“Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind” that’s the heart of the story in Disney’s latest live-action remake, Lilo & Stitch (2025). It’s a messy, emotional, occasionally chaotic ride that reminds us that family isn’t always picture-perfect, but it’s worth fighting for. It’s a love letter to the original, repackaged for a new generation with shinier visuals and flesh-and-blood actors. But beneath the CGI and glossy production, it’s still about something beautifully messy—family. The kind that fights, forgives, and finds its way back to each other, even when things get ugly. I took my wife and daughters to see it over the weekend, and true to form, it sparked all the reactions: my girls were wide-eyed and teary, I caught myself choking up more than once, and my wife… well, let’s just say her patience wore thinner than Stitch’s disguise as a dog. “Irritating” was the word she used.. But that’s the magic (and the gamble) of stories like this. They land differently, depending on where you’re sitting.
Same Story, New Paint
This live-action remake sticks close to the 2002 blueprint. The story’s still set in Hawaii. Lilo’s still the quirky, misunderstood kid with a love for hula, photography, and Elvis. Her sister Nani is still trying to juggle adult responsibilities with raising a child while the system breathes down her neck. And Stitch, a chaotic alien experiment created for destruction, crash-lands into their lives and becomes the unexpected glue that holds them together.
The updates are mostly cosmetic—new faces, real scenery, modern effects—but the emotional scaffolding remains intact. It doesn’t try to be clever or meta. It’s not Jungle Book (2016) or Cruella (2021), which both took creative swings. This one plays it safe.
The Kids Are Alright (and So Is Stitch)
From a casting standpoint, Maia Kealoha, in her debut role as Lilo, is an absolute find. She brings that same unpredictable charm the original animated Lilo had—a kid who doesn’t fit in and doesn’t care to. She’s messy, vulnerable, and stubborn in a way that feels real. Sydney Agudong as Nani is solid, carrying that exhausted big-sister energy that anyone who’s ever juggled more than one life responsibility will recognise instantly.
Chris Sanders is back as the voice of Stitch, which was the right move. He’s still chaotic, still somehow adorable, and still makes you feel things with just a few garbled syllables. The CGI Stitch is expressive without tipping into uncanny territory, though some scenes walk that fine line between “awww” and “what am I looking at?”
Comic Relief and Cameo Currency
Zach Galifianakis as Jumba and Billy Magnussen as Pleakley do their jobs, mostly as comic relief. They’re fun, but their scenes tend to play out like a B-plot that kind of interrupts the emotional rhythm of the main story. In fact their roles had a lot to do with my wife finding it “irritating”.
The cameos, though? If you’re a fan of the original, they’ll give you a little dopamine hit. Tia Carrere, who originally voiced Nani, now plays Mrs. Kekoa, the social worker. Jason Scott Lee pops in for a short cameo. Courtney B. Vance takes over as Cobra Bubbles—now reimagined as a full-time CIA agent—and he brings that quiet authority the character needs, even if the new version lacks some of the quirky intimidation the original had.
More Gloss, Less Grit
For all its heart, this remake doesn’t dig any deeper than the original. It plays the same notes, just with higher fidelity. The hand-drawn intimacy of the 2002 version gave it a kind of rough charm that this polished version can’t quite replicate. There’s beauty in the imperfections of the original—Lilo’s rough edges, the scratchy animation, the slightly offbeat pacing. The live-action version smooths those things out. It’s a lot prettier, but a little more predictable.
Still, there’s something to be said for introducing these stories to a new audience in a new format. My daughters had never seen the original on the big screen, and watching their emotional reaction unfold in real time reminded me why these remakes exist. It’s not about topping the original—it’s about passing it down.
GeekVerdict
Lilo & Stitch (2025) is not perfect. It’s not a bold reimagination of the original. But it is honest and heartfelt in the same messy way the original was: a story about broken people and one very broken alien trying to hold each other together. And sometimes, just sometimes that’s enough.
In our house, the verdict was split. The kids and I walked out misty-eyed and satisfied. My wife… less so. And that’s okay. Family doesn’t have to agree on everything. You just have to show up for the story and nobody gets left behind. “Ohana”
