Live-action remakes of coveted animated films can be a pain point of mine. Most of the time (well, all of the time), it’s an opportunity to juice more money out of an existing IP and less an opportunity to tell a beloved story with a fresh new eye. That’s why it should come as much surprise that the 2025 remake of the beloved film Lilo & Stitch steers towards the latter rather than the former. Coming off his Oscar-nominated, hybrid live-action/stop-motion animation film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021), director Dean Fleisher Camp brings new life to the story of “Stitch” while paying homage to and reimagining familiar story beats.
Stitch in Disney’s live-action LILO & STITCH. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2025 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The remake begins where the original 2002 animated film begins — Experiment 626/Stitch (voiced by Chris Sanders, the original voice/creator of the beloved character), an aggressive, near-indestructible creature created by Dr. Jumba Jookiba (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) flees from the United Galactic Federation to avoid exile. He crash-lands to Earth and, under the hilarious guise of portraying a dog, befriends Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha), an outcast girl in Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, who lives with her older sister/guardian Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong). As the United Galactic Federation and the CIA closes in, the outcast pair must find a way to keep Stitch safe and not be thrown into exile.
L-R: Maia Kealoha as Lilo and Sydney Agudong as Nani in Disney’s live-action LILO & STITCH. Photo Credit: Matt Kennedy. © 2025 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Part of the charm of Lilo & Stitch is its respective, stubborn stance to not reinvent the wheel. Sans a character here (specifically the omission of Captain Gantu, who is represented largely by Dr. Jumba here) and a subplot there, this film is mostly a beat-for-beat remake of the original. Where there have been other examples of such a thing being frowned upon (including Jon Favreau’s 2019 remake of The Lion King), here, it is a breath of fresh air. By retaining all the right elements of the original, Lilo & Stitch focuses on what made the original work as a great family film and translates that into effective live-action entertainment. There is a great ensemble here that makes all the components of “Disney magic” work as it should. Newcomer Maia Kealoha delivers a fun, relatable performance as the eccentric Lilo, bringing to life Daveigh Chase’s great vocal performance in the original. She carries great chemistry with Sydney Elizebeth Agudong (Trapped in the Farmhouse) as Nani. The theme of ʻohana, a Hawaiian word that means “family,” is represented well by this pairing. As Nani deals with the threat of losing guardianship over her sister in the form of caring social worker Mrs. Kekoa (played by Tia Carrere (True Lies), who voiced Nani in the original film), Agudong carries the scenes with relatable gravitas. Courtney B. Vance (Isle of Dogs) is a welcome yet subversive surprise as Cobra Bubbles, the character no longer carrying the intimidating presence he had in the original but is still a notable threat that is observing Lilo and Stitch very closely. Comedian/actress Amy Hill (50 First Dates), who voiced Mrs. Hasagawa in the original film, returns as Tūtū, Lilo and Nani’s neighbor and grandmother to David (Kaipo Dudoit), a fire performer who has a crush on Nani. The best part of this casting, however, goes to Zach Galifianakis as Dr. Jumba and Billy Magnussen as the eccentric, overeager Agent Pleakley, an expert and fan of the planet Earth who accompanies the doctor in obtaining Stitch. Taking a chance to have these actors carry out these roles in human form (a trick carried out by a device the pair uses to resemble humans they see at a nearby hotel), the film treats us with a hilarious chemistry in which Galifianakis plays against type and is a solid straight man to Magnussen’s over-the-top performance. Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso; The Fall Guy) rounds out the cast as the voice of the Grand Councilwoman, the head honcho determined to have Stitch brough back in. Locking in the familiar story beats of the original and bringing in a talented cast, this live-action remake checks off all boxes of creating a fun time for the whole family.
L-R: Billy Magnussen as Pleakley and Zach Galifianakis as Jumba in Disney’s live-action LILO & STITCH. Photo Credit: Zach Dougan. © 2025 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lilo & Stitch represents the rare occasion where the story works better in remake form not just because of the casting but because the story of a child forming a friendship with an alien being is better translated in live-action than in animation. Fleischer Camp keeps things fresh and entertaining while taking away all the original film’s fluff and keeping things focused on the laughter and chemistry. There’re quite a few funny moments that stand out in Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes’s (Dear David) script, including a scene where, to impress the social worker spying in on their daily routine, Nani tries to mask Capri Sun as tea by brewing it in a teapot. Lilo & Stitch could be a step in the right direction for future Disney remakes as the film takes a great risk by investing in an inspired choice for director and enhanced the formula that came before it rather than breaking it. For its digital release, there is a good selection of supplemental features to choose from. There are deleted scenes, two featurettes including one about how Stitch was drawn to life in the film, bloopers, and a selection of scenes in which Stitch delivers audio commentary. For any fan of ʻohana, this is a nice gem to bring home.
Lilo & Stitch Special Features:
- Two (2) Deleted Scenes:
- ʻOhana Means Family: Making “Lilo & Stitch” – Learn how an animated classic becomes an instant live-action favorite. Explore the challenges of bringing Stitch into the real world, how the familiar images of the original were recreated, and join returning cast members on a set that embodies ‘ohana.
- Drawn to Life – Check out scenes from the animated original film alongside their live-action counterparts to see how these beloved key moments were faithfully recreated. And uncover some easter eggs along the way!
- Bloopers – Take a look at some of the fun mishaps on set with the cast and crew of Lilo & Stitch.
- Six (6) Scenes with Stitch – Hear Stitch talk about some of his favorite scenes as he watches the movie play.
Available on digital July 22nd, 2025.
Available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on August 26th, 2025.
Available on Disney+ September 3rd, 2025.
For more information or to purchase, head to the official Walt Disney Studios Lilo & Stitch webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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