Nostalgia is a helluva drug. Nobody is aware of that higher than Disney, which is about to money in once more with a live-action remake of “Lilo & Sew.” By default, it’s one of many higher entries on this creatively bankrupt sequence, if solely as a result of it arrives on the heels of the lifeless “Snow White,” which couldn’t overcome its personal lack of creativeness, regardless of a stable efficiency from Rachel Zegler.
“Lilo & Sew” works for a similar causes it did 20 years in the past: it has a pulse and a coronary heart, and it isn’t afraid to put on each on its sleeve. As somebody who was identified with ADD in second grade and grew up obsessive about Sew’s manic power, I all the time associated to his emotions of isolation and the chaos he couldn’t fairly comprise.
At its core, that is nonetheless a narrative about household. “Ohana means household. Household means no person will get left behind,” the identical message, now filtered via a 2025 lens. Director Dean Fleischer Camp, with writers Chris Vivid and Mike Van Waes, updates just a few key parts (particularly the villain reveal within the third act), and whereas not all of the tweaks land, a few of them supply somewhat extra nuance than anticipated.
In fact, a few of the magic will get misplaced in translation. The CGI variations of alien sidekicks Jumba and Pleakley usually tumble into the uncanny valley, and the entire alien subplot nonetheless feels inherently goofy. Children will find it irresistible. Dad and mom would possibly verify their watches.
Disney’s banking on goodwill—and Sew’s cuteness—to hold this factor throughout the end line, and to a big extent, it really works. Seeing Sew as a tactile, mischievous little creature interacting with the true world is a pleasure. Even when the movie coasts visually and infrequently strays from the unique blueprint, it’s undeniably charming. It helps that newcomer Maia Kealoha is a profitable Lilo, nailing the character’s resourcefulness and heat. She carries the emotional weight of the movie like a professional.
Nonetheless, the script pulls its punches. Lilo’s quirky, borderline-weird persona has been sanded right down to one thing safer, extra generic. Even the varsity bully subplot lacks chew. However the film finds its groove as soon as Lilo and Sew meet, the chemistry clicks, the power lifts, and abruptly all of it begins working.
It’s when the film detours from the center of the story that issues get wobbly. Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen (as Jumba and Pleakley) spend a lot of the runtime traversing via Hawaii attempting to seize Sew. Magnussen goes full camp and sells it with aptitude, however Galifianakis is caught with the movie’s largest narrative swerve, and it lands with a giant ole’ thud.
One spotlight? The sisterly bond. Sydney Agudong brings depth to Nani, who’s given extra to chew on this time round than simply enjoying Lilo’s guardian. There’s a richer emotional texture right here that makes you want the movie ditched the sci-fi antics and centered on these sisters, and Sew as a chaotic third wheel clearly. It’s in these quieter moments the place Fleischer Camp, who beforehand helmed the stunning “Marcel the Shell with Footwear On,” shines.
In the end, the one factor a “Lilo & Sew” film has to get proper is the bond between its two leads. Chris Sanders returning because the voice of Sew is a candy contact, and Kealoha offers the function of Lilo coronary heart and soul. The result’s a film that’s pointless, somewhat clumsy, however undeniably candy.
I used to be six after I noticed the unique “Lilo & Sew” in 2002. Seeing them again on the large display screen gave me a kick, even when it principally simply made me need to go residence and watch the cartoon once more.
LILO & STITCH opens in theaters Friday, Could twenty third.