REVIEW: ‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2025) Is A Fine But Underwhelming Live-Action

After a series of ill-fated live-action remakes, most recently Snow White, Disney is hedging its bets on its new Lilo and Stitch as a Hail Mary to break the chain. And why shouldn’t they? Despite only starring in one theatrical film, a couple of Direct-to-Video sequels, and a television series, Stitch has remained an endearing, very profitable character for the House of Mouse. Lilo and Stitch (2025) is sure to continue that tradition, as the remake is an amicable family adventure that shines when it’s focused on the title characters, yet is half-hearted in other respects.

For those who aren’t familiar with the story of Lilo and Stitch (2025), it goes a little something like this: Experiment-626 (Chris Sanders), a furry blue wrecking ball of chaos created by alien scientist Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis), is set to be contained along with his creator by space’s Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham). 626 escapes to Earth, disguising itself as a dog that’s adopted by troubled, lonely Kauai native Lilo (Maia Kealoha).

Naming the creature Stitch, Lilo’s hectic life living with her older sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) gets more complicated when Jumba and Galactic Council Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) come looking for their missing creature.

Lilo and Stitch are the very best parts of Lilo and Stitch (2025).

What works in Lilo and Stitch (2025) is the core that worked in the original film. Director Dean Fleischer Camp has experience working with lovable creatures, as per his work on Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, and Stitch has never looked or acted better. Part of the appeal of Stitch is that, for as cute as he is, he’s also a mangy little troublemaker. The realistic fur added to Stitch, on top of his exaggerated design, only bolsters this effect. It’s hard not to crack a smile when Stitch is causing all manner of mischief.

Lilo, mercifully, has not been toned down from her own troublemaker ways. Maia Kealoha is as much of a selling point as the fuzzball she shares the screen with. Her Lilo represents what childhood was really like, warts and all. She’s adventurous, she’s stubborn, and she’s loyal to the end. She and the original film’s director, Chris Sanders, in a vocal performance as Stitch, have a commanding chemistry that’s always the right amount of sweet. Seeing the two of them bond, often leaving a mess in their wake, never grows tiresome.

The same cannot be said for Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani. It’s not that she’s bad in the role; there’s simply not much there. Nani in this version of Lilo and Stitch (2025) feels pigeonholed into being more of a stern authority figure than the strict but loving older sister trying her very best in the original. In a way, she feels more like an obstacle to the adventures of Lilo and her cuddly friend than a fully fleshed-out character, despite a couple of nice scenes between her and Lilo.

Moreover, Lilo and Stitch (2025) face plants in the Hawaii of it all. In the animated original, Kauai was as much of a marvel as the alien creatures running around. That initial film portrayed Kauai as a lush, beautiful place rich with culture and specificity. 2025’s Lilo and Stitch (2025) feels content to shoot the island like any other location flatly.

There’s no life here; it all feels so nondescript under the eye of cinematographer Nigel Bluck. What’s especially surprising about this is that the space-set antics of the opening minutes look so great that it feels like a sharp drop-off to hit the over-lit canvas that most Disney live-action remakes are most comfortable in.

An attempt to pad out the supporting cast also takes the focus away from what works. A new social worker character played by Tia Carrere and a neighbor played by Amy Hill feel like they’re just there to pad out the ensemble. These characters’ antics contribute to the plot, sure, but they grow tiresome.

They end up taking screen time away from two very underserved characters of David Kawena (Kaipa Dudoit) and Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance). Screenwriters Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes have their priorities in the wrong place, adding tiresome gags that don’t come close to the repeated ones from the original instead of fleshing out the setting.

The secondary characters in Lilo and Stitch (2025) pad the movie out too much.

Speaking of aspects that are changed, the villain Gantu is gone entirely. That means that Pleakley and Jumba have their roles significantly expanded. Bless Billy Magnussen for trying, as his Pleakley comes off more like an awkward impression than a genuine performance. Zach Galifianakis might as well be playing an entirely different character, as Jumba is significantly retooled for the “new and improved” Lilo and Stitch (2025).

He does an alright job, though he’s just not as lovable or interesting now that he’s just an evil mad scientist and nothing more. To make matters worse, Pleakley and Jumba are in human disguises for most of the movie, completely wasting some impressive CGI recreations of the characters.

Lilo and Stitch (2025) is sure to please its audience of children who have not seen the original. It flounders in most other aspects, but the chemistry between the title characters is there, and Stitch remains the same adorable rapscallion he’s always been. At the end of the day, though, this sort of project is indicative of the lack of creativity in the modern cinematic landscape. It’s unfortunate that audiences have to settle for what’s “good enough”. By that metric, Lilo and Stitch (2025) at least isn’t a debacle. Don’t audiences deserve better than a watered-down version of an old classic, though?

Lilo & Stitch (2025) is now in theaters.