Lilo & Stitch (2025) || Ohana Deprived?

I’ve become increasingly wary of live actions, and for good reason because Disney in the last few years have ruined a lot of cult classics for me. I would say Snow White broke my heart or disappointed me, but that would mean that I had any hope in it at all, which in all honesty, I did not. Anyway, I had a little space in between to see this film sometime this morning, and so, I dared to hope.

Lilo & Stitch (2025)

We all know how the story of Lilo and Stitch goes. For those of us who saw it like I did well over a decade ago, you’d know that this movie has its roots deep in one thing. Family. Family is such a pivotal part of the original Lilo & Stitch, and the whole movie was overwhelming in the best of ways because this was prioritized.

And in the live action, it’s no different. We’re drawn into the story of Lilo who is seen as weird, does not have a lot of friends and seeks one true friend, and her sister, Nani, who is basically trying to put their lives together after their parents died. She’s running the risk of losing Lilo permanently to Child Protection Services, but she’s willing to make it work, even though it feels futile at first.

Now, there are ups and downs in this movie. Positives and negatives that will forever be present as far as there are live actions. The animation was just right. I loved it, and then incorporating it into the graphics was just stellar. Maybe some of the characters could have had a lot more depth in form and structure, but I guess it’s not too bad.

And for the characters, they did quite well in some parts. Who ever casted Lilo was definitely in his element. I can’t think of someone more perfect. She was incredibly adorable, spirited, and just has that energy that invites you to watch her more. A true Native American, she was my favourite character (as she should be), and brought the entire story to her life with how cute she was.

The person portraying Nani was just fine and even David. I think I mostly have issues with Cobra Bubbles. He really endangered their lives, and did not seem to have much of a use as compared to the animation where he was pivotal to the story, and genuinely trying to do right by Nani.

The biggest betrayal to me was the elimination of Gantu. Gantu, as an antagonist, is more or less the foundation to the entire story. The concept of family is strengthened on his wiles and how deeply his evil ran. Seeing them completely obliterate him from the film, and turning Uncle Jumba into a villain was just a ghastly sight. It makes me almost wonder if the producers of this movie actual saw the original.

I appreciate a movie that diverts from the script, but only if it’s done with purpose and we get the general picture in the end I didn’t, for this one. Maybe the only thing I can say I didn’t hate too bad was Nani going to college and pursuing her dreams of being a marine biologist.

In the animation, this was not so, and the subject of family sticking together was placed at the centre. But, I believe that people should be able to evolve. And seeing that Lilo ended up in safe hands, I guess it wasn’t too bad of a switch in plot.

They eliminated the essence of Elvis Presley in refining Stitch and even Nani’s love for photography as a coping mechanism. These are tidbits that made Lilo & Stitch the wholesome beauty that it was. While this was lacking in the live action, it doesn’t rule out how alright this movie was. A 7.5/10 from me, and mostly because of the girl who played Lilo. I loved her acting way too much. Maybe or not, there's hope for Disney where live actions are concerned.

Jhymi🖤

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_{Images from IMDB.}

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