LILO & STITCH REBOOT REVIEW

BY: Philip Sayblack

​There is an old adage in the movie industry that the sequel is never as good as the original.  In recent years, that adage has clearly changed (thanks to Walt Disney Studios) that the reboot is also never as good as the original.  The studio’s reboots of Aladdin, Dumbo, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and others have proven that statement.  Now audiences can add yet another reboot to the list of movies proving that updated adage true in the form of Lilo & Stitch.  Originally released as an animated feature by Walt Disney Studios in 2002, Disney reimagined and re-issued the movie this year with a whole new cast and writing team, with the result being far less successful than the original.  That is not to say that the reboot is a complete failure, though it certainly proves itself yet another movie that still should never have been rebooted.  The movie, in its reboot, is accompanied by only a handful of extras, one being a 16-minute making of featurette, another being the standard blooper reel, and a 6-minute featurette focusing on the creation of the original movie in comparison to the reboot.  There are also the standard deleted scenes but even they are limited in quantity.  To that end, the bonuses add little if anything to the presentation. To that end, the only positive to the reboot is the work of Sanders once again as Stitch and the shooting.  All things considered, they make the reboot of Lilo & Stitch yet another entry from Walt Disney Studios that ultimately will be forgotten in the annals of cinema history. 
Walt Disney Studios’ 2025 reboot of its 2002 animated feature, Lilo & Stitch, is a disappointing updated take of the original movie.  The movie’s new take is not a complete failure but certainly does not live up to the legacy of its source material.  The biggest problem of all with this movie is multifaceted.  Throughout much of the 1 hour, 47 minute presentation, the writing trio of Mike Van Waes, Chris Sanders (who directed and reprised his role as Stitch), and Chris Kekaniokalani Bright audiences can see the original animated movie with some minor changes.  Herein is the biggest issue.  If a movie can be redone nearly shot for shot, then what reason is there to redo the movie, other than to simply make more money off of the legacy of the original?  That has been Disney’s approach for years, so that makes sense. 
On another hand, there is just as much that has been changed in reimagining the original movie.  Capt. Gantu, for instance, is nowhere to be seen.  According to director Dean Camp in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gantu was removed from the updated take because allegedly he simply did not fit the reworked script.  The irony is that in a number of scenes that originally saw Gantu interacting with Stitch (including the climactic final act), Jumba took the place of Capt. Gantu.  To that end, Camp’s argument holds almost no water.
As if that is not enough, the whole matter of Agent Cobra Bubbles was reimagined here, too.  Yes, he was still a special agent here, but it was not until late in the script that he went undercover as a social worker.  The rest of the time, Agent Bubbles (played by Courtney B. Vance – The Hunt For Red October, Space Cowboys, Dangerous Minds) was replaced by a social worker played by Tia Carerre (Wayne’s World 1-2). Even at the movie’s end, he and the grand councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso, The Fall Guy, The Hustle) just so happen to already know each other, unlike in the original in which they were not so familiar with one another. This whole reimagining detracts so much in its own way from the story and is just as unnecessary as so many other changes. 
Speaking of changes, even the final act of this movie drags on way beyond that of the original movie’s finale that completely redoes the original movie’s ending.  There is even a lifting from Lilo & Stitch 2 herein in which Stitch drowns and has to be brought back to life (not to give away too much).  What’s more the use of Jumba and Pleakley throughout feels like the writing team took a bunch of inspiration more from the animated series that the original movie spawned than from anything else.  The whole simply did not work and ends up making this movie and its story ultimately forgettable.
The bonus content that accompanies the reboot in its new home release, detracts just as much from the experience.  That is because of how little it adds to the experience.  The only featurette that really adds anything to the experience is the noted 6-minute featurette that outlines the return of voice actors from the original movie to this work.  There is also a revelation about all of the native Hawaiian actors who took part in bringing the movie to life.  That revelation showed that at least Disney tried to be accurate in that aspect.  The three deleted scenes included as extras add little if anything either.  Though it can be seen why they were deleted.  To that end, even the extras add next to nothing to this reboot, making for even less reason to take in this movie.
For all of the negatives to this reboot, there is maybe one positive, that being the collective work of Sanders and the on-site shooting.  Sanders shines once again as the wild, rambunctious Stitch throughout.  He gives the movie the very little heart that it boasts here.  The on-site shooting in the Hawaiian islands makes for at least some visual appeal, so that whole makes this reboot at least somewhat bearable at most.  Other than that there simply is little if anything that makes the new reboot of Lilo & Stitch another forgettable offering from Walt Disney Studios and more proof that this studio has got to stop with the reboots.
Walt Disney Studios’ brand-new live action/CG reboot of Lilo & Stitch is anything but a memorable offering from the once legendary studio.  It has little if anything that makes it memorable.  The only true positives to this presentation are the return of Chris Sanders as the voice of Stitch and the on-site shooting.  Other than that, all of the re-imagining coupled with the near shot-for-shot re-working makes this movie come across as nothing more than just another cash grab for Walt Disney Studios.  To that end, this movie is worth watching maybe once but not really any more than that.
Lilo & Stitch is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.  It is scheduled for physical home release Aug. 26 on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K HD.  More information on this and other titles from Walt Disney Studios is available at:
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