The live-action version of Lilo & Stitch has just been released in theaters. This is an opportunity for us to revisit this new version and contrast it with the 2002 animated classic. Here are the 9 major differences between these two versions of Lilo & Stitch.
Lilo & Stitch: Two versions of the same story
More than 20 years ago, the world discovered the new Disney production: Lilo & Stitch. A superb, touching, impressive animated film that explores Hawaiian culture through the arrival of a little alien nicknamed Stitch. He meets Lilo, a little girl who quickly falls in love with the little creature. A poignant duo, directed by the talented Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, who have since directed other masterpieces of the genre such as How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods or the recent The Wild Robot.
23 years later, Disney decided to produce a live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch. A new version directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp, who directed, in 2023, the exceptional Marcel the Shell (with his shoes). The recent release of this new Lilo & Stitch has made us want to look back at the original film, and highlight the 9 biggest differences between the original film and this remake.
9) The length of the film
Lilo & Stitch 2025 version lasts almost 30 minutes longer than the original. Lilo & Stitch (the cartoon) lasted 1h25, while this live-action remake lasts 1h48.
8) Gantu
The terrible Gantu, this aggressive and mean giant shark, does not appear in Lilo & Stitch 2025 version. Dean Fleischer-Camp preferred to make Dr. Jumba Jookiba, the creator of Stitch, the only real villain in the story.
7) Tütü
Played by Amy Hill, Tütü is David's grandmother and Nani and Lilo's neighbor. This character does not exist in the original version of Lilo & Stitch. But it's a rather interesting and effective addition, as the character of Amy Hill brings some touching emotional springs.
6) Madame Kekoa and Cobra Bubbles
In the animated film, Nani and Lilo are followed by a rather unusual educator. Indeed, Cobra Bubbles does not look at all like a member of child protection. He is tall, strong, muscular, and wears a costume throughout the film. Lilo is not fooled and thinks that he is not an educator. The young girl was right, since Cobra Bubbles is actually a CIA agent.
In the live-action film, Dean Fleischer-Camp changes this character's identity. Well, not quite, since the filmmaker splits his character into two entities in Lilo & Stitch. Indeed, the live-action film introduces Madame Kekoa, played by Tia Carrere, as a new social worker who follows Nani and Lilo. Cobra Bubbles, meanwhile, is still present, played by Courtney B. Vance. Bubbles still pretends to be an educator to the two girls, even though the audience knows he's a CIA agent. This is a way to smooth out the story and make the character of Cobra Bubbles more believable. Note that Tia Carrere was the voice of Nani in the original film.
Stitch's arrival is a little different in the two films. In the animated film, Experiment 626 lands in Hawaii on a rainy evening. His arrival causes a car accident, and Stitch is taken into custody. This is how, later, Lilo meets Stitch at a dog kennel. The live-action film changes Stitch's introduction to Earth a bit. The latter has direct interactions with human beings since the little blue creature intrudes on a wedding and causes a joyful mess.
4) Nani's narrative arc
Unlike the cartoon, in which Nani is only a secondary character, in the live-action, Lilo's big sister takes up more space. She becomes a central character in the story. Dean Fleischer-Camp develops her identity, her background, her social and emotional questions. She has much more screen time, here played by actress Sydney Elizebeth Agudong.
3) Jumba Jookiba and Pikly
As in the animated film, Jumba Jookiba and Pikly, the two aliens sent to Earth to retrieve Stitch, are obviously present in the live-action film. But unlike in the cartoon, the two characters change appearance in Dean Fleischer-Camp's film. Indeed, thanks to new gadgets, the two aliens take on the appearance of actors Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen. In the animated film, the two aliens retain their appearance, and simply disguise themselves when they are in public.
2) Little details here and there
We can also focus on a few small details that change here and there. For example, when Lilo goes to the dog kennel, she doesn't want to adopt a pet, unlike in the 2002 version. In the iconic surfing scene, Stitch wears armbands because he can't swim. Finally, the sequence in which Stitch thinks he's a giant differs from one film to the next. In the cartoon, this sequence takes place indoors, while in the live-action it occurs at the beach.
1) The end of the film
Dean Fleischer-Camp also decided to change the entire ending of Lilo & Stitch. In the cartoon, Nani retains custody of Lilo. The film offers a roughly equivalent ending but with some variations all the same. Indeed, in Dean Fleischer-Camp's film, it is Tütü who obtains custody of Lilo. As for Nani, she decides to go and study in the United States. The two sisters are thus separated, but thanks to Pikly's portal gun, Nani can easily visit Lilo. All's well that ends well in a more modern happy ending than the denouement of the original film. In the cartoon, Nina is forced to take on the role of mother, and abandons her ambitions as a woman to take care of her little sister. Dean Fleischer-Camp avoids this conservative view of the role of women within the family cocoon, and prefers to give Nani the opportunity to build her life as an independent adult.
@allocine The trailer for the live-action "Lilo and Stitch" has just been released! We had fun comparing the images with those from the animated film, a real return to childhood. What do you think? #onregardequoi #Cinema #Filmtok #liloandstitch \u266c son original - AlloCiné
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