In Director Dean Fleischer Camp’s live action remake Lilo & Stitch (2025), short, furry blue, and black eyed Stitch is Experiment 626 from Planet Turo. Under the watch of Grand Councilwoman, voiced by ironically austere Hannah Waddingham, mad scientist Jumba, played with hysterical arrogance by Zach Galifianakis, created Stitch to be stronger and smarter than anyone. He’s like the perfect killing machine. So, he outsmarts and overpowers the Grand Councilwoman and her crew, escaping to Earth. Maybe, it’s never a good idea to create something or someone that can overcome you without recourse. It’s kind of the idiot fallacy of the Jurassic Park movies: Why would you ever create the perfect killing machine? I mean, really?
Fortunately, Earth is a water planet. Stitch’s body density increases in water making him sink like a stone. Water is Stitch’s Kryptonite. That was by design. At least, I think so.
When 626’s red police cruiser crash lands in Hawaii, it appears as falling star across the night sky. Lonely 6-year-old Lilo, played by amazing newcomer Maia Kealoha, sees that light. Lilo and her 18-year-old sister Nani, played by strong smart pretty Sydney Agudong, both recently lost their parents.
Nani does her best raising Lilo and fails. She holds several jobs, including working for a Waikiki Hotel Luau. Nani sacrificed her scholarship to study Marine Biology at UC San Diego, so that she can look after Lilo. Lilo is her responsibility, her family, her ohana. Social outcast Lilo gets bullied by girls in her hula class. Understanding Tia Carrere played Mrs. Kekoa, the social worker doing her best to keep Lilo and Nani together.
Looking up at the falling star, sad little Lilo said, “I wish for a friend… like a best friend.” When 626 lands on Earth, he wreaks havoc at a wedding party. His mayhem catches the attention of CIA Agent Cobra Bubbles, played by hilarious straight man Courtney B. Vance, as a possible extraterrestrial alien threat.
626 finds sanctuary at the local Dog Rescue. He kind of disguises himself as a dog by retracting his extra set of arms and his antenna. Neighbor Tutu, played by funny fostering Amy Hill, visits the Dog Rescue with Lilo. Super smart 626 calculates that Lilo can be his secure cover from Grand Councilwoman. After her initial screams, Lilo falls in love with blue dog 626. Sublimely, he hugs her back. In the nearly vicious and hysterical car DVD tossing attack, Lilo gives Stitch his name.
In the poignant climactic narrative arc, Lilo holds on to Stitch as he sinks in the ocean. Stitch looks at Lilo with his kind black eyes. He lets go his claws from Lilo’s hand to save her from drowning. Stitch sinks to the ocean floor. Nani and her soon-to-be boyfriend David, played by handsome funny Kaipo Dudoit, rescue Lilo. Lilo cries, “Ohana means no one gets left behind!” Lilo and Stitch are Ohana. They love each other. I cried, too. Then I remembered what happen the original Lilo & Stitch. It’s all good.
Director Dean Fleischer Camp’s Lilo & Stitch can be at times the tonal narrative mess. Basically, Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen brilliantly play plot device villains as aliens Jumba and Pleakley, in mostly cloned human forms. Pleakley is the goofy compassionate 626 mission supervisor. Although mad scientist Jumba is the buffoon, he’s way too evil and menacing. Even for a Disney movie. I believe even in the original animated Lilo & Stitch (2002), Stitch was an experiment with a possible dangerous purpose. However, here the weaponized creation of Stitch is way off tone. Way off.
That being said, what saves Lilo & Stitch is the touching relationship of Lilo and Nani, the return of original screenwriter and director Chris Sander as Stitch, the amazing CGI Stitch, and Dean Fleischer Camp’s eloquent human narrative. Dean directed the Oscar Nominated Marcel the Shell With Shoes On about the one-eyes mollusk Marcel also searching for his family. I loved that movie.
In Marcel the Shell, when you open your heart, you see the wonder of the world. Despite tone missteps, Dean transforms smarter and stronger than thou Stitch into one who can love unconditionally, because he accepted that love from Lilo. He opens his heart. Sure, Stitch gets into trouble like setting the Luau on fire with his tiki torch breakdancing. Really, he’s just a kid, who wants to be loved.
With his big ears bowed down, he tells Lilo, “Stitch, bad.” Understanding, Lilo said, “Sometimes, family isn’t perfect. Doesn’t mean they’re not good.” They gently touch their heads together. Although Nani tries to raise Lilo, they’re really both kids, too. Nani said of their Mom and Dad, “They were really good parents, too.” Lilo climbed into Nani’s arms and said, “I change my mind… I like you as a Mom, too.”
Ohana in Hawaiian means family and that family includes those you love and hold close. Dean Fleischer Camp captures that spirit of ohana and love in Lilo & Stitch. Aloha to Chris Sander for his Stitch. Like radiant Maia Kealoha’s Lilo, blue furry, big teethed Stitch is the lonely little kid, who just wanted to be loved. When we unconditionally accept love, we can give it back. We can be brave. We can be good. We are Ohana. That all makes Lilo & Stitch timeless and very special. Mahalo.
