Stories about family rarely sound as sincere as in «Lilo and Stitch». When Disney announced the live-action remake of the 2002 cult cartoon, there was more skepticism than expectations — especially after the colorless and mechanical adaptations like «Mermaids» or «The Lion King». But something happened that few people expected: the new «Lilo and Stitch» not only survived, but became the best Disney remake recently — without unnecessary pathos, but with a huge heart.
Pluses:
Maya Kealoha and Sydney Agudong — the soul of the movie; Hawaiian atmosphere and visual style; soundtrack combining Elvis, Hawaiian motifs and new songs; cool visual and scripted Stitch; right messages and the main idea of the movie
Minuses:
unnecessary storylines that blur the main idea; in some places the film looks rushed and too cautious; sometimes bad graphics are striking; some banality of the script (but you can't really think of anything new here).
«Lilo & Stitch»
Genre fantasy, adventure, family, …
Project manager Dean Fleischer Camp
Starring Sydney Agudong, Maya Kiloha, Zach Galifianakis, and others.
Premiere May 22, 2025, cinemas
Director Dean Fleischer Kemp, who gave the world the indie gem «Marcel the Shell with Shoes On» at the age of 21, has once again confirmed that he can tell chamber stories with a large emotional scale. He did not rethink the plot — fortunately. The story is still simple, almost childlike in form, but very adult in content.
Little Lilo lives with her sister Nani after the death of her parents. She tries to adapt to a world that doesn’t understand her, and one day she takes a strange creature from the shelter that she thinks is a dog. Stitch, of course, is not a dog, but a crazy genetic experiment that finds running away and destroying the world much easier than being part of a family. But that’s where the most important thing begins — the transformation.
The director kept all the essentials: Hawaii, a warm palette, a mixture of funny and sad, — and put into the film the same idea that made the original a hit: family — is not only those who are close by blood, but those who stay close no matter what.
In this movie, the concept of family runs through every dialog, every scene. And although the ending is slightly changed (Nani hands over custody of Lilo to TuTu’s grandmother to go to school, a controversial but logical decision), the basic idea remains: even when a family is scattered, it does not disappear.
Maya Kealoha as Lilo is a real find. She is absolutely convincing in her stubbornness, eccentricity, and deep loneliness that breaks through the childish bravado. Sydney Agudong, who plays Nani, also handles the challenging role of being a young girl forced to become a mother, friend and big sister all at once.
Her inner exhaustion is evident in every frame, but her love for Lilo shines through like light through blinds. And then there’s Zach Galifianakis as Jumba, the mad scientist who brings with him the necessary dose of eccentricity.
Visually, the movie looks decent. The CGI set is a bit intimidating in places with its design, but you get used to it over time — and, most importantly, it retains its crazy charisma. Hawaii is shown with love, as it should be: the landscapes are bursting with color, the camera moves gently, the music combines original Elvis Presley songs with new compositions, and all this together sounds like you’ve returned to a place where you were once happy.
Not everything is perfect. Changes in the plot sometimes seem unnecessary, and some characters, such as Captain Gantu, have disappeared altogether — and this is a strange decision. But unlike most remakes, these changes don’t feel like a betrayal, but rather an adaptation. It’s like an old fairy tale that a mother tells in a new way for new children to hear.
Disney has long-lost its grip on its live action: what«Snow White»that«The Little Mermaid» — everything is either terrible in quality or sterile. But «Lilo and Stitch» — is an exception. It has no genius, but it has honesty. It doesn’t try to be deeper than it is. He just wants to remind us that sometimes you have to accept even something that has fallen from the sky and is smashing furniture — because maybe that’s what will make you happy.
In general, there hasn’t been a more sincere story on the screen in recent years. It will bring the viewer both sincere laughter and equally sincere tears, but in the end, it will make you feel warm and good.
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