The live action adaptation of Lilo &Stitch is heartfelt and funny working on the charisma of the leads, Maia Kealoha and Sydney Agudong! The original film, hand was the studio’s 42nd animated film, hand drawn, considered to be part of Post-Renaissance Era in the 2000s. The end of hand drawn animation was heralded by Dinosaur (2000) with its CGi animation. Hand drawn animation finished with The Princess and the Frog (2009) part of the Disney Revival era. Chris Sanders provided the story, co-wrote, and co-directed the film with Dean DeBlois. They went on to co-writing and co-directing How to Train Your Dragon (2010). Sanders had solo directing reins with last year’s The Wild Robot. Deblois has directing and writing the live action How to Train Your Dragon which out on June 13th.
Lilo & Stitch went on to create a franchise with two direct to video films; Stitch! The Movie (2003) and Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005), and Leroy & Stitch (2006). Then, animated shows; Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003-2006) and anime series, Stitch! (2008-2009). The film was moved from a Disney+ release and unlike Moana 2, this was a good decision. It is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp who had directed Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021). The screenwriters are Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, writer of the historical dramatic short, Tsuru (2014), and Mike Van Waes, co-writer for the horror movie, Dear David (2023). A strange team to adapt a Disney film, but they should break out to make more films.
The big question about animation adaptations are what does the film bring to the story? Development of characters, this is the cast especially with Nani, and story. Direct adaptations with some scenes tacked on just don’t work. We are told that there is an emergency session of the Galactic Council. The leader is the Galactic Councilwoman voiced by Hannah Waddingham, same design as the cartoon movie with smaller eyes. Waddingham voices Deliria in the Krapopolis cartoon show. Her costume has a fronds like coral around her neck here. She announces that they are meeting about “illegal genetic experimentation.” The scientist is Jumba Jookiba voiced by Zack Galifianakis also with the original design, multiple eyes around a round head and bulky frame.
Galifianakis was the voice of Ron in the animated film, Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021). He uses a regular voice, a mad scientist who is chill, not cold and calculating, and not particularly funny. David Ogden Stier’s Jumba was goofy and brutal with his Russian-like accent in his pursuit of his creation. The trilobite-like ship moves in and Stitch is revealed, in his orange suit from the cartoon, but in his six armed, furry form with antennae. Stitch of course is voiced by Sanders and is still nasty and destructive. My favorite part is when Stitch speaks in an alien language. The robot at the Grand Councilwoman leans over the side and vomits nuts and bolts! This is cut away in this film. There is no Captain Gantu to take away the prisoner since his character has been merged with Jumba.
Stitch is confined upside down and covered by blaster cannons locked onto his genetic signature. He is able to escape and we return to the bridge of the galactic councilwoman’s ship. Stitch has taken a police cruiser, like a hot rod, and races past the ship. She notes that it is a planet “covered in water” which will threaten Stitch’s dense molecular structure. The technicians find that Stitch’s cruiser is instead headed to an island, Hawai’i! The councilwoman asks for an expert on the planet. Pleakley, voiced by Billy Magnussen, enters with a cowboy hat and jacket. Magnussen was Prince Anders in the other adaptation, Aladdin (2019). He is a thin alien with a large, cyclops eye and antenna. Magnussen is able to be silly with Pleakley. The councilwoman assigns Jumba to retrieve Experiment 626 and deputizes Pleakley to watch over him. The relationship makes me think of Gaston and LeFou in the live action Beauty and the Beast (2017).
A few changes including Jumba being released from his prison cell, but the film has basically followed the original. This shifts to striped yellow tang swimming in the waters off Kaui’i. Lilo played by Maia Kealoha is perfect casting. She can handle the playing with Stitch scenes, but also the dramatic scenes. I hope she gets a young actor award and continues with other roles. Lilo plays a sandwich on the sandy floor and swims back. The director of photography is Nigel Bluck and I have to give a hat off to the underwater and surf photography. Lilo relaxes in a hotel pool and says, “I’m in town for the convention.” This interesting line between locals and tourists is in another scene, but doesn’t make a clear comment on it like the surf movie, Blue Crush (2002). She goes to hula for a recital. Her older sister, Nani, played by Sydney Agudong, hurries from work. Agudong starred as Savannah in the Hawai’i set drama, At Her Feet (2024). The actor adds to the drama, the tension with her sister, and comedy. Another actor to watch for the next project.
Five Portal Guns out of Five!
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