Lilo and Stitch – Finding life after death

Film: Lilo and Stitch

Age rating: U

Runtime: 108 minutes

See this if you liked: Lilo and Stitch (2002)

Overview:

When a girl wishes upon a ‘shooting star’ for a best friend, she gets more than she bargained for in the form of a lovably mischievous alien.

What I liked:

The film opens with Stitch being introduced to the high council before being exiled to Earth as an abomination. He was brilliantly realised in CGI, and he genuinely felt as though he had leaped from the animation into our world. Stitch was very much the comic relief of the movie, with his mischievous antics causing an extra layer of complications for his new ‘owners’ after being mistakenly adopted as a dog.

Live-action remakes often change things and add unnecessary plotlines—this one is no different. However, by focusing more on Lilo and her sister, Nani, this version of the film really changed who I connected with. Their relationship was actually the highlight of the film for me, as they tried to navigate life without their parents and learn to adapt to new roles and responsibilities in the family. I found tears rolling down my cheeks a couple of times, which I was not expecting at all. Both Maia Kealoha (as Lilo) and Sydney Agudong (as Nani) do a brilliant job with their characters, and the sisterly bond between them is heartbreakingly beautiful to watch—even in the moments where they’re frustrated with one another.