Everyone, today, we review the latest Disney live-action remake that has surprisingly taken the world by surprise with it’s enormous box office numbers, and things like that. It is a remake of one of Disney’s more popular animated films that was released around the early 2000s. Presenting to you all my review of the 2025 remake of Lilo & Stitch.
Plot: When an alien experiment named 626 (aka Stitch, and voiced by Chris Sanders) crash lands on Earth, he gets adopted by two humans named Nani (Sydney Elizabeth Agudong), and her younger sister, Lilo (Maia Kealoha). Now, as adapts to this new family, while attempting to evade alien bounty hunters, Dr. Jamba (Zach Galfianakis), and Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen), can this alien that was originally designed for destroying things around him learn to become good, and love Lilo, and others?
Well, despite this remake having its flaws, it is also understandable as to why this remake has grossed plenty of money thus far. First of all, seeing as it’s labeled as live-action remake, it actually feels that way. I mean with remakes like Lion King, for example, which felt more like a CGI remake, and an animated one in a different form of its animated counterpart, this new Lilo & Stitch felt more like a live-action type of film. Sure, characters like the aliens were obviously CGI, including Stitch himself. Still, like with the houses, the backgrounds such as sand, the ocean, and more, you could actually find yourself feeling immersed in this film. That is especially if you’re into live-action movies overall. Truth be told, for those of you who saw films like Johnny Tsunami, or even Soul Surfer, for instance, I wouldn’t be surprised if people thought of films like those while watching newer Lilo & Stitch film, especially when it comes to scenes that involve the ocean, the beach, surfing and scenes like those in particular. In addition to this, though the original animated film maybe be better in most ways, there are maybe a few other ways in which this new one may yet be better too. For one, Lilo seemed to act a little nicer than in the animated version. Okay, don’t get me wrong, she was a fairly nice character in the animated version too. However, Lilo did also seem to act a little too snotty, and bratty in the animated film as well. What’s more is that not only does this remake do it’s best to keep as much of the heart that the animated film had, but it does well with adding some newer, and, I will also add, creative elements this time around. This is most notably true with how alien characters Jamba, and Pleakley have guns that can shoot, and create portals, as well as end up creating human versions of themselves. Yeah, for those of you who was one of the more recent trailers for this film, you likely know what I’m talking about. Additionally, did I forget to mention that there seemed to be a little more comedy in this newer version of Lilo & Stitch? Yeah, oddly enough, I was surprised to find how much more I find myself cracking up at certain scenes that occurred in this newer version, especially around the beginning in the middle of this film. One final thing to mention was that, much like in the animated film, there were some very emotional, and heartfelt moments this time around too. That is one thing that might have been a little better this time around too, was them maybe upgrading on that aspect in this film too.
Still, as I mentioned before, this new Lilo & Stitch has flaws as well. For one, the actress that played Nani in this version, though her acting was mostly good, there were a couple points where she could have maybe given her all a little more, and her acting could have likely improved because of that. Also, Dr. Jamba’s design this time around, might have looked a little creepy this time around. Okay, I get that he had a similar look in the animated version. However, things like the way his nose looks in this case, and more, that is one aspect that made the animated version better. Finally, while there were some changes that were very welcome this time around, there were other ones that weren’t the best to have this time around. Yes, I get that a lot of these remakes have had to make changes from time to time. Even so, some of the changes that did occur in this remake, kind of bogged the movie down, and might cause people to not like this remake as much.
And that’s my review for 2025’s Lilo & Stitch. Honestly, seeing as this was one of Disney’s better remakes, I for one, am glad that this one didn’t go straight to Disney+, as originally planned. Truth be told, making this film a theatrical release might have helped Disney make some money, and likely stay afloat (which, being that up, since Disney did have a couple flops as of fairly recently). Anyway, though the animated film will always be a classic, it’s safe to say that just as 2016’s The Jungle Book was one of Disney’s best remakes, though one may not quite that far for Lilo & Stitch, it is a remake that a lot of people might find themselves enjoying just as much, if not more, than the animated film. This film does still have heart, there are some fun additions, there is some additional comedy that people will enjoy, and, despite there some changes that weren’t the best, also had others that worked surprisingly well in this case. I would say that if you’re on the fence about some of Disney’s remakes as of recently, I would still say give this one a shot. Truthfully, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised with this remake. But definitely decide for yourself after you see this remake. For now, go see this new Lilo & Stitch remake! It is definitely worth seeing overall.
Final Rating: 8.5/10
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 