Lilo & Stitch (2025) Movie Review
I didn't grow up on Stitch. I'm one of those guys who ended up watching it for the first time during the pandemic cause I had nothing else to do. Yes, I liked the movie, I'm just saying I wasn't around to see it on the big screen.
Lilo & Stitch is a classic film...
Disney realized that 22 years later when they decided to remake it with CGI. Guess how that turned out............................................................
*Crickets Crickets*
Okay, imma shoot straight: despite everything I just said, I loved this reboot. I thought it was a great, fresh way to kick off the summer and at the same time, revive the L&S franchise. ( WHO CAME UP WITH "STITCH HAS A GLITCH" BRUV SAVE ME 🙏😭 )
*Clears Throat*
Excuse me. Okay, before I go down any more rabbit holes, I'm just gonna say it:
Welcome to the Lilo & Stitch (2025) movie review.
Disney made some IMMENSE changes in this reboot, probably the most ever. Almost 100% of movie critics that have already reviewed this film have said these changes were super unnecessary and shouldn't have been messed with... I thought some of these changes actually made a lot of sense and were better than what took place in the original... but that's just my opinion...
Let's dig a little deeper into these differences... shall we?
- The most notable difference HAS to be the fact that Disney completely cut Captain Gantu's character out of the story and changed the ending scene to fit that decision; the director of the film, Dean Fleischer Camp, said this about the Gantu contovercity: "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..." I felt like they did an amazing job changing the story and erasing his character out of the picture entirely, making room for Jumba to become the main bad guy
- The second most notable difference was probably the fact that Jumba wasn't Russian 💩🤣 ( Bro why did he actually sound like a Gen Z American tho 🙏😭 )
I guess I liked the actor when he was in human form but looking at CGI'd Jumba and hearing that voice... I just couldn't take it 🤣 - Speaking of Jumba in human form, that actually brings me to my next point: in the og, Jumba and Pleakley dressed up as humans to blend in with the crowds; in this one, they have a device that makes them look like specific humans without actually transforming into them or having to steal their clothes or- ...hopefully you get the point
I actually liked that better than Pleakley dressing up as an elderly woman and pretending to be Lilo's aunt, but maybe that's just me... - This movie felt a little bit more futuristic than the og like with everything I just said in point #3 considered and other little things like the fact that they had phones ( And the fact that this is a 2025 film and is 20% CGI’d 🤣 ) and instead of Lilo reading Nani's diary that was talking about David's butt and fancy hair, she was reading Nani's texts that were talking about David's butt and fancy hair...
*Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*
I don't know why I pick up on these very strange, very random things and then feel like I have to share them all with the world................................................................................................................................................ I guess that's just how I roll 🤣 - So... let's talk about this social worker debacle... in the og, Nani had multiple other social workers come before and never return; ( At least that's what I picked up ) ...and then Agent Cobra Bubbles steps into the picture: a big, tall, "former" CIA agent, there to investigate Lilo's family situation and try to help them out; he was just a normal, chill guy; but in THIS movie, they made him this government spy and he's only there for STITCH; in the og? We knew Cobra before Lilo even met Stitch; anyways, yeah... so in this new one, Agent Bubbles isn't a chill guy change agent, he's a stressed out, over age secret government agent, trying to catch Stitch the "blue dog"; now... what about the whole social worker character? Well, it's this random lady and Cobra Bubbles comes in later on, posing as her director boss man............................................................ it's... super complicated...
But also in the og, he had chill sunglasses... not nerdy dork glasses...
Also also in the og, he was played by my sigma, Ving Rhames...
Also also ALSO- - Tūtū, Lilo's neighbor, did not exist in the og and yet was a pretty big character in this one; instead of Nani bringing Lilo to get a dog, thinking she wouldn't be as lonely after, Lilo just kinda sorta basically went up to her neighbor and asked for Stitch at a pet shop 🤣
Then, when she brings him home, Nani gets mad at Tūtū for bringing home an animal and tells her they will only keep him for 1 night and will bring him back in the morning ( Spoiler alert: they don't bring him back in the morning 🤣 )
Also, David was just sorta there in the og, he wasn't their neighbor or anything as far as I can remember - Even though the idea literally lasted for like 45 seconds, the whole part about experiment "627" wasn't in the og either 🤷 ( I looked it up and apparently 627 is in the L&S TV show??? That doesn't actually exist........................ right? 🤣 TELL ME IT DOESN'T EXIST, PLEASE 🤣 )
- The ugly duckling story was not included at all in this one and many movie critics are most upset about that it seems; I honestly forgot all about that part while watching the new one ngl 💩
Why is it such a big deal that they scrapped it??? COMMENT BELOW!!! - I liked how in this one, instead of them making a super big deal of the fact that Stitch was an alien and how Lilo was like "You're one of them?" super dramatically and depressing in the og, they made like the "moment of realization" for Lilo, if you will, the fact that Stitch was just using her to stay protected from Jumba and Pleakley; I thought this was a very clever touch up from the original and probably one of the best random changes they made in this edition ( dk why so don't ask 🤣💩 )
- Mertle was not a redhead, did not have glasses, and barely showed up at all in this movie 💩
Also, I don't know how these 2 points connect, but Elvis Presley was not as mentioned in this one ( The ukulele beach scene is the best part of the entire og imo; so fire 🤣 ) - I sorta touched on this in my first point, but since Gantu didn't even make a CAMEO in this film, director Dean Fleischer Camp had to get creative and come up with a new ending; it was very, VERY different from what took place in the original and yet somehow................................................ well... better, in my opinion ( I'll leave it at that cuz I don't want to spoil anything 🤫🧏 )
Now I had a few other notes here, so bear with me:
- Beginning was very rushed ( ig bc everyone already knows the story, but still; that's just lazy writing )
- The CGI was somehow all... believable??? 🤣🤣🤣 ( I want my home button back 🙏😭 )
- Is this supposed to be Ice Cream Guy cuz... I refuse to believe 👇🤣
- This might just be me, but I thought this one focused a whole lot more on Lilo and her family than in the original; I honestly kinda forgot Stitch existed a few times throughout the hour and 45 minute long movie ngl 🤣🤣🤣
- Now for one of my ONLY problems with this film: it wasn't too surprising, but Disney just had to make the main male character ( David ) act like a dumbo the whole time ( I mean, come on... he didn't even have fancy hair in this one 🤣 ) I kinda felt bad for my bro in Stitch Has A Glitch tho ngl 😆
- This has nothing to do with the movie's content at all, it's just to glaze Silverspot Cinemas one more time... my experience here the other day was so 🔥
I literally found a Lilo & Stitch popcorn bucket right next to the entrance door... and it wasn't even mine!!! 😊🤣
They also gave all the people going to see L&S literal Hawaiian leis into the theater... WHO else does that, I'll wait...
So... got a little off track there... here's the final thing I have to say: I can understand why some may not have liked this remake, looking all the way back to 2002 plus all the different things they changed, but in my opinion, most or ALL of these changes were for the better and entertainment of the new generation getting to see Stitch on the big screen for the very first time.
I believe this film was very well thought out, put together, and cared for since the day it was announced. Plus, it's unlike any other Disney reboot before.
The 2025 Lilo & Stitch remake is not just CGI slop like Snow White; it is so much more.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!
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