
... Production Design
... Art Direction
... Art Direction
... Supervising Art Director
... Set Decoration
... Costume Design
... Screenplay
... Director of Photography
... Executive Producer
... Producer
... Producer
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Animation Supervisor
... Animation Supervisor
... Visual Effects Producer
... Original Film Writer
... Original Film Writer
... Sculptor
... Hair Department Head
... First Assistant Director
... Stunt Coordinator
... Original Music Composer
... Sound Designer
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Screenplay
... Editor
... Unit Production Manager
... Second Assistant Director
... Second Assistant Director
... First Assistant Director
... Second Assistant Director
... Set Production Assistant
... Assistant Property Master
... Storyboard Artist
... Colorist
... "A" Camera Operator
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Executive Producer
... Extras Casting
... Sound Effects Editor
... Set Dresser
... Co-Producer
... Executive Producer
... VFX Artist
... Second Unit Director of Photography
... Additional Editor
... Stunts
... Stunts
... Visual Effects Production Assistant
... Additional Director of Photography
... Steadicam Operator
... Camera Operator
... "B" Camera Operator
... Animation Supervisor
... Production Coordinator
... Set Designer
... Set Designer
... Set Designer
... Art Department Coordinator
... Music Editor
... Music Editor
... Second Unit Director
... Visual Effects Supervisor
Similar Movies To
Lilo & Stitch
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
7.051/10
David, a robotic boy—the first of his kind programmed to love—is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee and his wife. Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this life impossible for David.
Release: 2001-06-29
From Russia with Love (1963)
7.1/10
Agent 007 is back in the second installment of the James Bond series, this time battling a secret crime organization known as SPECTRE. Russians Rosa Klebb and Kronsteen are out to snatch a decoding device known as the Lektor, using the ravishing Tatiana to lure Bond into helping them. Bond willingly travels to meet Tatiana in Istanbul, where he must rely on his wits to escape with his life in a series of deadly encounters with the enemy.
Release: 1963-10-10
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
7.9/10
Harry Potter has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard—with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he learns to harness his newfound powers with the help of the school's kindly headmaster, Harry uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths—and about the villain who's to blame.
Release: 2001-11-16
Aliens (1986)
8/10
Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.
Release: 1986-07-18
Meet the Fockers (2004)
6.254/10
Hard-to-crack ex-CIA man Jack Byrnes and his wife Dina head for the warmer climes of Florida to meet the parents of their son-in-law-to-be, Greg Focker. Unlike their happily matched offspring, the future in-laws find themselves in a situation of opposites that definitely do not attract.
Release: 2004-12-22
Metropolis (1927)
8.101/10
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
Release: 1927-02-06
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
7.816/10
After Port Royal is attacked and pillaged by a mysterious pirate crew, capturing the governor's daughter Elizabeth Swann in the process, William Turner asks free-willing pirate Jack Sparrow to help him locate the crew's ship—The Black Pearl—so that he can rescue the woman he loves.
Release: 2003-07-09
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
7.016/10
After Homer accidentally pollutes the town's water supply, Springfield is encased in a gigantic dome by the EPA and the Simpsons are declared fugitives.
Release: 2007-07-25
War of the Worlds (2005)
6.527/10
Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young daughter for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
Release: 2005-06-28
Mars Attacks! (1996)
6.415/10
A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.
Release: 1996-12-13
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
7.198/10
Fast-talking, quick-thinking Detroit street cop Axel Foley has bent more than a few rules and regs in his time, but when his best friend is murdered, he heads to sunny Beverly Hills to work the case like only he can.
Release: 1984-12-05
Predator (1987)
7.541/10
A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
Release: 1987-06-12
Snatch (2000)
7.816/10
Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookies, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers, and supposedly Jewish jewellers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.
Release: 2000-09-01
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
7.434/10
Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.
Release: 2000-07-06
The Rest Of Your Life (2022)
10/10
A recent college graduate in Columbus, Ohio seeks agency when his girlfriend moves away and Corporate America fails to meet his expectations, with the help of his freewheeling co-worker.
Release: 2022-11-11
Ghostbusters (1984)
7.494/10
After losing their academic posts at a prestigious university, a team of parapsychologists goes into business as proton-pack-toting "ghostbusters" who exterminate ghouls, hobgoblins and supernatural pests of all stripes. An ad campaign pays off when a knockout cellist hires the squad to purge her swanky digs of demons that appear to be living in her refrigerator.
Release: 1984-06-08
Blackbird (1988)
6.8/10
A story about friendship between two boys coming from different social backgrounds, but with the equally bitter family experiences.
Release: 1988-01-01
Luccas Neto in: Children's Day (2019)
7.9/10
Luccas Neto is planning a big Children's Day celebration at a school but an unexpected threat puts the party and his friends at risk.
Release: 2019-10-11
Stip & Pensil (2017)
6.4/10
Toni, Aghi, Bubu, and Saras get the task of making essays. They create a free school for street children but they chose to earn money than learn.
Release: 2017-04-19
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
7.804/10
King Arthur, accompanied by his squire, recruits his Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Bedevere the Wise, Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot and Sir Galahad the Pure. On the way, Arthur battles the Black Knight who, despite having had all his limbs chopped off, insists he can still fight. They reach Camelot, but Arthur decides not to enter, as "it is a silly place".
Release: 1975-04-03