James Whitehead
The main obstacle for any remake to overcome is the inevitable comparisons that will get drawn with the original material. Whilst of course one of the main selling points behind a reboot/remake is to bring the story to new generations, the studios are still banking on the built-in audiences of the original to turn up.
When you’re dealing with a large proportion of your audience having their own preconceived ideas about what they’re going to expect, it gives the director of the film an extra issue to deal with. Of course, his first responsibility is to make a good film; whatever the influence or inspiration. But in the specific context of remakes, satisfying audiences of the original material must come into account too for the film to be worth making in the eyes of the studio.
That’s why when it comes to my feelings with the new Lilo & Stitch remake, I feel split between these two scales of success.
Firstly, as a film in its own right, it’s perfectly pleasant. For a sweet family tale, with sci-fi themes and wholesome messaging, the film works. By far and above the biggest success of the remake is the casting of Lilo. Maia Kealoha in her debut acting role is a constant delight on screen and provides more personality than any of the other live-action cast members. The task at hand of leading a film whilst primarily working against an animated character in Stitch should never be discredited and on that front, she’s an undoubted success.
Furthermore, the effects work and performance of Stitch was impeccably transferred from the original, reminding you of why Stitch as a character has grown so iconic, the pair pop on screen together and can carry scenes on their own. But it becomes cloudy how much credit you can give when the foundations, the house and the furnishings inside that make Stitch so wonderful, were established all the way back in 2002.
And that’s where I find the intercept between the film that I watched and enjoyed last night and my memory of the original all the way back then, as a film the remake is well made, but when comparing to the animated film, the attempt at capturing the same magic is a failure.
Lilo aside, the surrounding cast is either perfectly bland or simply flat. Sydney Elizabeth Agudong as Lilo’s older sister Nani is endearing on screen but feels toned down and less nuanced than the original. Without spoiling the film, some of her character choices that differ from the original seem to go against what the character is established to be, after all “Ohana means family” is still meant to be the central belief that grounds the film, but with certain choices and changes that were made this message feels diluted.
Carrying on the trend of watering down the characters, and for me by far the biggest drop off from the original, is the portrayal of the alien antagonists, specifically Jumba, Pleakley and the complete removal of Captain Gantu.
Narratively, Gantu’s absence is tied together seamlessly, but as a fan of the original, his presence is so greatly missing from the film, his relentless approach to capturing Lilo set him apart from Dr. Jumba, who was quirkier and forgiving. Instead, they blend these characters together, at the expense of both and the film as a whole. While I thoroughly enjoy Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen, neither of their talents were allowed to be on display for these roles and were by far the biggest disappointment.
Understandably, not everything translates directly from the medium of animation, and decisions have to be made, but when that decision is to make characters less interesting, less nuanced and less fun, I’m not sure if that’s the best way to go about it. For all these reasons I find the live action Lilo and Stitch to be a better film than it is a remake, but found enough enduring goodness from the original that I was entertained from start to finish.
Ultimately the scary task of being as good as the original left this film feeling constricted and bland in comparison, but I place little blame on director Dean Fleischer Camp who did well to translate the film to live action whilst keeping most of the core spirit. For a better indication of Camp’s talent, I highly recommend the film that secured him this larger project, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which is a wonderfully rich film that also blends live action settings with small, cute, CG characters and it’s a hidden gem of a film if you have never checked it out. Either watch that or just watch the animated Lilo and Stitch instead.
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