Lilo & Stitch

Disney strikes again with yet another pointless live-action remake with LILO&STITCH. The original came out back in 2002. That movie had edge, great music, a unique animation style, and an emotional story with great themes family and belonging. The remake has... some of those. The story is mostly the same. Lilo (Maia Kealoha) is a young rambunctious kid who is coping with the loss of her parents alongside her teenage sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong), who's trying her best to keep guardianship of Lilo. With the threat of social worker Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere) potentially taking Lilo away, the weight of the world is on her shoulders. Meanwhile, an alien creature who was designed to be an agent of chaos and destruction, escapes and crash-lands nearby. Lilo, desperate for a friend, adopts him and gives him the name Stitch (Chris Sanders). I really enjoyed this movie, until I rewatched the original. They mimic most of the best parts, but it's what they changed that annoys me. With the characters, they completely cut one, which change another one, then they added 2 that took away from some of the other character moments that I needed from the original. The added ones should've been cameos that aren't involved in the plot. If you see both movies, you'll know what I'm talking about. This movie feels even safer than the original. Lilo is less of a menace to society. Nani is less connected with her sister, which weakens the core of the whole story. It's so difficult to not compare, but if you haven't seen the original, you'll probably really enjoy this. The theme is still present, but not as vibrant or emotional, especially with how it ends. Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten. This theme may have been left behind just a little bit. This might be one of the best Disney live-action remakes, but the bar is so incredibly low. This might be a harsh take, but I'm just tired of my childhood being ruined. If you have kids, I still recommend LILO&STITCH, but stick with the animated version. Let's send a message to Disney. Remember, no matter how good these remakes are, they'll never be as good as the original animated classics. It still makes me wonder why Disney is still doing them, besides being a cash-grab. Why don't they just re-release the originals back into theaters?

So okay, we watched this basically because there was nothing better on (the alternative was Mission: Impossible, lol). I expected nothing - and that's exactly what I got. This is just Lilo & Stitch with actual actors (some of them really bad too).

It feels like a film made completely devoid of emotion, trying way too hard to simulate it with some cute animations, desperately poking at that little nostalgia button in your heart (aka Disney: Operation Nostalgia).

Honestly, I hope this remake trend dies soon. I genuinely don't get the point of these kinds of productions - or maybe I'm just not the target audience.

Firstly, there are some positives. Stitch still elicits some smiles because of his antics and the blend of cute behavior with devilish recklessness. The film looks nice, and some of the actors do a solid job. Throughout the movie, however, it becomes abundantly clear that this will never be equal to the original. It is an echo of something far better. People who make this argument are not merely trying to be sticklers. There is probably not a single new implementation that worked better than what the 2002 film chose to do. The pacing of the movie was problematic, and some of the choices regarding plot points lacked heart and gravitas. Like almost all of these live-action Disney remakes, it is a cash grab (in this circumstance, it is being rewarded unlike others that flopped critically and featured fans not turning out as expected). This review will not contain any spoilers. Yet, I do think I can make the case that if you were expecting the beautiful and rich message of "Ohana means family" being the axis upon which the movie turns you will be soundly disappointed. This movie does not have the noxious messaging that Disney has rightfully been pilloried for recently, and it is not a horrid film, but it is not going to have the grip on hearts and minds like the first film.

Lilo & Stitch suffers from all the usual problems that make these Disney live action remakes so much worse than the animated originals they attempt to adapt. The film is noticeably longer for no reason thanks to its unnecessary need to add new characters who bring nothing and almost all of its changes do more damage than good. However, it mostly retains the heart of its predecessor and still contains some good laughs so it can comfortably avoid being the worst remake.

Maia Kealoha is a suitably adorable Lilo and Chris Sanders is obviously a great Stitch, who remains the best part. Sydney Agudong is a good Nani but pretty much everyone else is so bland and Courtney B. Vance's Cobra Bubbles is especially screwed over by the changes to his character. Zach Galifianakis & Billy Magnussen as Jumba & Pleakley are a colossal step down in comparison to the original duo and their alien forms are now extremely uncanny.

Dean Fleischer Camp's direction gets the job done in the standard issue authorless fashion. All the technical issues stem from the near total lack of energy which comes from the misguided idea to (kinda) faithfully adapt a film that wasn't even remotely made with live action sensibilities in mind. The uniqueness has gone and it's replaced by something that generally feels a lot more generic. At least the CGI for Stitch is good enough because it would've been unwatchable if it wasn't.

Is this a surprise to anyone? A live-action remake of an old (and beautifully) animated movie doesn't meet expectations..

Why keep the appearance of it, and go about changing most everything that matters? Fundamentally changing the entire film and it's messages (not to mention elements being removed or all together missing).

I'm surprised and disappointed at how they don't even know how to adapt stories that already worked without making it worse in the process (or somehow making them longer while feeling lesser)! It's impressive how something so simple as "do it exactly as it was" is too much to ask.

I do admit that it looks good (not the CGI) and the leading girls do a good job. The emotional moments are well delivered, and the movie still makes you want to go home to your pet. But just stick to the original. Disney is creatively bankrupt if they have to poorly remake these. I would have prefered a bland new thing over a terrible rehash that is going to be ignored because the original is just better.