The following contains spoilers for Lilo & Stitch, now playing in theatersLilo & Stitch's biggest changes in making the move from animation to live-action actually contribute to the best elements of the new movie.

The remakes of Disney animated classics have been a mixed bag, with the heights of Cinderella and The Jungle Book frequently compared to the more negatively received adaptations of Pinnochio or Snow White. Lilo & Stitch is easily among the better ones, earning solid reviews and doing well at the early box office. The most impressive thing about the film is the way it expands one of the main characters of the original movie in a surprisingly effective way, following Cinderella's example to become one of the stronger entries since that film came out a decade ago.

Lilo & Stitch Is The Best Live-Action Disney Remake In Years

Lilo & Stitch Embraces The Emotional Core Of The Original Story

Lilo & Stitch is a fresh take on the original animated premise that builds off the previous version, nailing that tricky emotional balancing act that modern Disney remakes typically aim for. Lilo & Stitch largely follows the same plot as the original animated film, with Stitch's efforts to avoid recapture and gradually bonding with Lilo driving much of the movie. The movie simplifies some characters, adds others, and even removes a few (like the original movie's ultimate antagonist, Captain Gantu). The result is a more grounded film, which does impact the charm and imagination of the visually striking original.

Any live-action remake was going to face that challenge, but Lilo & Stitch makes up for this by leaning into the emotional content of the story. Lilo and Nani's relationship receives a more realistic focus, with the film spending far more time diving into Nani's personal challenges as a guardian who had to give up her own dreams to watch over her sister. It's this core element that makes the movie emotionally engaging in a way that justifies the extended run-time and changes to the ing cast from 2002's Lilo & Stitch. It's the ideal approach a remake can take.

Lilo & Stitch Makes The Same Smart Tweaks The Best Disney Remakes Do

The Best Disney Remakes Expand On Emotional Themes In New Ways

The best entries in the live-action Disney remakes have felt like their own films, using the baseline elements of the original movies to tell their own stories. The best entries in this long-running series of Disney animated remakes have been the ones that play with the central concept and shift the focus in different ways. Pete's Dragon uses the foundational story idea of a boy befriending a dragon to be something entirely different, while Cinderella shifted focus to the ing cast in a way that truly humanized a character often only referred to as the Evil Step-Mother.

Other strong entries in the franchise (like The Jungle Book, Cruella, and Maleficent) also approached other corners of the universe from a fresh perspective, adding their own unique visual panache to the adaptations. The weaker entries feel too beholden to the original, whether directly reflecting them or struggling to find new reason to revisit the concept. Lilo & Stitch does the smart thing and uses the extended run-time to not replicate the wacky and colorful antics of the original it couldn't match. Instead, it expands on the emotional bonds to make Lilo & Stitch more engaging.

Lilo & Stitch follows the same basic plot and emotional connections to tell a story more focused on Nani than Lilo. Nani is the character who goes through the most focused arc, contending not just with the responsibilities of watching over her sister but struggling to maintain her own sense of self. Although Lilo and Stitch still drive the plot and Stitch's underlying arc about realizing the importance of family is still present, the film justifies the expanded run-time by actually telling a compelling story about a young woman struggling with a very difficult situation.

This is what Lilo & Stitch does best, and what places it alongside the likes of Cinderella in the contention for best live-action Disney remake. It's not the most inventive or the most visually ambitious, but Lilo & Stitch nails the emotional component of the story and adds new layers to it in a way that feels realistic and emotionally rich. There's genuine emotion being wrung from these relationships in a way that other live-action Disney remakes (like Snow White) didn't engage in. What makes Lilo & Stitch work is the realization that's not trying to exactly replicate the original.

Why I Liked Lilo & Stitch's 2025 Remake So Much

The Nani/Lilo Dynamic Is One Of The Best Moves Relationships In Disney Remakes

I've had mixed feelings about most of the Disney Animation remakes. There's nothing inherently wrong with a remake of a previous story, with many of Disney's most iconic animated films themselves starting out as adaptations. What makes an adaptation or a remake worthwhile is what new elements it brings to the story. The weakest ones (Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast) feel far too beholden to the originals, referential in their recreation.

The interesting but flawed riffs of Mulan, Dumbo, and Aladdin are a step in the right direction, and the best ones — like the visually lavish and emotionally resonant Cinderella — feel familiar while telling a new emotional story. That's why I think Lilo & Stitch is one of the best live-action Disney remakes, and easily one of the strongest since the early streak that produced Cinderella, Pete's Dragon, and The Jungle Book. While Lady Tremaine and Nani aren't similar characters personality wise, they are both memorable in their original story and well expanded in the remakes.

Sydney Elizebeth Agudong does genuinely fantastic work in the film as Nani and finds a great dynamic with Maia Kealoha's Lilo...

What makes Lilo & Stitch compelling is the quiet shift in focus towards Nani. Lilo and Stitch still get their arc, but the film streamlines other characters (condensing Jumba into a pure villain, split Agent Bubbles into two roles in the narrative) and fills that empty space with solid emotional work. Sydney Elizebeth Agudong does genuinely fantastic work in the film as Nani and finds a great dynamic with Maia Kealoha's Lilo that feels lived-in and grounded, while still feeling authentic to the bond that existed in the original movie.

Lilo & Stitch isn't better than the original film, which utilized its animated medium to hilarious and breathtaking effect. However, the live-action Lilo & Stitch more than justifies itself as a stand-alone film by adding layers to the story and playing with the characters in an engaging way. It reaches the same level as Cinderella in a way that other live-action Disney remakes just haven't, because they've been too committed to recreating the originals or being wildly different. Lilo & Stitch adapts what made the original beloved and expands on it in a compelling way, a best-case-scenario for these films.