Lilo & Stitch - Review

Nobody Gets Left Behind.

Review written by Jack Aling

Lilo & Stitch is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp and written by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright & Mike Van Waes.

Starring Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong & Chris Sanders

The wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.

Some live-action remakes have a justifiable reason for existence. Whether that's story, technological advances or an evolution of the original. But Lilo & Stitch just makes sense as an animation.

With larger than life characters, literal aliens and a sense of storybook nostalgia, the original is a classic for a reason. Unfortunately, this new live-action adaptation brings nothing new to the table - it actively takes things away.

But it has a cuddly, adorable and recognisable furry creature in the lead, so it's going to make a billion dollars and be fast-tracked for sequels, spin-offs and theme park rides by the end of the summer.

Maia Kealoha was a welcome addition, giving a wonderful performance as Lilo, but all this adaptation made me want to do was go back and watch the original.

Maybe that was Disney's dastardly scheme the whole time…

Our verdict: 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Lilo & Stitch arrives in UK Cinemas May 21st 2025

Read more of Jack's reviews at: letterboxd.com/TheJackAling