Finding Ohana – Lilo and Stitch Live Action Review
5 minute read
Chris Sanders returns once again as the illegal alien experiment that crash lands on the Hawaiian Islands where he meets an outcasted orphan girl and learns the meaning of family as together the pair overcome adversity and find in each other the acceptance both needed.
Maia Kealoha shines in her debut as Lilo, a quirky 6-year-old with social and aggression issues who has trouble making friends and clashes with her sister who is struggling to secure custody of Lilo as they cope with the loss of their parents.
When she befriends the alien fugitive Experiment 626 who she renames Stitch, the problems just seem to escalate. Initially he follows along with her desire to adopt him as a pet to evade capture and while he causes even more trouble for the sisters, he encourages Lilo to open up as she sees their commonalities and himself learns about family and that his destructive programming does not need to define him.
While the animated original had a large foundation of humor pertaining to the ridiculous notion of aliens in horrible disguises on earth and being treated as pets, this retelling takes a more serious approach but still has the same heart and themes of family and acceptance.
Despite the disappointing absence of explanation of the parents’ deaths including the fleeting mention the original made, the more focused and realistic approach to the custody battle lands more of an impact.
Sydney Agudong’s version of 19-year-old Nani who had to drop out of college to take on guardianship of her sister, gives more of the sense that she herself is an adolescent teenager who was unprepared for the responsibility.
“Ohana means family, family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.”
There is more grief and emotional conflict in her reluctance to accept Stitch as she lashes put against their parents’ motto, “we got left behind” and her willingness to face difficult realities and accept her limitations such as when the surfing incident becomes a medical bill that forces her to relinquish Lilo to the system, shows more maturity and growth than in the original.
The addition of Amy Hill as a supportive neighbor, referred to as Tutu the Hawaiian word for ‘grandmother’ or ‘grandfather’, provided a voice of reason and compassion rather than Nani struggling alone with a social worker constantly knocking her down.
It embodied the Hawaiian sense of community and how they embrace everyone as ‘Ohana’.
This angle and Tia Carrere, as the gentler social worker Mrs. Kekoa, shifts Cobra Bubbles (Courney B. Vance) and Nani’s love interest David (Kaipo Dudoit) into smaller, less substantial roles and in the case of the latter perhaps unnecessary but it’s affordable.
Tutu stepping forward to take Lilo in which allowed Nani to remain in Lilo’s life and even return to college is a much more authentic resolution.
One of the most pivotal characters in the animated franchise is Stitch’s creator, eccentric, egotistical and absentminded scientist Jumba Jookiba and the most significant plot difference was the dramatic change to his characterization.
Zach Galifianakis’ version of the late Disney icon David Odgen Stiers’ wise-cracking outspoken and bumbling character softened into a protagonist has been twisted into the role of the animated villain, Captain Gantu (Kevin Michael Richardson).
Shifting plot points and characterizations is one thing but omitting not just a character but the central villain altogether is a huge decision that requires a lot of thought and accommodation and Gantu’s absence has a lot of fans buzzing. Remake director Dean Fleisher Camp explains this decision to Cinema Blend:
“Gantu was one of those things that just didn’t work so well in live-action. We explored it a bit, but ultimately we had to make the decision. And also I do stand by the decision ’cause I feel like a lot of the things that in trying to ground these characters more and tell a story with a little more emotional depth, especially between the sisters, I feel like you have to free up real estate to allow that breathing room to do those things.”
Galifianakis’s more hostile and arrogant Jumba creates a drastically different dynamic with Billy Magnussen’s enthusiastic earth anthropologist, Pleakley.
Their partnership is conducted for most of the film in human glamours, but while achieving more believable camouflage in a live-action world, the characters themselves get a bit lost and Pleakley despite Magnussen’s great delivery, not only has less substance under the well-conceived, darker use of Jumba’s resentment towards the Galactic Council and disgust of the human species but is less of an attention-grabbing character without his drag aspect.
Jumba’s villain role opens up different avenues if Disney decides to continue adapting this franchise and explore the other experiments in this universe.
Lilo and Stitch (2025) is now available to stream on Disney Plus.
Lilo and Stitch (2025)
9
Amazing
The Verdict
Maia Kealoha’s heartfelt debut as Lilo and Sydney Agudong’s layered portrayal of Nani anchor the film in sincerity, while the addition of Tutu and a reimagined custody storyline deepen its Hawaiian roots and emotional weight.
Though some fans may miss the original’s humor and the absence of key characters like Gantu, the remake succeeds as a tender reexamination of ohana that embraces growth, loss, and connection in equal measure.
Reviewed by The Fanatic for New Game Now
