The ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Remake Is A Worst-Case Scenario Adaptation

It’s no secret that after the poorly received release of 2025’s Snow White (which our own Mark Morellini quite enjoyed despite the controversy), Disney has been reconsidering their project of remaking all their beloved animated films in live action. With the newly-released Lilo & Stitch, it’s not particularly difficult to see why.

A thoroughly de-fanged and sanitised version of a film that’s already rated G, 2025’s Lilo & Stitch is a particularly rough couple of hours at the movies. It’s arguably a worst-case scenario remake where it’s both endlessly devoted to recreating the nostalgia people have for its original film while also entirely missing its point with a number of head-scratching decisions that make the entire affair feel soulless.

You probably already know the story: Lilo (Maia Kealoha) is a lonely Haiwaiian girl being raised by her sister Nani (Sydney Elizabeth Agudong) after the death of their parents. She soon crosses paths with Stitch (the character’s creator Chris Sanders), a rogue alien who gets “adopted” by Lilo as a dog to avoid galactic persecution and inevitably finds ‘ohana with them… at least, that’s the idea.

Lilo & Stitch 2025 sanitises a G-rated film

Though it shares much of its DNA with the original Lilo & Stitch, which I can confirm is still a delightful family film after a recent rewatch, the entire remake feels like a complete toothless update of the original story. What works so much about the 2002 film is that the characters are allowed to be complicated and do sincerely bad or selfish things. What makes that film so compelling is the growth its characters experience.

In the 2025 update, though? Nani doesn’t grab Lilo’s arm aggressively when annoyed after a social worker visit, Lilo’s reasons for disrupting dance class are more sympathetic and even Stitch is less of an asshole. The entirety of live action Lilo & Stitch lacks this edge that makes the original such an insightful rumination on family, and thus undercuts every character and narrative decision throughout.

Lilo and Nani’s relationship has been absolutely butchered in this remake due to its newfound simplicity, as has Stitch’s arc from the original film. You may remember a key moment where Stitch reads The Ugly Duckling at a crucial point in the film for his development. In another glaring omission from 2025’s Lilo & Stitch, this plot point is completely absent, which makes his transition from destructive critter to genuinely caring member of the family feel thoroughly unearned.

This befuddling approach to adaptation affects the side characters of the film, with one-eyed drag diva Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) and gruff scientist Jumba (Zach Galifanakis) downgraded to mostly simplistic aliens-in-disguise roles without even a fraction of the comedy present from 2002. It all feels deeply humourless, reflected in the array of performances that make newcomer and veteran actors alike feel deeply exposed.

Death by a thousand cuts

It’s really death by a thousand cuts for 2025’s Lilo & Stitch. There are so many little decisions made throughout that denigrate the story that the original is beloved for. The ending is particularly baffling in its choice to completely undercut the original’s message, solidifying the soullessness of the entire film. Even the way Hawaiʻi looks in the film is so sterile compared to the original, looking more like an underwhelming travel commercial.

Maybe all the resources went towards animating Stitch, who is admittedly animated rather well throughout. I found Maia Kealoha a charming Lilo, too. In a film full of performances that feel utterly lifeless, her sense of childlike wonder and connection with Stitch are endearing. Strangely, the movie plays into these strengths less than you’d expect with a cluttered character list that constantly cuts away from these characters’ relationship.

But still, there’s not a single thing that Lilo & Stitch 2025 does better than the film it’s based on. The Disney nostalgia machine claims another victim as it devours a beloved family film and churns out a hollow version of it in a shameless attempt to coax multiple generations into the movie theatre for easy cash. Its few redeeming qualities can’t make up for the fact that it doesn’t have one good reason to exist. Just stay home and watch the original.

★

Lilo & Stitch is in cinemas now.