--- title: "Lilo & Stitch" year: 2025 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/lilo-and-stitch-2025" fi1m_id: "lilo-and-stitch-2025" imdb_id: "tt11655566" tmdb_id: 552524 wikidata_id: "Q59395971" fi1m_score: 58 critics_score: 57 critics_reviews: 9 published: "2026-09-09" updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:51.427484+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Lilo & Stitch (2025) Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp · 1h 48m · MPA PG · Family, Science Fiction, Comedy ## Identity Lilo & Stitch - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/lilo-and-stitch-2025 - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** lilo-and-stitch-2025 - **IMDb ID:** tt11655566 - **TMDB ID:** 552524 - **Wikidata ID:** Q59395971 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11655566/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/552524, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q59395971 **Fi1m score: 58** · Critics 57 from 9 reviews *In a sentence:* A million rendered hairs and not one of them as funny as a pencil line > Dean Fleischer Camp’s remake of the 2002 cartoon is warmer than most of Disney’s live-action retreads, and Maia Kealoha and Sydney Agudong make the sisters count. It is also tamer, longer and about half as funny as the film it copies. ## Synopsis Lilo (Maia Kealoha) is six, lives on a Hawaiian island and has no friends, a temper and a dead set of parents. Her older sister Nani (Sydney Agudong) is trying to hold down a job and keep the house, while a social worker, Mrs Kekoa (Tia Carrere), watches from the doorstep. Far away, a galactic council led by the Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham) has lost a small, blue, illegally engineered creature. It crashes on the island, is mistaken for a dog, and is adopted by Lilo, who names it Stitch (voiced by Chris Sanders). Two agents, Jumba (Zach Galifianakis) and Pleakley (Billy Magnussen), are sent to bring it back. Dean Fleischer Camp directs this live-action remake of the 2002 animated film. ## Review Disney has been turning its cartoons into photographs for a decade, and *Lilo & Stitch* was always going to be a harder case than most. The 2002 original, directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, was scrappy and odd and about a small angry girl. Dean Fleischer Camp’s version keeps the girl, the sister and the alien, and softens nearly everything around them. It is a pleasant 108 minutes with a real heart in the middle, and about half as funny as the film it is copying. The sisters are the reason to see it. Lilo (Maia Kealoha) is six and has no friends and no parents. Nani (Sydney Agudong) is trying to keep a job, a house and a child, and a social worker, Mrs Kekoa (Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani in the 2002 film), is on the doorstep with a clipboard. Kealoha does not act sad so much as get on with being a difficult child, and when she says something cruel to her sister you believe she meant it. Agudong plays the exhaustion straight, no glamour and no speeches, and the two of them arguing in a kitchen is better than anything the aliens get up to. Stitch is the problem, and it is not the voice. Sanders returns to growl and gargle the part, and the sound is the same. The body is not. Stitch is now a small, densely furred animal whose every hair catches the light; the effects work is careful, and the joke has gone out of him. A drawing could stretch, flatten and open a grin from ear to ear. This Stitch can only be a creature in a room, and the film keeps having him knock things over to remind us he is meant to be dangerous. Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen play his pursuers, Jumba and Pleakley, and the film’s cleverest decision is to give them human disguises, so two comedians can stand on a beach in bad shirts. Magnussen is game. Galifianakis is oddly muted, as if he had been asked to play the part rather than be funny in it. Courtney B. Vance makes Cobra Bubbles a government man with a soft centre, which is fine and less fun. Hannah Waddingham gives the Grand Councilwoman a headmistress’s patience and is gone too soon. Nigel Bluck shoots almost all of it outdoors and in daylight, and the island looks like a place people live: peeling paint, wet roads, the sea a workaday blue. Todd Cherniawsky’s version of the sisters’ house is small, cluttered and correct. Wendy Chuck puts Lilo in the red dress with white leaves the cartoon wore and Nani in whatever is clean. Dan Romer’s score keeps out of the way until the ending, when it does not. Adam Gerstel and Phillip J. Bartell cut the domestic scenes at a walking pace and the alien scenes as a scramble, and the join shows every time. Here is what got us. There is a scene in the first act, the sisters alone after a bad day, when the word ohana arrives with its definition, and we had read it on a hundred lunchboxes and it still worked. Agudong says it quietly, Kealoha is barely looking at her, and Fleischer Camp holds the shot rather than cutting to the alien. We were moved, and slightly surprised to be. Twenty minutes later, during a chase involving a lorry and a great deal of shouting, we were checking the time. Fleischer Camp made [*Marcel the Shell with Shoes On*](https://film.one/film/marcel-the-shell-with-shoes-on) (2021), and it shows in the quiet scenes and nowhere else. The original was a Disney film that did not behave like one: the girl was strange, the alien was a menace, the tourists were a joke at the audience’s expense. This one turns each of those down a notch, and a notch is enough. It is among the better of the studio’s recent remakes, and that is a low fence. Children under ten will love it, and Stitch will sell a great many toys. It carries a U. If you have the 2002 film in the house, put that on instead; it is shorter, funnier and drawn. *Fi1m score 58, published 9 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Lilo & Stitch worth watching?** *Lilo & Stitch* is worth watching for children under ten and for anyone who wants a gentler version of the 2002 cartoon; we scored it 58. Maia Kealoha and Sydney Agudong make the sisters count, and a quiet first-act scene between them moved us. The alien half is tamer and about half as funny as the original, which we would put on instead. **How long is Lilo & Stitch, and what is it rated?** *Lilo & Stitch* runs 1h 48m and is rated PG by the MPA in the US. It is a family and science fiction film. **Where can I watch Lilo & Stitch in the US?** *Lilo & Stitch* is streaming on Disney+ in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does Lilo & Stitch compare to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial?** *Lilo & Stitch* borrows [*E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial*](https://film.one/film/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial)'s template of a lonely child, a hidden alien and government men, and Spielberg's film is the better one by some distance. *E.T.* is funny, tender and takes its sentiment seriously; the remake is warm in its domestic scenes and a scramble whenever the aliens arrive. Small children will happily take either, but adults will find more in *E.T.* **What should I watch after Lilo & Stitch?** After *Lilo & Stitch*, try [*Lilo & Stitch*](https://film.one/film/lilo-and-stitch) (2002, Fi1m 82): The drawn original: stranger, sharper, and the alien is actually a menace. Then [*E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial*](https://film.one/film/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial) (1982, Fi1m 91): A lonely child, a hidden alien, and government men; the template this borrows from; and [*Paddington 2*](https://film.one/film/paddington-2) (2017, Fi1m 91): A live-action creature who is funny, warm and never once photorealistic to a fault. ### Reviews we read (15) - **Radio Times** (4/5): The review finds the film far more successful than recent Disney remakes like Snow White, commending the care taken with Hawaiian culture, the strong cast and the seamless blend of live-action and CGI that delivers cross-generational fun. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/app/lilo-stitch-review-a-lavish-disney-remake-with-oodles-of-oddball-charm/) - **Time Out**, Olly Richards (4/5): The critic calls this one of the best Disney live-action remakes, praising its energetic direction by Dean Fleischer Camp and the unlikely bond between Lilo and Stitch that gives it the charm of an 1980s Amblin movie. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/lilo-stitch-review-2025) - **Empire**, Helen O’Hara (65/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a funny, sweet but pale imitation of the 2002 original, noting its reverent faithfulness leaves it feeling lesser despite tweaks that boost the sisterly relationship and Hawaiian elements. The strong human cast, led by Maia Kealoha and Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, is singled out for praise amid complaints about softened edges and woolly emotional beats. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lilo-and-stitch-2025/) - **The Telegraph** (3/5): The critic finds the remake tames the original's feral edges into a breezy family comedy but still calls it a fine, lively and colourful specimen led by a charming child performance. They single out the fresh outdoor vibe and solid creature-feature execution. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/lilo-stitch-review-disney-hawaii/) - **The Guardian** (20/100, inferred): The critic deems the live-action remake a ghastly misfire and unnecessary monstrosity that fails to capture the original's charm and raw emotion. They single out the poor handling of the story's rhythm and the diminished portrayal of the characters' pain and performances. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/20/lilo-stitch-review-disney) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (15/100, inferred): The critic calls the remake a mind-numbing abomination and swansong for lazy Disney live-action remakes that traps the story in a frame-by-frame trap with charmless CGI. They single out the unfunny alien buddy comedy and the parasite-like Stitch as major complaints. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/lilo-and-stitch-review-disney-live-action-remake-p6w207gpx) - **IndieWire**, Kate Erbland: Despite good intentions, this live-action remake proves why animation is often the better medium as the story feels instantly less magical when forced into the real world. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/lilo-and-stitch-review-live-action-remake-1235124603/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Carlos Aguilar: The remake isn’t bad but feels largely pointless and less vibrant than the animated original. The critic singles out the missing tonal edge, biting comedy, and subtle commentary on Hawaiian tourism. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-05-23/lilo-stitch-review-live-action-remake) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck: The live-action remake is faithful enough to the original to please traditionalists and tweaked enough to feel somewhat fresh. It will engage the kids but exhaust the parents with its visual chaos and padded runtime. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/lilo-and-stitch-review-disney-zach-galifianakis-1236221581/) - **The New York Times**, Brandon Yu: The live-action remake is mostly serviceable and often adorable but leaves behind the best parts of the original. The critic singles out the lack of visceral emotional wallop present in the director’s prior work. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/movies/lilo-and-stitch-review.html) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge: The remake delivers the same laughs and heart as the 2002 original but feels tame and familiar overall. The critic singles out the less appealing live-action leads and the overly photorealistic CG design of Stitch. [Read](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/lilo-and-stitch-review-1236404657/) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri: The remake is a shrill, soulless imitation of the beloved original that loses its magic and charm despite being often ruthlessly faithful in plot points. It feels frantic, insistent, and often unfunny. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-disneys-lilo-and-stitch-remake-is-a-soulless-copy.html) - **Consequence** (B+): The film stays true to the spirit of the original while making practical changes that work, with strong chemistry between the young leads and deeper emotional development for Nani. Some disjointed plotting and a clunky third act prevent it from being the best Disney live-action remake. [Read](https://consequence.net/2025/05/lilo-and-stitch-review-disney-live-action/) - **/Film**, BJ Colangelo (6.5/10): The critic finds the live-action remake adorable and heartfelt but aggressively safe, softening the original's sharper edges while delivering a solid but unadventurous family film that plays it too cautiously. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1864754/lilo-and-stitch-movie-review/) - **Deadline**, Gregory Nussen (60/100, inferred): The critic describes the live-action remake as a sweet but sluggish adaptation that mostly stays faithful to the original while updating for modern times, but finds it lacking in humor and feeling like a direct-to-TV effort. It succeeds as a warm tribute to unconventional family bonds. [Read](https://deadline.com/2025/05/lilo-stitch-review-live-action-remake-1236390982/) ## Details - **Director:** Dean Fleischer Camp - **Director:** Dean Fleischer Camp - **Screenplay:** Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes - **Cinematography:** Nigel Bluck - **Editor:** Phillip J. Bartell, Adam Gerstel - **Music:** Dan Romer - **Production design:** Todd Cherniawsky - **Costume design:** Wendy Chuck - **Producer:** Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin - **Cast:** Maia Kealoha as Lilo; Sydney Agudong as Nani; Chris Sanders as Stitch (voice); Zach Galifianakis as Jumba; Billy Magnussen as Pleakley; Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubbles; Amy Hill as Tūtū; Tia Carrere as Mrs. Kekoa - **Runtime:** 1h 48m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG - **Release (the US):** 23 May 2025 - **Genres:** Family, Science Fiction, Comedy - **Budget:** $100 million - **Box office:** $1.04 billion - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWqJifMMgZE ## Where to watch in the US - Disney+: streaming, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Apple TV: rent $5.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $9.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $19.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-10.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - BAFTA Film Awards 2025: Best Children's & Family Film (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Lilo & Stitch* (2002), Fi1m 82: The drawn original: stranger, sharper, and the alien is actually a menace. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/lilo-and-stitch.md) - *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* (1982), Fi1m 91: A lonely child, a hidden alien, and government men; the template this borrows from. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial.md) - *Paddington 2* (2017), Fi1m 91: A live-action creature who is funny, warm and never once photorealistic to a fault. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paddington-2.md) - *My Neighbour Totoro* (1988), Fi1m 89: Two sisters, an absent parent and something large and gentle in the garden. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/my-neighbor-totoro.md) - *Marcel the Shell with Shoes On* (2021), Fi1m 77: Fleischer Camp’s earlier film, where the tiny hero and the quiet actually belong together. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/marcel-the-shell-with-shoes-on.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/lilo-and-stitch-2025