Lilo & Stitch: The BRWC Review. By Joe Muldoon.

Almost 23 years after Experiment 626 crash-landed on Earth, the little blue alien has found himself back in cinemas, this time in live-action. And despite the protestations of protective fans following a string of underwhelming (if not outright poor) live-action remakes, Disney have managed to remake, remould, and reimagine the magic of Lilo & Stitch.

Created by the delightfully unhinged “evil genius” Dr. Jumba (Zach Galifianakis) and sentenced to exile by the United Galactic Federation, Experiment 626 escapes his prosecutors via a red police cruiser and crash-lands in Kauaʻi, the northernmost island of Hawai’i. Following a deal with the UGF’s Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham), Jumba is sent to capture 626 in exchange for his freedom, and is joined by the bumbling but enthusiastic Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen), self-declared “Earth Expert”.

Meanwhile, a human child by the name of Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha, in her breakout role), is under the guardianship of her teenage sister Nani (Sydney Agudong), also a human. But following an unsuccessful visit from their social worker, Mrs Kekoa (Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani in the 2002 original), Nani is faced with the prospect of having Lilo placed into social care and is set with a list of tasks of improvement.

After hearing of her loneliness and yearning for a friend, the Pelekais’ neighbour and close family friend Tūtū (Amy Hill, who voiced Mrs Hasagawa in the original) takes Lilo to the local animal shelter, and the girl happens upon a familiar blue creature, whom she adopts.

To complicate matters, soon on 626’s trail is CIA agent Cobra Bubbles (Courtney Vance). Amongst those returning to the Lilo & Stitch world is Chris Sanders, who reprises his role as the beloved Stitch, and who also co-wrote and directed the original.

Looming over the story’s events are the devastating impacts that overtourism and gentrification have had upon Hawai’ian natives’ lives. Almost all jobs available to Nani are customer service-related, Lilo’s beloved beach is thronged by sunbathing tourists, and the locals find themselves pushed to the island’s outskirts to make space for the tourist-catering spaces closer to the picturesque beaches. But it’s also from this point that the film has been met with controversy, with some arguing that the original’s critiques of colonialism have been dampened.

The production has been fraught with other controversies, spanning allegations of colourism and whitewashing, as well as criticisms concerning the omitting of Gantu as anantagonist, Pleakley not appearing in drag, and the role of state social services; the baffling decision to have Nani leave Lilo underTūtū and David’s (Kaipo Dudoit) guardianship in order to study marine biology in California has been a particular sticking point, with Hawai’ians pointing out the ease of accessibility to such courses within Hawai’i itself, as well as the muddying of the importance of Ohana, which is also central to the story.

But in spite of the occasionally clumsy and sanitised messaging putting off some prospective cinemagoers, Lilo & Stitch has predictably become a triumphant success, already surpassing the box office takings of the original. Kids will undoubtedly fall in love with our little blue friend, and those who grew up with the originals will likely find this to be a fulfilling and satisfying reimagining of a childhood classic. Most noteworthy is Maia Kealoha, whose performance as Lilo is astonishing, particularly considering her age: Kealoha was 5 when she first auditioned for the role, and was 7 when filming commenced – watch this space.

When it was first announced that Lilo & Stitch would be given the seemingly-cursed live-action Disney remake treatment, fans were understandably concerned. And not only because of Disney’s poor track record with their recent live-action jaunts, but also because of potential issues with integrating so many CGI characters into the real world – ideally more Sonic The Hedgehog than Space Jam. Whilst it’s difficult to justify remaking a bonafide classic animation, the fact remains that Lilo & Stitch is an incredibly fun film that has had families pouring into cinemas. Did this need to be made? Probably not – but it’s hard to not enjoy it.

By Joe Muldoon

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