"Lilo & Stitch" (2025) Film Review

Lilo & Stitch (2025)

Rating: 4.5/5

By: Nathaniel Simpson

    Stitch is one of the most popular, and cutest, characters in the entirety of Disney Animation's filmography. With the influx of live-action adaptations of animated films coming out over the last decade, it was inevitable for Chris Sanders' iconic film to get revived with a modernized live-action picture. I was extremely worried with how Disney was going to attempt to retell this story, especially with the at-times awful live-action adaptations they have made (I'm looking at you Snow White). But, when they started to market this film more the last couple of months and with the inclusion of many of the actors from the original film, things started to look hopeful for this film about a little girl and her blue, alien friend. Those fears I had were immediately washed away when I sat and watched this movie, showing how it is possible for Disney to still make some amazing live-action adaptations. In my opinion, this is perhaps Disney's best live-action adaptation of one of their animated films, and one that I want to watch many more times.

    Lilo (Maia Kealoha) is a young girl who simply just wants a friend. Many of the little girls on the island of O'ahu are very cruel to Lilo, and exclude her from many of their activities. It is especially hard for Lilo as her parents tragically died before the start of this movie, and she is now being raised by her older sister, Nani (Sydney Agudong), who is struggling to balance her life and taking care of her littler sister. When Lilo makes a wish to have a friend come to her, her wish comes true in ways none of them expected. 

    That friend comes in the form of Experiment 626, who Lilo names Stitch (Chris Sanders reprised his role as Stitch from the original film, which he also wrote and directed). He was created illegally by Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis), a brilliant scientist who wanted to create a destructive alien whose sole purpose was to cause chaos and destruction. When he is arrested and Stitch escapes from the United Galactic Federation, he is teamed up with Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) to go to Earth and capture the small alien. 

    This film had giant shoes to fill in the sense that the animated film is such a beloved classic that millions of people love and adore. These characters have existed for over two decades now, and many fans have very firm beliefs and ideas on how the characters and the story should be. However, with this movie, I think they hit it pretty spot-on in terms of the casting and performances, for the most part. Kealoha as Lilo is a perfect casting, and this young actress has so much sass and character already that it makes her pop off the screen. She is able to perfectly step into this iconic role, and she gives a perhaps perfect performance as Lilo. The same can be said for Sanders, who seemingly effortlessly steps back into this role he brought to life many years ago. With him being the creator of this little guy, he perfectly understands how to make him so lovable and unique, expanding more on the character throughout this film.

    In terms of the side characters, Agudong, Kaipo Dudoit as David, and Amy Hill as Tūtū are all a lot of fun and compliment the two main characters really well. I really enjoy the chemistry and the new plot additions between Lilo and Nani, but I really do wish we had that more of a romantic side plot between Nana and David. It sort of felt forced and didn't have enough substance to garner the conclusion their characters have. I was also hoping for a little more of Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubbles, but I really did like the path they put him on throughout the film. 

    The two most polarizing characters in this film come in the form of Jumba and Pleakley. I thought Pleakley was honestly a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed this new spin that Magnussen put on the character. His mannerisms are done quite well as this character, and I always enjoyed the scenes he was in. However, for Jamba on the other hand, I don't totally dislike his portrayal, but it did feel a little odd. Galifianakis is a brilliant actor, but I don't think this role was right for him. It seemed like a completely different character compared to the version we got in the original, and I think they sort of brought a cheaper, watered-down version of him here.

    However, with all of that being said in terms of the casting and performances, this is a really fun film. It keeps the viewer engaged and hooked from beginning to end, and it captures the same heart and joy as the original film. The heartfelt and tearjerker moments here work just the same as they did back in 2002. The whole movie just puts a huge smile on your face, especially the scenes showcasing Lilo and Stitch just being friends and having these interactions together.     

    Even though I really adored the direction they went down with this film and how they captured it for live-action, there are some aspects from the animated film that I think would have benefited quite well here. These include some of the famous comedic lines that were found in the original (who doesn't love the line "Oh good, my dog found the chainsaw"), as well as the addition of the Ugly Duckling story and how Stitch relates to it. I think there are some moments that could have made the character growth and development here much greater, but I understand how they were trying to show the relationship between Lilo and Nani here more than the original. 

    Overall, this is just a really fun film for everyone, and I think there is so much here for both the original and new fans to love and appreciate. Director Dean Fleischer Camp really shows how he was able to capture the essence of the original film from Sanders, and you can see the love and care for this story in the live-action adaptation. Disney really needed a win here for their live-action films, and I think Lilo & Stitch will give it to them.