By George & Josh Bate
Disney’s string of live-action remakes have yielded mixed results, as some (but certainly not all) have been able to recapture the magic of the animated classic they are based on. After a rocky reception to the live-action remake of Snow White earlier this year, Disney debuts another reimagining, one with a massive fan base to live up to. Making a live-action Lilo & Stitch was only a matter of time for the studio, but whether the transition to a new medium would hamper the humor and charm of the original remained unclear. Now though, there is a definitive answer to that question as Lilo & Stitch (2025) surpasses even the highest of expectations, confidently secures its place as the best live-action Disney remake by a long shot, and even ranks among 2025’s best movies.
Lilo & Stitch follows the story of the 2002 animated classic from writer/director duo Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. The film follows a young girl named Lilo (played by Maia Kealoha in her first professional acting role), whose misbehavior makes it difficult to make friends and gives her older sister Nani (played by Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) a headache. When an exiled alien known as Experiment 626 (voiced by Chris Sanders) crash lands nearby, Lilo finally finds the friend she desires, although he harbors a similar propensity for chaos. Unfortunately, aliens from 626’s home world and a federal agent relentlessly pursue the alien, who Lilo names Stitch.
Much like its source material, Lilo & Stitch possesses a beautiful blend of heart and humor. To call director Dean Fleischer Camp’s remake touching doesn’t begin to describe how strongly it pulls on the heartstrings. The film revolves around family, in every sense of the word. Lilo and her older sister Nani are still adjusting to the sudden loss of their parents, requiring teenager Nani to take on a parental role and leading Lilo to misbehave in all sorts of mischievous ways. Their relationship has strained, especially as social services keep Lilo’s welfare under a watchful eye. As Nani sees her career aspirations fall by the wayside due to her new parental role, Lilo faces bullying and isolation from her peers, creating a decidedly unpleasant family situation.
Although the film is titled ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ it is equally about Lilo’s relationship with Nani. The shared loss of their parents strikes an emotional chord, even when the audience has no exposure to what their parents were like. The diverging ways in which their grief manifests is heartbreaking, making the later developments in the story all the more rewarding. All of this works so well on paper, but is taken to newfound emotional heights through the performances by Maia Kealoha as Lilo and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani.
There has seldom been a more apt example of perfect casting in recent years than Kealoha as Lilo. Kealoha evokes the charm, rebelliousness, and wittiness of Lilo in animation, while bringing an added innocence and cuteness to the character. A testament to the young actor’s incredible potential, Kealoha plays excellently across an entirely CGI character and aids immensely in ensuring that audience immersion in the story is never hindered by the presence of CGI characters in a live-action environment. Kealoha crafts Lilo into an endlessly likable character, one you root for from the second she steps onto the screen, and suggests that she will have a long and accomplished career ahead of her.
The same can be said for Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani. Agudong takes on arguably the most difficult role in the cast as she carries much of the film’s dramatic weight and is responsible for retaining the stakes of the plot while ensuring the tone never becomes too dark. Agudong shares incredible, organic chemistry with her on-screen sister and, coupled with Kealoha, makes Lilo & Stitch as much about two sisters as it is about a young girl and her new dog-like alien companion.
Of course, Stitch plays a sizable role in Lilo & Stitch and, like Lilo and Nani, does not disappoint. Intelligently opting against realistic creature designs or straying too far away from the animated film, the filmmakers and visual effects department bring Stitch and other alien characters to life with cartoonish visuals that blend seamlessly into the live-action world and characters. This approach had the potential to be jarring but, instead, works excellently. Stitch is faithfully reimagined and retains the same chaotic energy and undeniable lovability of his animated counterpart.
The growing bond between Lilo and Stitch carries forth the film’s touching message about family. Anyone who has a pet they adore or anyone whose life resonates with the concept of found family will find themselves teary-eyed watching the lonely human girl and the wild alien genetic experiment grow close and risk their lives for one another. Having a cute alien bond with a human is far from an original plot at this point (look no further than The Mandalorian or even the original Lilo & Stitch), but the filmmaking team handle this trope with such care and empathy that it is easy to overlook any lack of novelty.
Side-by-side with the heart is a vibrant sense of humor that runs throughout. Although the humor involving Zach Galifianakis’ Dr. Jumba Jookiba and Billy Magnussen’s Agent Pleakley falls flat at times, the rest of the film’s attempts at humor work exceptionally well. In addition to some great one liners from Lilo, the film is filled to the brim with laughs surrounding Stitch’s antics. His unruly, impulsive nature opens the door for countless hilarious moments that, through variety and ingenuity, never grow old. The film is certainly chaotic at times and can be slightly overwhelming in its first half, although this follows logically with the development of Stitch’s character.
In addition to failing to reach the comedic heights of Stitch and others, the antagonists also struggle to captivate in any way. Dr. Jumba Jookiba and Agent Pleakley are more plot devices than characters, with their motivations told a tad messily and their inclusion in the film merely to provide a point of conflict for Lilo and Stitch. Any time the film cuts back to these villains, it feels like there’s minutes lost that could be spent on our far more interesting protagonists.
VERDICT: 8.5/10
Starkly reversing the trend of mediocre Disney live-action remakes, Lilo & Stitch stands out as the best of the bunch and, more generally, one of the best films of the year. The rare family blockbuster that tugs at the heartstrings in a manner similar to some of each year’s most awarded films, director Dean Fleischer Camp’s remake features a beautiful message about family told with genuineness and empathy. Although the film is titled ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ it is as much about Lilo’s relationship with her sister Nani as it is about her relationship with Stitch. The sisterly bond evolving through a period of grief makes for emotional and captivating viewing, elevated by exceptional performances from Maia Kealoha and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong. The two young actresses add unexpected dimensions to the characters from animation and prove that they will have long and accomplished careers ahead of them. Similarly successful is the incorporation of Stitch, who is intelligently brought to life with cartoonish, rather than overly realistic or unfaithful visual effects. The relationship between Lilo and Stitch proves to be similarly heartwarming, while also offering plenty of unruly and chaotic humor. Although the antagonists played by Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen fall short of the compelling heights of the protagonists and the film lacks some originality, it is undoubtedly a resounding success for Disney and lays the foundation for a franchise of films we’ll be first in line to see. There have been few times in recent years where we’ve watched a film with such a big smile on our faces and tears in our eyes as Lilo & Stitch, making it one of the summer’s must-watch movies.