There are some movies that just etch themselves into our memories, not because of their grandeur, but because of their heart, and then Disney decides to cash in on them with live-action. Lilo & Stitch is also one of those movies and hasn’t managed to escape the studio’s obsession with remakes. 

Well, remakes are always tricky because they walk a fine line between homage and innovation. It’s like covering a classic song; if you nail it, you’re hailed as a genius; if you miss a single note, you’ll be labelled tone-deaf. So, no matter how good a movie the studio makes, the comparison element creeps in. 

Animation isn’t a genre but a medium of storytelling and deserves the same respect as movies that are filmed with a camera. Lilo & Stitch, the 2002 movie, hammers in this point because it wasn’t just about a girl and her alien “dog,” it was about grief, resilience, and the beautiful chaos of family. 

The emotional core of the movie was Lilo, a Hawaiian girl who was trying to cope with the loss of her parents, and her older sister Nani, who suddenly had to shoulder the responsibilities of a caretaker. Their relationship wasn’t exactly perfect, but that’s what made it so real. It had misunderstandings, sacrifice, and unshakable love for family. 

Then we had Stitch, a blue alien, genetically engineered for destruction, who wasn’t just a comic relief, but someone who embodied transformation. Lilo & Stitch also dared to be different by not using any polished 3D or digital gloss animations, instead, they went retro and embraced hand-drawn animations. The lush backgrounds and soft, intimate aesthetics made it feel like we were flipping through a painted scrapbook.

Disney fans are somewhat hopeful, so when the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch was announced, people believed that they could pull it off like Cinderella and The Jungle Book. But as the reviews drop in, it seems like the magic of the 2002 original didn’t fully carry over. The live-action has a 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a solid drop from the animated film’s 86% score.

However, the movie was just released, so let’s give it some time to rake in those numbers and improve its reviews. The remake has tried to remain faithful to the original, and the core of the story is intact. Lilo is shown to adopt Stitch, there is chaos, and family is at the center of it all. But there are subtle and some not-so-subtle changes that shift the tone. 

Like Nani is given more backstory, and then there’s the villain switch-up, which is indeed a bold move, but one that arguably muddles the movie’s emotional climax. So let’s face it, remakes will always face the impossible task of living up to nostalgia, but that sure won’t stop Disney from throwing another one our way.