In , Disney once again exchanges animation for live-action. According to reviewers, the warm Hawaiian setting and charming cast make the film pleasant to watch, especially for children. Yet, critics wonder why this tame, visually busy remake was necessary.
“The story has largely remained the same: Hawaiian orphan Lilo (infectious debut role by Maia Kealoha) lives with her not always very caring sister (Sydney Agudong) after the death of her parents and finds little connection. Babbling blue alien dog Stitch (an out-of-control experiment that mainly has to destroy) offers a solution, but he is hunted by fellow aliens who try to bring him back to his home planet.”
“It’s not all that substantial, with a somewhat overused story about the importance of family, but the execution is very likeable. The Hawaiian setting and the strong cast make it just a bit more than the umpteenth interchangeable Disney live-action adaptation.”
“We already know this story from the animated film of the same name from 2002. In the feature film version, the sunny images of Hawaii give the viewer an even greater holiday feeling, and Stitch is even more cuddly. He and his peers now stand out more in the real human environment because they still come from the computer. In the old version, everything was animated and therefore more of a whole.”
“Disney has now made enough feature film versions of its animated films to conclude that there are roughly two types. New stories that come with their own twist by, for example, giving the villain the central role. And new versions that slavishly follow the original. clearly belongs to the latter group, which makes the film very familiar but also not very surprising. Depending on whether you need that or not, you will be more or less happy with this new film.”
“The film is full of action and hustle, with many chases and slapstick moments, which results in a longer running time than the original. Parents will quickly become saturated by the visual clutter; Stitch is cute, but not E.T. For children, on the other hand, it is a party, with many references to the original film and some new characters such as a funny grandma (Amy Hill) and the agent Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance). For children it is an entertaining adventure, for parents mainly a tiring sit.”