Lilo & Stitch is an iconic Disney movie, one that filled the childhoods of many Buena students, including myself, with dreams of travelling to the Hawaiian islands to eat shaved ice on a surfboard floating over sea turtles and sometimes aliens. The tropical, pastel illustrations and heartwarming themes of family and sisterhood brought comfort and island fun to the homes of millions of children across the world, highlighting those in Hawaii. Walking into the theater May, 2025, to watch the live-action adaptation of the movie, I was hopeful and nostalgic.
To compare this to the original would be to criticize the clear differences, as there were many, however I would like to look at it first as a project independent from the original. It is a cute movie, and I appreciate that the CGI is used an appropriate amount, allowing the movie to showcase Hawaii’s beauty and for Stitch to be animated very well.
While the movie was visually accurate and followed the general same plot, they added and took away certain elements of characters and scenes that in my mind, made it a different story.
Casting & Character Comparisons
Lilo – Actress Maia Kealoha was an excellent choice for the role. She perfectly carried the mischievous, lovable and stubborn energy that Lilo has as she runs around her island, which she pridefully loves. Kealoha, being a young Native Hawaiian herself, brought in an authentic depth to the character
Stitch – voiced writer and director, Chris Sanders, Stitch’s animation and voicing was excellent. He was just as cute and his character stayed true to the original movie. Iconic montage scenes featuring Stitch were very aligned with the cartoon, and overall, I think they did him justice.
Nani – Actress Sydney Agudong, brought in a fresh energy toher representation of Nani, the surfer-girl teenager turned single-mother. The original Nani, a family-oriented and island-loving girl, was replaced with a character who not only differs in ethnicity, but in life choices. The original Nani fights to keep her sister by her side, re-building her family and travelling the world with them, carrying the message that family is what you make it. However, in the 2025 live-action, Nani leaves for college in California, seeing Lilo in her spare time, aided by the conveniently introduced portal-gun.
David – Actor Kaipo Duidot brought David’s lovestruck charm and caring personality into the live-action. Though his scenes were very brief, his character was carried by his connection to the unexpectedly highlighted character, Tutu (played by Amy Hill), who, alongside David, takes care of Lilo in Nani’s absence. This did drastically change the dynamic between characters, with Nani stepping away and Tutu becoming a leading character.
Cobra Bubbles – Played by Courtney B. Vance, Cobra Bubbles was definitely presented in a different way than the original. Despite his nonchalant, mysterious background as a CIA agent in the role of a social worker in the cartoon, the adapted live-action character is more silly and obsessive over aliens, taking on an added comedic role than the serious tone he added to the cartoon. By making him a CIA agent from the beginning of the movie, the writers did provide more context for his involvement with Stitch. However, whether or not this was necessary is up to the audience member. The new movie also features a new character, Mrs. Kekoa, played by the original Nani’s voice actress, Tia Carrere, who serves as the social worker that monitors Lilo and Nani. I liked that they were able to include original cast members, though it was surprising to see entirely new characters. Kekoa’s character serves as the face of the social services system, adding a realistic element by explaining the foster care system.
Pleakley & Jumba – Both voiced and acted by Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen, Pleakley and Jumba were featured both in their alien state, and as undercover humans. This was a new addition to the plotline of the movie, and did add a lot of funny scenes that elevated the comedy. However, instead of the iconic alien duo becoming a part of Lilo and Nani’s unconventional family, Jumba is pegged as the villain of the movie (instead of Gantu), which I think took away from the main message of the whole story; family is blood, but also who you choose.
Conclusions & My Review
Lilo & Stitch is a story that beautifully captures the idea of the family we choose and make along the way; family made from all kinds of relationships that we are both born with, but from the bonds we build throughout life. At the end of the original, Lilo and Nani, both orphaned and nearly torn apart, end up building a new house, a metaphor for their new beginnings with their family of aliens, David, and Cobra Bubbles. I did feel they lacked this key point in the live-action, adding too many attempts at being realistic by separating Lilo and Nani and sending Jumba back to space.
By sending Nani away to UCSD with a portal gun, the emotions of scenes where Lilo and Nani are together, building their relationship, lose a little of their value. “Ohana” loses some of its meaning when they do in fact leave each other behind, such as in pivotal scenes at the climax of the movie where Nani almost lets Stitch drown. While these scenes added drama to the film, and did carry emotion and relevance to the film, just not the original plot.
Overall, the 2025 live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch is a very cute and charming film, capturing the beautiful, fun summer story that was enjoyable to watch. However, in comparison to the original, which I hold close to my heart, it cannot be seen as a perfect reenactment, rather a fresh, sillier spin-off.
