Only a few years ago, when considering new projects, the Pixar and Disney teams would ask, “Why does this story need to be told in animation?” The idea was that the art form should only be used to tell the stories that demanded to be animated. That question is perhaps less necessary in this VFX-assisted era. But it might be time to bring it back in reverse form: does this animation need to be live action? Some recent remakes can’t help but feel like a lesser effort, and that’s sadly the case with Lilo & Stitch.
That’s despite the considerable efforts of director Dean ‘Marcel The Shell With Shoes On’ Fleischer Camp and his cast and crew. It’s not that they did a bad job, or had too little respect for the original; if anything, quite the opposite. This funny, sweet film still feels like a pale imitation of its sun-soaked predecessor because that’s literally what it is: a real-world take on the pastel-and-primary original. They’ve stripped out a few supporting characters and, smartly, played up the sisterly relationship to take full advantage of the live actors, but it’s more rearranging the furniture than remodelling the house.
The story is largely unchanged in its major beats.
Maia Kealoha is excellent as young Lilo, as is Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as her sister Nani, who gets a big storytelling boost to become the emotional glue of the whole film. Capable and smart, Nani has put her own life on hold to try and look after her sister after their parents’ death, but she’s coming apart at the seams too, and even a sympathetic social worker (Tia Carrere, one of the original stars returning in a new role) can’t do enough to get them through. Then comes the chaotic addition of Stitch, a furry and more detailed but not actually cuddlier version of Chris Sanders’ original monster (Sanders returns to voice Stitch once more). Cue alien shenanigans and a lot of soul-searching by everyone to figure out where they belong in the world.
The story, in other words, is largely unchanged in its major beats, though there are some tweaks. Fleischer Camp has cut back on the Elvis songs for a film that’s heavier on Hawaiian music, and indeed that feels more rooted in Hawaiian culture. But big moments of emotion and exposition are oddly woolly in the edit, and Lilo’s bad behaviour has been softened considerably: she no longer bites her sister, but only licks her arm. It's unclear what lies behind such tweaks, be it concern for child actors, or the demands of having a VFX lead character, but even with an extra 20-odd minutes, this doesn’t add as many laughs or as many emotional gut-punches as you’d hope.
It’s not bad; it can’t be – it’s too similar to the 2002 film that is one of Disney’s all-time best. But it’s time to either give filmmakers the room to cut loose with these remakes and dare to do something very different, or stop doing them.
