The following contains spoilers for Lilo & Sтιтch, now playing in theatersThe live-action Lilo & Sтιтch makes some interesting changes to the source material that deepen the moral of the story and tweaks the story going forward. Based on the 2002 film of the same name, Lilo & Sтιтch focuses on the тιтular pair, a young Hawaiian girl and the alien she adopts as her “dog.” The two troublemakers develop a тιԍнт bond while contending with both the social services that might separate Lilo from her sister Nani as well as the aliens who seek to recapture Sтιтch and bring him back to space.

Lilo & Sтιтch‘s characters are largely pulled from the original film, although there are some clever additions and important character tweaks that impact the story. This includes a very important change to the overall plot, with one of the new characters opening up an entirely different kind of ending. Here’s how 2025’s Lilo & Sтιтch remake differs from the animated classic and how it sets up a potential sequel storyline.

Why Lilo & Sтιтch Splits Up Lilo And Nani: What It Means For Their Future

Lilo And Sтιтch Live Apart, But Are Still Family

Lilo & Sтιтch‘s happy ending splits up the two sisters but ensures they remain a major part of each other’s lives, thanks to the help of some characters original to this version of the story. Lilo & Sтιтch leans more heavily into the struggles Nani faces as a guardian to her six-year-old sister, including sacrificing a full scholarship to college to follow her pᴀssions in marine biology. The social worker Mrs. Kekoa is portrayed as an incredibly sympathetic and kind woman, doing her best to ease Nani into the realization that she isn’t prepared to be Lilo’s primary caregiver.

However, that doesn’t mean they have to split apart. Tūtū is a new important supporting character, established early as the neighbor to the Pelekai family and the grandmother to Nani’s love interest, David. She offers support and does her best to also watch over Lilo. By the end of the film, Tūtū’s successfully been able to volunteer as the foster home for Lilo. After rebuilding Lilo and Nani’s home, Nani is even able to visit easily thanks to a stolen alien teleporter. Although they’re apart, Lilo & Sтιтch‘s main family is closer than ever by the film’s end.

Jumba Becomes Lilo & Sтιтch’s Main Villain, Replacing Another Character

Jumba Doesn’t Get His Standard Redemption Arc

Jumba is a major character in both versions of Lilo & Sтιтch, a brilliant but dangerous scientist who created Sтιтch. In both films, he’s sent to Earth to recover the specimen. In the original animated film and subsequent spin-off material, Jumba adjusted to Earth and eventually became a part of the extended family. However, Jumba never gets that redemption arc in the live-action film and is instead positioned as the movie’s primary antagonist. He never grows to appreciate Earth or Pleakley and is far more vindictive in his attempts to apprehend Sтιтch.

This is likely the main reason the villain of the original film, Gantu, was cut from the new Lilo & Sтιтch. With Jumba never turning into a good guy, there was no need for a second mᴀssive alien villain. Jumba makes for an interesting antagonist, especially when it’s revealed that he hates the emotional attachments that Sтιтch has made with Lilo. By repositioning the character to be more of a villain, Lilo & Sтιтch is able to reinforce the themes of the film by highlighting how it’s the emotion that counts, not the possessions and superficial elements of family.

How Lilo & Sтιтch’s Ending Compares To The Animated Movie

The Endings Are Very Similar, But Tweaked For Modern Grounded Touches

Structurally, the endings to both versions of Lilo & Sтιтch are largely similar. In both versions, Stich and the other humans are confronted by the Grand Councilwoman, who allows Sтιтch’s exile to be commuted to Earth. However, many minor details are different, most notably the presence of Tūtū giving Lilo a more stable home while Nani pursues her college ambitions. The film kaes it clear that “family doesn’t get left behind” also needs to be applied to self-care, with Tūtū and Mrs. Kekoa reminding Nani that she needs to also focus on herself.

Pleakley remains a part of Lilo & Sтιтch‘s found family, retaining his role in the original movie. Another big change is Agent Bubbles, who is portrayed as a more grounded CIA character in the live-action movie. The hulking agent was revealed to have already contacted aliens off-screen in the animated film, but his decision to help save Lilo instead of reporting the aliens is a big moment for the character and sets him up to also become a permanent part of the extended family unit. These cute additions add a found family layer to the themes of the original movie.

How Lilo & Sтιтch Sets Up A Potential Sequel

Jumba’s Villainous Turn Leaves The Door Open For A Very Obvious Sequel

Lilo & Sтιтch ends on a fairly definitive note, with the arcs for Lilo, Sтιтch, and Nani all resolved. However, the movie’s decision to keep Jumba a villain could easily be used as a means of adapting another entry in the franchise for a sequel. After having captured Sтιтch, Jumba comments that he will continue his experiments and attempt to craft a version of the alien who is incapable of emotional connections. In the process, Jumba also goes through a quick display on the computer of his other experiments, confirming that Sтιтch was far from his first creation.

Sтιтch! The Movie and the subsequent Lilo & Sтιтch: The Series focused on many of these other experiments, also eventually following after Sтιтch and crashing on Hawaii. A sequel to Lilo & Sтιтch could explore this concept more thoroughly, even bringing back Jumba as the architect of this plan in a bid to overwhelm Sтιтch. This could be a natural way to expand the original story and introduce Sтιтch’s extended supporting characters for new fans.

The True Meaning Of Lilo & Sтιтch

“Ohana” Is Still At The Core Of Lilo & Sтιтch, But Expands In Some Compelling Ways

The moral of Lilo & Sтιтch is similar to the original film, with a focus on the redemption and love that can be found through family — both biological and foster. Both movies make the concept that “no one gets left behind” is paramount to being a part of a family, building to their largely similar endings. However, the live-action movie also brings in some refreshing modern shades to that moral. Just because Lilo and Nani don’t live together and Nani goes to college doesn’t mean they aren’t family.

It’s important that Nani gets a greater focus in this new film, which puts more emphasis on her own relative youth and her stalled ambitions. Being her own woman doesn’t make her any less of a guardian and a sister to Lilo, a feeling she ends up extending to Sтιтch by the end of the film. The true meaning of Lilo & Sтιтch expands the emotional core of the original film and gives it some very compelling new layers.