Lilo & Stitch - from Animation to Live Action

Disney's Movie Poster for the 2025 Film

Known for the story following the warming bond shared between a Hawaiian girl and an unknown creature, the Lilo and Stitch 2025 movie was released on May 23. This movie was a remake based off of Disney’s animated version of it, which was released back in 2002. It officially became the fourth-highest grossing film of 2025, claiming to have grossed $421.4 million. The writer-director of the original Lilo and Stitch, Chris Sanders, was the voice actor of Stitch, and Maia Keoloha stars as Lilo Pelekai. Original cast members return in this 2025 version including Amy Hill, Jason Scott Lee, and Tia Carrere. 

Walt Disney Pictures made the decision to create the live action movie remake and announced it on October 3 back in 2018. With numerous changes and adjustments, Dean Fleischer Camp was selected to direct the movie, although the original plan was having Jon M. Chu as the director. He dropped the job due to other obligations. Chris Kekaniokalani Bright was chosen to rewrite the script. He is known for work in Moana, released back in 2016.

The original names thought of for the movie were Bad Dog and Blue Koala Pictures, Inc. in the end, it was not changed at all. The title Bad Dog came from the idea of Stitch always misbehaving and being initially thought of as a dog. Blue Koala Pictures, Inc. simply was based on Stitch’s physical appearance. Even with the same title, there were unexpected changes in this 2025 version, the differences definitely being caught by the audience. To start, Nani, Lilo’s older sister, had a more detailed backstory. We now know a little more about her - she is in college at the time studying marine biology, trying to work and raise Lilo at the same time. Another aspect noticed was the alien characters Pleakley and Jumba appeared as humans. The 2002 version had these characters disguise themselves in sunhats, glasses, and dresses, but the most recent version has them appear human. 

In terms of overall enjoyment of the movie, it seems to be decently-rated. It was given 69% from Rotten Tomatoes, 3 out of 5 stars from Common Sense Media, and a 7/10 from IMDb. As the movie was made for ages 6 and up, numerous parents had things to say about this live action. A common complaint found throughout parent interviews was how scary or violent it was, insinuating it is not for young children. Some scenes that seemed to upset children included scenes with aliens and the sea. On the contrary, kids believe it was such a great remake. It was often stated that the movie was ‘heartwarming’ and ‘touching’. Kids loved the messages the movie portrayed about family and how the movie has adapted to fit more in modernly.