Visually, this live-action “Lilo & Stitch” works better for me, and giving the older sister an ambition that reaches beyond the tourist injury is a good move, but there are the  issues of colorism and canon.

My husband and I weren’t that enthusiastic about the original 2002 animated feature, “Lilo & Stitch,” but despite a few quibbles, I enjoyed the live-action remake which mostly stays faithful to the animated original but also includes some inspired changes. This is a rare win for a Disney live-action remake. However, the screenplay by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes may anger fans of the original animated feature.

The problems I had with the 2002 film were visual and historical. I thought their eyes were too far apart. My husband didn’t like the sameness of the noses. I also have a profound distaste for the artist whose style the animated feature draws inspiration from: Paul Gauguin. I wrote a fictional short story called “Gauguin Girl” in reaction to my initial art history studies.

To write this essay, I did a search to see if someone else verified what I visually identified and I found this assertion from The Cinema Show: “On the strength of a remarkable screenplay, Sanders relies on the history of art. Gauguin’s Polynesian period inspired him for ‘Lilo & Stitch.'” Gauguin’s art has been associated with the eroticization of Pacific Islander women, specifically of Tahiti.

Tahiti, of course, isn’t Hawaii. Moreover, time has not been kind to Paul Gauguin.  In the years following the premiere of “Lilo & Stitch,” Gauguin has been subject to more and more criticism.

The Colorado Springs-born Chris Sanders came up with the story concept and wrote and directed with Canadian-born Dean DeBlois. DuBois had been credited as the “story co-head” for the 1998 “Mulan.” Fans of “How to Train Your Dragon will recognized him as the writer and director (with Chris Sanders) of the 2010 “How to Train Your Dragon.” DeBlois would also direct the “How to Train Your Dragon” sequels and is the writer/director of the 2025 live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” feature film that comes out later this year.

Lilo & Stitch (2002) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Far away on the planet Turo, the United Galactic Federation brings the “evil genius” scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba (voiced by David Ogden Stiers with a Russian accent) for judgment. He’s accused of illegal and dangerous genetic experimentation and the proof is Experiment 626 (Chris Sanders). The blue furred 626 has only one instinct: To destroy things. As a result of the trial, 626 is sentenced to exile on a deserted asteroid and Jumba is jailed. However, 626 escapes  and his spaceship lands on Kauai, Hawaii.  No one taught 626 to look both ways before crossing a road, but after being knocked about, he ends up in an animal shelter, terrorizing the real dogs.  Jumba is freed by the Federation’s Grand Councilwoman to assist Earth expert Agent Pleakley (Kevin McDonald) in capturing Experiment 626.

On Kauai, Nani Pelekai (Honolulu-born Filipino American Tia Carrere) and her much younger sister Lilo (the Las Vegas-born Filipino American Daveigh Chase) are trying to be a family following the death of their parents in a car crash. Social workers Cobra Bubbles (Harlem-born African American Ving Rhames) finds Nani attempting to break into her house after Lilo has locked Nani out. Bubbles gives her a warning that she must step up or Lilo will end up in foster care.

Previously, we’ve seen that Lilo is a violent little outcast who was late for hula class because she fed a specific fish a peanut butter sandwich (Do not try this at home). Lilo can’t play dolls with the other girls because she doesn’t have one (despite all the toys in her big bedroom) although she has made a doll that probably would fit in better with the kids in Halloween Town (“Nightmare Before Christmas”).  Nani overhears Lilo wishing for a friend, and so in a thoroughly questionable move to improve their living situation, Nani takes Lilo to the animal shelter to adopt a dog—the very place where Experiment 626 is impounded.

Experiment 626 can’t escape from the animal shelter because Jumba and Pleakley are waiting outside, so inspired by an adoption poster, 626 hides some unusual physical features and attempts to be a dog. The animal shelter adoption counselor states she thought 626 was dead when Lilo brings the creature to the adoption counter. (Would one really put an unconscious possibly dead animal in a kennel with other dogs?) Nani isn’t particularly pleased with this freakishly blue koala-like dog, but Lilo insists and names 626 “Stitch.”

True to its genetic programing, Stitch causes problems, beginning with causing Nani to lose her job at a tourist lua’u, increasing the likelihood Nani will lose Lilo to the foster care system. Lilo attempts to train Stitch, but Lilo and Stitch also sabotage every job that Nani applies for. David (Jason Scott Lee), a neighbor and former co-worker,  attempts to help cheer Nani up by taking Nani, Lilo and Stitch surfing. Jumba and Pleakley use this surfing playtime to try and snatch Stitch, but almost cause the drowning of Lilo and Stitch.

Angry at the bumbling attempts of Jumba and Pleakley, the Grand Councilwoman pulls Jumba and Pleakley off the mission and assigns the capture of Stitch to the real villain of the film: Captain Gantu (Kevin Michael Richardson).

Of course, there will be a happy ending and the ‘Ohana (family) will be redefined and preserved.

Stitch! The Movie (2003) ⭐️⭐️

This direct-to-video movie served as a pilot for the TV series “Lilo & Stitch: The Series” which ran from 20 September 2003 to 29 July 2006 with a total of 65 episodes. In “Stitch! The Movie,” the villain Gantu is hired by Jumba’s former partner, Dr. Hämsterviel (Jeff Bennett), to find the 625 experiments that preceded Experiment 626/Stitch. Some of those experiments have been released on Earth and Stitch and Lilo must stop Experiment 221 (Frank Welker). Gantu finds an ally in Experiment 625 (Rob Paulsen).

Experiment 625 looks like a mutation between Stitch and Winnie the Pooh. This experiment is lazy and loves sandwiches. Experiment 221 is slender, yellow and has long antennae. Experiment 221 has the ability to cause electric power surges. Dr. Hämsterviel looks like a white rabbit and often mistaken for a gerbil.

“Lilo & Stitch: The Series” continues where “Stitch! The Movie” left off. Lilo and Stitch are charged with collecting all of Jumba’s experiments and teaching them to be good instead of bad while finding them a place where they belong. Working against them is Captain Gantu and Experiment 625 who attempt to capture the experiments for Dr. Hämsterviel.

Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) ⭐️⭐️

This direct-to-video film takes place between “Lilo & Stitch” and “Stitch! The Movie.” Lilo (voiced by Dakota Fanning) is preparing for a hula competition. The winner performs at a local May Day festival and Lilo’s mother won the competition when she was Lilo’s age. Each student must create an original hula dance and perform it, but Stitch has a glitch. When Jumba was creating him, Jumba was not able to fully charge Stitch’s molecules before he was arrested. When Stitch glitches, he cannot control his actions and destruction follows until the glitch fit passes. This strains the relationship between Stitch and Lilo and hinders Lilo’s ability to choreography her own hula. More importantly, Stitch will die if Jumba cannot create a charging pod and fully charge Stitch and creating a charging pod with Earth’s limited technology isn’t easy.

Is Stitch an animal or is Stitch a machine? Or do all aliens need to be recharged? Don’t try this at home with your pets.

One of the scenes from this film is used for the live-action film.

Leroy & Stitch (2006) ⭐️

In this television film, having completed their mission to capture and rehabilitate Jumba’s 625 experiments, Lilo, Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley are honored by the Galactic Alliance and offered prestigious awards. Jumba is given his old lab; Pleakley is offered the position of chairman of Earth Studies at the Galactic Alliance Community College. Stitch is made captain of the Balatci Armada and commander of the Big Red Battleship 9000 (BRG-9000). Lilo becomes the Galactic Federation’s ambassador to Earth. At first, out of loyalty to Lilo, Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley refuse these offers, but eventually Lilo encourages her friends to go on their new adventures, giving each something to remember her by.

However that evil Dr. Hämsterviel escapes from prison with help from Gantu. Gantu and Dr. Hämsterviel break into Jumba’s lab and force him to create a new experiment: Leroy (#629). Think of a red Stitch. Stitch attempts to rescue Jumba and arrest Dr. Hämsterviel, but Leroy defeats him and Stitch is imprisoned. Dr. Hämsterviel clones Leroy to form an army to battle the Galactic Alliance. Dr. Hämsterviel then locks Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley in Pleakley’s spaceship and send it into a black hole.

Gantu has ditched Experiment 625 and Lilo teams up with 625 whom she names “Reuben” and with him finds Stitch. A reformed Gantu helps them. Lilo, Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley help defeat the army of Leroys. In this film, Mertle, having inadvertently adopted one of the experiments during the TV series becomes part of the alien-friendly ‘Ohana. Gantu and Reuben are also accepted back into the Galactic Alliance.

There’s a bit of an ick factor here because Reuben seems like a lackluster parody of Winnie the Pooh. Reuben loves sandwiches and then gets named after one? This is basically the evil twin (Leroy)  edition of Lilo and Stitch.

Lilo & Stitch (2025) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

For the most part, I have not been impressed by Disney’s live-action remakes, only liking the 2015 live-action “Cinderella) which starred Lily James and was directed by Kenneth Branagh, but that might have been heavily influenced by the costuming. “Lilo & Stitch,” however, is better than the original animated feature. Strips away all of that questionable Gauguin island paradise exoticism and gives us a contemporary Hawaiian American woman with a future. It keeps the weirdness of Lilo and amps up the cuddliness of Stitch.

Like the original animated feature, it begins with Dr. Jumba Jookiba (voiced by Zach Galifianakis with an American accent and replacing the late David Ogden Stiers (31 October 1942 — 3 March 2018) who used a Russian accent). Jumba has illegally created genetic experiments and is convicted by the United Galactic Federation. Experiment 626 is the main evidence against him. However, 626 proves hard to control and escapes, crashing on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. As in the original animated feature, Jumba is set free by the Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham) and with Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen), assigned the recapture of 626. While in the animated feature, they were ridiculously costumed, here they use holograms to disguise themselves.

Experiment 626 literally crashes a wedding and cellphone photos are taken, alerting a lot of people to the situation, but he also tangles with a vehicle, ending up stupefied and taken to an animal shelter.

The six-year-old Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha who has Native Hawaiian heritage) does feed a sandwich to a fish, but she’s not portrayed as violent as the animated Lilo. Disappointed that her older sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong who is of Caucasian, Filipino and Polynesian descent) doesn’t make her hula recital, she pushes the snobby girl Mertle (Emery Hookano-Briel). In the animated feature, Lilo tackled Mertle and sat on top of her while pounding on her.

This version of Lilo isn’t pleasantly pudgy but her hair is still a mess. She’s a wild child with a high pitched scream. At first I found this annoying. Then I realized, this was me. I want to apologize to all the who knew me in as a kid and young teen.

Back at home, Lilo has locked her sister out while she listens to records of Elvis Presley. Unfortunately, the social worker, Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carerre who voice Nani in the original animated feature), pays a visit and cautions Nani that she needs to do three things: Have a stable job, keep Lilo safe and out of trouble and get health insurance. The health insurance part should give you a hint we’re in the US where you need a decent job to have okay health insurance.

Up until now, Nani has been a type A personality. She was a good enough student to get a full ride to US San Diego where she wants to study marine biology, but she gave up this dream in order to parent her little sister because of their parents’ deaths. Now she’s working at a tourist resort and luau with her friend and neighbor David Kawena (Kaipo Dutoit). While Nani is gone, the friendly neighbor Tūtū (Amy Hill) who is David’s grandmother takes Lilo to the animal shelter. Experiment 626 breaks out of his wire crate but while trying to escape, he discovers that Jumba and Pleakley are outside, waiting for him. Experiment 626 is inspired to act like a dog to get adopted. Lilo adopts and names 626 Stitch.

One of the curious comparisons between the animated feature and this live-action film is that the animated feature has a more reasonable depiction of the kind of enclosures generally found in animal shelters. In the live-action, the animals seem to be kept on wire crates stacked up on each other, more like a hoarder situation. I’ve volunteered and visited animal shelters in Southern California and (Oahu) Hawaii. Another aspect of this adoption is that generally animal shelters require that the legal guardian adopt the animal, not someone totally unrelated.

Nani takes Lilo and Stitch to her work at the resort, where we see their neighbor David Kawena (Kaipo Dutoit). Lilo and Stitch cause a fire and the manager (Jason Scott Lee who voiced David in the animated feature and “Stitch Has a Glitch”)  fires Nani. Now Nani needs to find a job and with Lilo and Stitch in tow, it isn’t easy. Nani does get a gig as a surf instructor and there’s a jet ski incident caused by Jumba and Pleakley which almost results in Lilo drowning.

Kekoa, now working with Cobra Bubbles (one of my favorite “Law & Order” actors, Courtney B. Vance), tells Nani that the state of Hawaii can cover all the health insurance costs if Nani relinquishes Lilo to the foster care system. Facing the financial realities finally, Nani agrees and the sisters spend one last night together. Stitch is horrified and ashamed at the destruction of this ‘Ohana and decides to return to the animal shelter.

And now for the chaos of Kekoa, Bubbles and Nani  searching for Lilo, Lilo searching for Stitch, and Jumba searching for Stitch using a teleportation portal gun among other things.

All this will lead to a happy ending although, after reading the social media missives from die-hard Lilo and Stitch fans, not everyone is happy with the ending.  As a stand-alone, the the live-action feature holds up, however, the canon built by the previous animated features and the animated TV series has been blown to bits. It seems like Jumba will not longer be the crazy uncle in the attic/basement making scientific mayhem; he’s the new villain.

For Gantu fans, it’s easy to understand why people are upset. If he was the villain you loved, you won’t love this film.

What I do love about this film is that Nani has a goal beyond supporting the tourist industry and it happens to be in science, but there were other solutions like community college for GE requirements on Kauai and then transferring to the University of Hawaii which also has a biology department. I’m also a bit mystified that Nani and Lilo have no paternal or maternal relatives in Kauai or other islands.

While the diversity is there, it’s worth remembering that the casting raised a colorism debate in 2023.

• Disney’s Casting of “Lilo & Stitch” Character Prompts Colorism Debate (14 April 2023)
• What Is Going On With the Live Action “Lilo & Stitch”? (1 May 2024)

While I liked the live-action feature better than the original animated feature, I am not Hawaiian nor was I born or raised there. I do recall how annoyed I was by the casting of “Memoirs of a Geisha” (Chinese actresses instead of Japanese), “Snow Falling on Cedars” (Japanese actress instead of Japanese American) and how annoyed my mother was on the casting of the main character in “Farewell to Manzanar” (Chinese hapa instead of Japanese American). Of course, plays like “Yellow Face” remind us that this debate still represents progress.

“Lilo & Stitch” premiered at El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on 17 May 2025 and was released in the US on 23 May 2025.