MOVIE SCENE CANADA
LILO & STITCH
​I Disney Studios Canada I May 23, 2025 I 108 mins. I
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72%
* As of 5/22/25
CAST:
Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, Courtney B. Vance, Zach Galifianakis
DIRECTOR(S):
Dean Fleischer Camp
This live-action reimagining of Disney's 2002 animated classic follows the story of Stitch, a cute, fluffy alien who is programmed for destruction. After escaping captivity, Stitch crash-lands on Earth on the island of Hawaii. There, he comes across a lonely girl named Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and her sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong), who are looking to adopt a dog.
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Despite his destructive programming, through love, faith, and the ironclad belief in ohana (which means family), Lilo is able to help Stitch learn to care for someone else. The two become an inseparable pair who can take on anything together.
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In pursuit are the mad scientist Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis) and his special agent partner Pleakley (Billy Magnussen), as well as the social worker Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance).
REVIEW BY: Darren Zakus - 5/22/25
RATING 4.5 out of 5
Lilo & Stitch never for a second misses the heart of the beloved animated Disney film while retelling it in the live action format, that with glorious VFX work, a stunning acting debut from Maia Kealoha as Lilo, and a story that amplifies the heart and themes of the original, ensures that there is plenty of ohana and fun to be had at the movies!
Back in 2002, the world was first introduced to Stitch, the adorable yet chaos prone alien who crash landed on Earth in Disney’s animated classic Lilo & Stitch. Quickly becoming a fan favourite character due to his infectious personality, proclivity for destruction and chaos, and inner goodness as he searched for his family, Stitch won audiences over and became a valuable member of the Disney family, spawning direct to home video sequels, a television series and becoming a permanent resident in the theme parks. With the recent trend in remaking their animated films into live action, it was only a matter of time before Disney turned their eye to everyone’s favourite alien, and the results are nothing short of excellent. Building momentum with a similar marketing campaign to the animated film that saw Stitch let loose to wreak havoc on the other live action Disney remakes, the Super Bowl, and release a public apology for stealing Princess Jasmine from Aladdin during the marketing campaign of the original animated film, Experiment 626 is finally set to return to the big screen this weekend. Never for a second missing the heart of the beloved animated film and expanding its themes of ohana into something just as more meaningful, director Dean Fleischer Camp captures pure Disney magic with one of the studio’s best live action remakes that does justice to the original through its impressive VFX work and an incredible debut performance from Maia Kealoha as Lilo.
With aliens being a central aspect of the story, the VFX work is important to the filmmaking team to successfully recreate the friendship between Lilo and Stitch. And not only does Disney nail the VFX work throughout the film, it is some of the best work seen from the studio in recent memory. Stitch himself is an adorable bundle of energy, wreaking havoc on screen with pristine computer generated imagery that captures the attitude and heart of the beloved character with every VFX shot. From the facial expressions that capture the goodness within Stitch that will hit the audience right in the heart and instantly bond them to this character, an appearance that feels like the cartoon version come to life, and matching Stitch’s high energy with seamless movement, Stitch has never been more alive. Pleakley, Jumba and the Grand Councilwoman all look great, capturing the essence of their cartoon appearances while making them feel realistic, while the spaceships and portals blend seamlessly into our real world. Mixed in with the natural beauty of Hawaii, the Elvis soundtrack and Dan Romer’s musical score that captures the essence of the story it’s impossible not to be fully immersed in this live action reimagining of Stitch.
Remaking Disney animated films is difficult from a narrative perspective, as you both have to stay true to the original film while making it different enough to justify the live action remake, and Lilo & Stitch finds the right balance between the two. While many of the story beats remain familiar, the screenplay makes the right changes for the majority of the film to deepen the storytelling, allowing the magic to unfold on screen with something more to say. The sister relationship between Lilo and Nani and its trajectory deviates slightly from the original film, allowing a more emotional story to play out between them that strengthens the meaning of family and provides a more realistic and meaningful depiction of it that is certain to tug on the heartstrings. Lilo and Stitch’s friendship remains very similar as the two of them get up to many of the same shenanigans, even if Stitch’s love for Elvis is not explicitly mentioned, the King’s music remains a defining feature of Lilo and Stitch’s friendship. The biggest change is the omission of Captain Gantu, which causes significant reworking to the film’s third act. Screenwriters Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes make the necessary adjustments to ensure that the feeling of the animated film’s final act is never for a second lost, giving way to some stronger moments between Lilo and Stitch, even if one big change they make is certain to be tough for some fans to swallow. Most importantly, the heart of the original is never for a second lost within these changes, delivering the heartwarming, hilarious and exciting story that audiences are wanting from this remake that will tug on audience’s heartstrings just as much as the original, which is certain to make Lilo & Stitch one of the most popular movies this summer movie season.
In terms of casting, Lilo & Stitch has a terrific ensemble cast. Chris Sanders returns once again to voice Stitch, effortlessly recreating the energy and soul of the character that audiences fell in love with over two decades ago. Sydney Elizebeth Agudong is outstanding as Nani, finding a grace in her character’s struggle to raise Lilo and rebuild their life after the unexpected passing of their parents and inheriting their responsibility at a young age. Stealing every scene he is in is Billy Magnussen as Pleakley, not only creating a new voice for that character for the alien form that pays tribute to the original cartoon, but finding his own goofiness in the human version of Pleakley that makes the audience want more and more of his character. Zach Galifianakis is good as Jumba, putting his own spin on the character’s voice, even if it doesn’t have the same effect as the cartoon, but is a wonderful screen partner to Magnussen throughout the film. Hannah Waddingham’s voice is unrecognizable as the Grand Councilwoman in the best way imaginable, creating a regalness within her character with a fun comedic streak, while Kaipo Dudoit is delightful as Daivd and creates a budding romance on screen with Agudong. And finding new roles for members of the original film, Tia Carrere, Amy Hill and Jason Scott Lee all return to the franchise which adds a great sense of nostalgia for audiences who grew up with the series through their wonderful performances.
Though, the film does not work without Kealoha’s pivotal performance as Lilo. Not even ten years old, but Kealoha gives a beautiful performance as Lilo that not only lights up the screen throughout the entire film, but effortlessly captures the deeper emotions of the story and helps give true meaning to ohana. With a playful energy, Kealoha captures the fun side of Lilo with ease that allows her performance to pop off the screen that will have viewers feeling her excitement at every turn in the story. But, in the film’s more emotional moments when dealing with the sister relationship between Lilo and Nani, Kealoha creates an instant connection with Agudong that ensures the emotional beats of the story dig deep. The chemistry she creates with a fully VFX Stitch is sensational, breathing life into the film’s central relationship with an infectious energy, that is no simple task to do, but Kealoha does it so well that the lines between fiction and reality are blurred and younger audiences will believe that Stitch himself is real. It’s a remarkable debut to say the least, and with the right team behind her, Kealoha is destined to have a great career in the movies.
Quickly earning its spot amongst the best of Disney’s live action remakes, there is never a moment in Lilo & Stitch where entertainment, heart and Disney magic is not front and centre. Dean Fleischer Camp not only masterfully balances the mixture of CGI animation and live action as he did in his previous film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, but he ensures that the beating heart of the beloved Disney animated film is not lost but amplified in a reimagining that will both satisfy fans of the original film and have audiences falling in love all over again with Lilo and Stitch. Deepening the themes of ohana and the emotional connection between the beloved Disney characters, Lilo & Stitch beautifully translates to the live action format thanks to a thoughtful and respectful reworking of the story, magnificent VFX work that brings Stitch to life with all the heart and chaos, and a star making performance from Maia Kealoha that ensures there is not a second of the film not bursting with Disney magic!