2025’s Lilo & Sтιтch is reimagining Sтιтch and many of his alien friends in live-action, but Jumba’s design raises some alarm bells. Disney hasn’t been consistent with its live-action remakes. While it has had a few hits like 2019’s Aladdin and 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, it has also seen a couple of disastrous flops like the recent Snow White remake. Lilo & Sтιтch is another retelling of a beloved classic in live-action, and the film is facing high expectations. Multiple generations love the 2002 animated film, and Sтιтch is one of Disney’s most popular characters.

Fortunately, trailers show that Sтιтch looks great. His design is similar to the animated film, and he even has the same voice, recorded by Chris Sanders. He’s a whirlwind of mischief and chaos, wrapped up in a cute, fluffy blue ball. However, there are some concerns over the other aliens in the film. The first trailer showed a brief look at Pleakley, and while the design is accurate, there is something off about him. The same can be said for Jumba, whom Disney just shared a first look at.

Disney Has Kept Jumba A Secret Until Now

Perhaps For A Reason

Dr. Jumba Jookiba is Sтιтch’s kooky but intelligent creator. Originally voiced by David Ogden Stiers, Jumba is sent to Earth, along with Pleakley, to retrieve Sтιтch and bring him back to the United Galactic Federation. He is still in the live-action movie, played by Zach Galifianakis. In the original, Jumba has a unique design, looking like a combination of a hippopotamus and a bug. Disney withheld his live-action form from the trailer but revealed it in new first-look images, and it now makes sense why they kept his look a secret.

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Jumba doesn’t look terrible — he has the same eyes and large stature that made him distinct in the animated film. However, his nose has become a weird, elephant trunk-looking appendage at the top of his head. Many audiences are comparing it to phallic imagery, and it is a bizarre addition that Disney didn’t need to do. The studio could have just copied animated Jumba’s little bits of hair, and that would have worked fine.

Past Live-Action Disney Remakes Have Run Into Trouble With CGI Characters

Disney Has Encountered Some Problems Translating Their Characters Into Live-action

Disney doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to bringing their animated characters to life through CGI. There are some excellent examples, like The Jungle Book, but the studio has had many imperfections. 2019’s The Lion King looked impressive since almost all of it is animated, but the animals themselves haven’t aged gracefully. While the lions appear realistic, their lack of expressions takes emotion out of many of the film’s most dramatic moments.

Will Smith is a great Genie in Aladdin, but his fully-blue look is often uncanny. The same could be said for the animals in The Little Mermaid, like Flounder and Sebastian, who appear too real for comfort. Possibly the worst offenders are the dwarves in Snow White. Disney decided to go full-CGI, rather than cast live-action actors for the dwarves, and they look very awkward. Charming as they were, it was hard to get past the CGI faces that threatened to create nightmares for everyone.

Lilo & Sтιтch Has Seemingly Nailed Sтιтch’s Look, So Does Jumba’s Design Even Matter?

Jumba’s Design Won’t Ruin Lilo & Sтιтch

Sтιтch’s look and characterization are admittedly the most important factors for this film. If viewers don’t like this version of Sтιтch, the movie will collapse. However, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic based on the trailers and other promotional materials. Still, Sтιтch isn’t the only reason people like the original animated film. Jumba and Pleakley are important characters in Sтιтch’s story, and play a crucial role in the narrative, especially in the third act.

Jumba’s design could be distracting, but it looks like Disney may have an excuse. In the trailer, it is revealed that Jumba and Pleakley are using alien technology to disguise themselves as humans while in Hawaii. It is disappointing that they may not be in their alien forms for the whole film, but it does give Disney a way to get around the CGI if it’s too cumbersome. It also saves them some money, which is another reason for this change. While there are some design concerns with Jumba, they likely won’t ruin Lilo & Sтιтch.