The following contains spoilers for Lilo & Sтιтch, now playing in theaters
23 years after the original animated movie was released, Disney’s new Lilo & Sтιтch movie hopes to recapture the whimsical wonder of the original movie. As the latest live-action Disney remake, the film is coming shortly after Snow White proved to be an extremely disappointing release, having struggled at the box office while facing poor responses from critics and audiences. Lilo & Sтιтch has enjoyed a much greater reception, especially when accounting for its $340 million global opening weekend.
As much as Lilo & Sтιтch‘s positive Rotten Tomatoes score suggests the remake has earned the love of audiences, it still falls short of matching the original movie’s critical success. It may be a good movie when taken in its own right, but it hardly compares to the original counterpart. This live-action adaptation is unfortunately worse than the animated version in a few key ways that could have a mᴀssive impact on its reputation.
8
The CGI Is Not Especially Convincing
Animation Was A Better Medium For This Story
It is difficult to deny that the CGI for Sтιтch is downright adorable. The cuddly blue alien appears life-like but still maintains the expressiveness that made him so beloved in the 2002 movie. There was certainly a risk that Sтιтch could appear too monstrous, but the movie thankfully avoided that trap. It did not, unfortunately, manage to achieve that balance with the movie’s other aliens.
Jumba and Agent Pleakley, for instance, are utterly horrifying. When they do not appear to be eerie animatronics at a Disney theme park, they look like skin suits or glued pieces of plastic. It is jarring, especially when viewers are thrown from the adorable Sтιтch to the much more terrifying Jumba and Pleakley. It could explain the decision to have them disguise themselves as humans, even aside from Lilo & Sтιтch‘s initial budgetary concerns.
7
Jumba And Agent Pleakley Are Mostly In Human Form
They Also Never Wear Women’s Clothing
That ongoing joke is completely removed in the live-action adaptation. Pleakley dresses like a typical human man, and he also has a perfect disguise. The visual humor of two aliens pretending to be human beings through wigs and clothing alone are completely stripped from the movie. It is difficult to understand why Disney made that decision, though the budget likely explains the human disguises, at least. Either way, the characters could still have worn women’s clothing, though Disney was likely hoping to avoid courting controversy.
6
Bubbles Is Not As Mysterious
He Becomes A CIA Agent With No Knowledge Of Aliens
In the original movie, Cobra Bubbles was a social worker and a former CIA agent who had already encountered aliens before. It made him both a mysterious character and an ᴀsset to Lilo and Nani, who would otherwise have been entirely alone. It also made him a more grounded character, even as he made it very evident he was looking out for Lilo’s best interests.
|
Actor |
Role |
|---|---|
|
Chris Sanders |
Sтιтch (voice) |
|
Maia Kealoha |
Lilo Pelekai |
|
Sydney Agudong |
Nani Pelekai |
|
Courtney B. Vance |
Cobra Bubbles |
|
Kaipo Dudoit |
David Kawena |
|
Zach Galifianakis |
Dr. Jumba Jookiba |
|
Billy Magnussen |
Agent Pleakley |
|
Tia Carrere |
Mrs. Kekoa |
|
Hannah Waddingham |
Grand Councilwoman |
The live-action adaptation attempted to change Bubbles by portraying him as an active CIA agent who pretends to be a social worker. The most compelling element of his character was that he truly cared about Lilo and wanted the best for her and Nani alike. By having him be a generic CIA agent, it strips away that motive, along with some of his whimsy. It is altogether a poor and disappointing change.
5
Jumba Lacks Any Nuance
He Becomes A One-Note Villain
In the live-action adaptation, Jumba is nothing more than a villain. It is one of the most controversial Lilo & Sтιтch changes, because it was entirely unnecessary. The nuance behind Jumba’s character was what made him interesting, and the rest of the cast ultimately embraced him. He even went on to join Lilo’s family originally. In this version, he is nothing more than a tired and cliché villain with shaky motivations and not even a hint of realism.
4
Gantu Was Cut From The Movie
The Original Movie’s Villain Does Not Appear At All
The shark-like Captain Gantu was originally the main villain of Lilo & Sтιтch. He was a large and ominous presence, who relied on brute force to take down his enemies. The gigantic villain served as a major enemy for Sтιтch, as it was his responsibility to capture the alien and bring him back to the Galactic Federation.
Gantu was originally played by voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson.
Despite having such an important role in the story, Captain Gantu was completely removed from the movie. His absence left a void that Jumba was forced to fill, which is part of the reason behind Jumba’s lack of any nuance. Gantu’s design is likely why he was cut, as it would be difficult to translate into live-action, but his exclusion severely hindered the narrative progression. As difficult as he was to budget for, Gantu was crucial to the third act, and his exclusion was a bizarre twist.
3
Lilo’s Connection To Her Parents Is Gone
The Rain Ritual Loses Its Meaning
Image via Disney
To some extent, the new movie does not entirely understand Lilo’s character. While she is as chaotic as Sтιтch and as rudderless as any little girl can be, she is an emotional, extremely intelligent young girl who deeply misses her parents. After all, Lilo and Nani’s parents died in a car crash on a rainy day, and Lilo carries that with her wherever she goes.
That subtle connection is never revealed to new viewers, and that exclusion just makes this movie worse.
In the original movie, Lilo attempts to honor Pudge the fish, who she believes can control the weather. In doing so, she ensured that similar incidents could never happen again, so her family would remain safe. The movie, however, never mentions how her parents died, which makes the Pudge scene lose its impact. That subtle connection is never revealed to new viewers, and that exclusion just makes this movie worse.
2
Lilo’s Temper Is Neutered
Her Over-The-Top Responses Are Toned Down
Just as Lilo loses her emotional weight, the live-action adaptation also fails to properly portray Lilo’s temper. The animated Lilo is introduced as a fiery character who begins to ferociously attack another girl shortly after her debut, just because the girl called Lilo “crazy” for feeding Pudge peanut ʙuттer. Lilo strikes her impulsively, and she faces genuine consequences for her actions.
In the 2025 movie, however, that fierce attack loses all weight. Instead, Lilo does little more than shove the other girl, so it has little long-term impact. Her impulsivity is therefore restricted, making her a less chaotic character. Given that she and Sтιтch are supposed to be parallel characters, that means that the movie fails to properly portray that theme at all.
1
The Ending Destroys The Movie’s Themes
Ohana Means… Leaving Family Behind?
The most disruptive element of the movie is Lilo & Sтιтch‘s controversial ending. Instead of using found family members to help support Lilo and Nani, Disney made the bizarre decision to leave Lilo with Nani’s friendly neighbor. Nani then proceeds to leave Hawaii entirely, moving away to California to pursue a collegiate Marine Biology program.
David’s grandmother, Tūtū, becomes Lilo’s foster parent.
Despite emphasizing that “ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind,” Nani seems perfectly willing to leave Lilo behind. It is a bizarre decision for a Lilo & Sтιтch adaptation, especially given that Hawaii already has excellent Marine Biology programs. The original movie kept the two sisters together, which was a far more heartwarming ending, as opposed to Nani leaving Lilo and Sтιтch behind.
