Disney+ added 17 new TV shows and 2 new movies to its library this month, and Lilo & Stitch is among them. To my delight, this ended up being the live action remake we've been waiting for.
Recently, Disney has had a bad track record with live action movies. Snow White was a disappointing box-office bomb and Mufasa: The Lion King also performed poorly before moving onto streaming.
Enter Lilo & Stitch, a much-loved Disney story which was first released back in 2002. I will admit I was nervous about the idea of a remake, because the original animation is among our best Disney+ movies as well as being one of my personal favorites.
But with a 72% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and a 92% audience score, it was well received. After avoiding its theatrical release, worrying it would ruin the original – I finally sat down and watched it.
I'm really glad I did.
Why you should stream Lilo & Stitch on Disney+
You can never beat the original, but the Lilo & Stitch live action does revamp the beloved story in a fun way. Most people tuning in to watch it will be familiar with Stitch's antics and there are plenty to enjoy here.
I liked the fact it's inspired by famous scenes from the original but still manages to add in new things. A near shot-for-shot remake would've been pointless and I believe Disney has found the right balance here.
Stitch is very cute too, and the CGI rendering is really great. He feels incredibly soft and real, and it's the closest we'll ever come to owning a Stitch of our own. Perhaps that's a good thing given the amount of chaos and destruction he likes to cause.
I was also really impressed by Maia Kealoha, who does an excellent job at portraying young Lilo. Taking on the role following Daveigh Chase's iconic performance was no easy task, but the way she interacts with Stitch, Nani and everyone else is very endearing to watch.
The movie does make one major deviation from the original, something that did divide fans. I don't want to spoil the change too much, but the ending may come as a shock.
For me, though, I enjoyed seeing this perspective as again it does offer something new without simply redoing the original. It's the kind of ending that was always going to divide people, but I was happy to see that the consensus was that it's a solid remake.
You might disagree with me, but I was someone who was expecting the worst from this movie and ended up loving it. It's a promising sign for future live action remakes to come.
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