Spoiler Alert
The live-action Lilo and Stitch movie will not please everyone, and when it’s significantly different from the original material, not everyone is going to enjoy it. When this young girl’s relationship (wonderfully played by Maia Kealoha) with Myrtle (Emery Hookano-Briel) is nonexistent, I groaned. Their conflict makes up a significant part of the series as this rival believes her family is better than most Polynesians. To be exact, this girl has a superiority complex. And as for the two aliens who would eventually become friends with the title characters, even I was wondering why change them up that much?
A lot of the humour comes from Jumba’s mad god complex and Pleakley’s belief he knows this world. Even in the alt-universe versions of the series, the new showrunners never changed their purpose; and I’ve looked at both Stitch! and Stitch and Ai (review links) to know why some characters stick around. Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen are decent when performing their own stuff, but when trying to live up to the past material, they really do not measure up.
Without this double act done proper, what’s presented doesn’t make too much sense. I wanted to hear the big hippo hybrid speak with a Russian accent. As for the one eyed alien, what made him a fan favourite is because of all the cross-dressing ventures. Even in human form, to see Billy confused about gender roles and still wear a dress would’ve been a hoot, but it was not done!
Even though I understand not including Gantu, the galactic cop who is a huge shark-human hybrid, to have him in human disguise would have worked. When this film explained why the aliens have to look like the locals, even the bad guys would have to do the same to avoid scaring the natives. I’d laugh if he was a bounty hunter who was from Iceland or some Northern European country.
What’s presented is a mixed bag of hits and misses. Although I appreciate the use of the original soundtrack, I wanted more from the Kamehameha Children’s Choir. The film successfully preserves some aspects of Ohana, and it’s good that not every scene copies the original frame by frame.
One positive move is giving Tia Carrere, who played Nani in the original, a continued presence. She plays Mrs. Kekoa, a social worker, and Amy Hill is Tūtū, the neighbour next door. Tūtū’s presence significantly shifts the dynamics of who knows why they are alone. These two sisters lost their parents in a car accident and with nobody to turn to, all they have been themselves. Now that both are in this new canon, should the house of mouse decide to green-light sequels.
This film is likely to generate new fans, but once they explore the older material, they are very likely to find those presentations better thought out and superior. Although there’s a tease that other experiments exist, no explanation was given whether they predate Stitch or that’s what this new Jumba wants to do when taking apart Stitch at a genetic level.
2½ Stars out of 5
Lilo and Stitch (2025) Trailer
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