Love, laughter and family- that’s what viewers associate the Disney classic “Lilo and Stitch” with.
The live action “Lilo and Stitch” released May 23 still holds all those values, just with some plot line changes.
While the storyline is an important part of the movie, the changes do not take away from how emotional and engaging it is. The movie evokes two major emotional responses: tears and joy.
That famous little blue alien terrorizes Hawaii as always. Stitch runs around wreaking havoc where he can but still learns his lessons along the way.
He is joined by familiar characters sisters Lilo and Nani, love interest David, project 626 creator professor Jamba, FBI agent Cobra Bubbles and alien agent Pleaky from the original 2002 animated film.
However, Captain Gantu, the villain, is missing.
This leaves the villain hole left to be filled. It was filled by Jamba.
Though he was a comfort character in the original movie, the live action changed him into something more menacing.
Many “Lilo and Stitch” lovers found this an issue.
A Tiktok user with the name spookie.co.uk posted a video criticizing that Disney took away Jamba’s accent and made him the villain. This has 637k likes.
The writers forgo Jamba’s Russian accent from the original, and his CGI depiction is so hyper-realistic to the point it’s disturbing to look at.
However, changing Jamba did not cause the movie to lose its nostalgic message.
Some classic scenes were left out, while others made it in. It was a modern take on a 2002 movie.
Stitch was as cute and as rambunctious as ever. His connection to Lilo is what connects the movie to its original version.
The two demonstrated what it was to be true friends, be able to make mistakes and become better. They were the same BFFs from 2002.
This version felt refreshing in a way that Disney has failed to provide in a while. This was truly the best live action they have produced.
The computer-generated images, especially of Stitch, were surprisingly realistic, yet slightly inconsistent.
When it was successful, it did not feel like CGI. The actor’s interactions with him felt real as if he was right in front of them and Lilo was holding a blue alien.
The movie had some moments where the gaps could be seen, and editing was choppy. Though, it is difficult to notice these mistakes through the tears.
Making the movie modern was the right choice for Disney to do.
A prominent university on the mainland (UCSD) was a factor, technology was introduced, and emotional takeaways were added that were different from the original.
The most important thing was that the movie took viewers through the same emotions it did in 2002, and it did.
Who knew falling in love with Stitch, Lilo and Nani would cause heartbreak even though the outcome of the movie is already predetermined?
The way the writers Chris Sanders and Dean Deblois went about the ending is slightly different but still both fulfilling and heart-wrenching.
The best thing 2002 movie lovers can do is go in with an open mind and accept it is not the same.
The villain changes, the plot changes, Lilo and Nani change. Nonetheless, the fuzzy feeling inside does not.
Ohana will always mean family, no one gets left behind, and the live action makes sure of that.
No one was left behind.
Well, technically Gantu was.
