Few properties have been as influential as Lilo & Stitch, a film that has been permanently in the cultural psyche since its release in 2002. A live-action remake was always inevitable, but after a string of lukewarm adaptations, the House of Mouse’s new take comes with more to prove – upgraded from a Disney+ release to a fully-fledged theatrical endeavour.

Stitch (Chris Sanders) is the failed, illegal experimentation of evil genius Jumba (Zach Galifianakis). When he escapes custody and flees to Earth, Jumba must reluctantly team with geological expert Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) to capture him. But things go awry when Stitch befriends Lilo (Maia Kealoha), a fellow troublemaker, and the pair find solace and friendship in one another.

When Disney’s live-action adaptations work – the very few of them that do (The Jungle Book, Pete’s Dragon) – it’s because the transition from beautiful, hand-drawn animation to CGI is usually helmed by a deft filmmaker who retains a sense of vision. But even at their best, these films always lose a sense of self. And although director Dean Fleischer Camp doesn’t compromise on Lilo & Stitch’s enduring soul, the vibrancy of the creatures is lost to soulless CGI models, and expressive drawings are traded for muted landscapes.

The film lacks verve and magic. The dynamic between Lilo and her older sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) is charming enough, but it’s devoid of the emotional depth of the original. Meanwhile, the omission of Captain Gantu entirely and the decision to give Jumba and Pleakley human appearances to ground the film in a real-world setting undercut the whimsy that made their characters so likeable in the first place – the absence of the latter’s cross-dressing is truly devastating. There’s a certain visual splendour and warmth that is hard to retain when everything is being copy-pasted into live action, and it can be felt here.

That being said, the film is at its best every time Stitch is on-screen. Fleischer Camp’s wheelhouse is making off-kilter protagonists feel tangible and alive in real-world aesthetics, and Stitch is as much of the devilishly charming, fluffy, blue icon as audiences remember. His quirks are all there and the VFX team have translated his cute, fuzzy look to live-action with aplomb. Stitch is why anyone would come to this film and he’s so charming, in fact, that it almost makes up for the rest of the film’s shortcomings. Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes’ script plays it safe by sticking to the familiar beats of the animation. It’s a different shade of the same colour: less vivid, more muted. Certain beats are retooled, but the story itself remains intact and is timeless, regardless of format. Lilo & Stitch (2025) isn’t as good as the original; it was never going to be. It’s shaggier and messier, and feels redundant. Why does it exist, if not to add anything to what came before? It’s lesser than the sum of its parts. Despite this, though, Stitch still endures. The message of Ohana endures. And that’s what counts… even if it is less of a Hawaiian rollercoaster ride, and more of a tepid stroll.

Lilo & Stitch is in cinemas from May 21st, 2025.