“Lilo & Stitch”: What Happened to Ohana?

The remake of the beloved 2002 animated film has taken over theaters and sold plenty of Stitch plushies. But is it a good adaptation, or just another Disney cash grab?

Stitch is a character that needs no introduction. The absolutely chaotic (but also cute and fluffy) experiment 626 achieved the status of an unofficial Disney mascot years ago, becoming a merchandising machine. But setting that aside, the film that introduced him is fondly remembered by many, including myself, for its heartwarming story and lovable characters.

It is no wonder why Disney wanted a new way to exploit the IP, and that they chose the worst possible one: the live-action remake. Enough has been said already about that infamous trend, so I will go straight to the point and focus on this particular production.

In essence, Lilo & Stitch suffers from the same conditions as most of Disney remakes, which is not a surprise. The soul of the story is gone, leaving a superficial product that could never stand on its own.  

More of the Same

Starting from the surface, the original animation was so full of colors and life, it made Hawaii look like a summer paradise. The new adaptation, on the other hand, is visually boring; it has nothing exciting to look at. The only CGI character that is nicely done is Stitch; the rest of the aliens and the special effects in general are nothing to write home about. It looks like the kind of film you can find on cable TV on a random Sunday afternoon. I am sure this is because the project was originally conceived for Disney+, but they still have the audacity to charge us for something with lower quality.

The humor is terrible; the jokes are just dumb. I know the film is for kids, but the original was too, and the humor is entertaining even for an adult. Lilo’s dry comments, Pleakley’s fascination with mosquitoes and women’s clothes, Cobra Bubbles having hair back in the 80s. It was fun! The new film wants to use Jumba and Pleakley as comic relief, but the actors are so unfunny it becomes annoying.

Maia Kealoha as Lilo

But this film has one redeemable quality: the casting choice for Lilo. Newcomer Maia Kealoha carries the movie on her young shoulders. She is charming, sweet, and funny; the character seems to come to her effortlessly. Maia somehow managed to bond even with CGI Stitch, which is quite impressive. If she could accomplish so much with so little, imagine what she could do with a good script.

Elvis is Missing

Looking back, I now realize that the original Lilo & Stitch was my introduction to Elvis’ music, as is probably the case for some other 2000s kids. Lilo is Elvis’ biggest fan, and she takes him as an example of a “good citizen” for Stitch to copy, which is hilarious.

In the remake, they reference this, but it is not important for the plot. I suppose that is because people now criticize Elvis for his personal life—a completely stupid reason to change the movie, in my opinion. Lilo is a child. Her devotion to Elvis is completely innocent and endearing. They feature some of his songs, but just in the background; they do not have the same weight as in the original.

What Made the Original Unique

Revisiting the animated film as an adult, I realized that more than about Lilo and Stitch, the story is about the relationship between Lilo and Nani. In a few short scenes, the original manages to capture how sad and alone Lilo really feels after losing her parents. She does not fit in with the rest of the kids; she feels misunderstood, so she misbehaves, as children tend to do when they are in pain. I teared up more than once watching Lilo get bullied at dance class, or asking God to send her a friend who won’t leave her.

On the other side we have Nani, who is also young, and struggles to contain that little sister that now needs her to step up and occupy a motherly role. Unlike Lilo, she can fully comprehend that they are going to be separated unless she can prove her capability, and the pressure is crushing her. 

The appearance of Stitch is a vehicle for the sisters to develop a new kind of bond, and also to remind them that things will be alright as long as they have each other. That their family is still good, even if it’s broken. All these meaningful things are diluted in the remake.

Ohana Now Means Foster Care

A live-action remake is never complete without an evil “modernization” of the story’s original values, and this time Disney introduced this through the character of Nani. Yes, they took a movie about the importance of family and gave it a female empowerment twist. And as writers forgot how to be subtle a long time ago, you could see the twist coming from a mile away.

Firstly, they made a point to make other characters mention how “smart” Nani is. Lilo tells Stitch about how her older sister was the smartest of her class and had a room full of trophies from surfing competitions. We are shown that Nani won a full scholarship to a prestigious university to study marine biology, and she is being forced to “sacrifice” her future to take care of Lilo. None of this exists in the original movie; there we only learn that Nani has a job, but whether she got it before or after her parents died is not mentioned.

Let’s say the writers really wanted to give Nani a backstory; it could have been done differently. We do not know the character’s exact age, but Nani is in her late teens or early twenties when her parents die, and she has to take over raising Lilo. It is obvious that she had to take a huge responsibility while being too young, and it is possible that she had to renounce some of her own plans and projects to do so. Up until this point, I do not see a problem with it. You can call it unnecessary, but the whole idea of the remake is unnecessary in itself, so let’s roll with it.

However…

See how intentional the movie is with this subject: Nani cannot dream to be a nurse, or a teacher, or something she could achieve staying in Hawaii. Her dream has to be something more spectacular, something that can take her away from home, far from responsibilities. And besides, as far as I can see, the remake is set in current times. Couldn’t Nani maybe enroll in an online university, so she can get an education and stay with Lilo? That could have been a great way to resolve the matter: Disney could pat itself on the back for being progressive, while still staying true to the heart of the story.

But no, Disney had a message to deliver. That would still be a lot of unfair responsibility for Nani, a young woman who deserves to be free. Because freedom is thinking only of yourself, even if your Ohana needs you. Be selfish, because that is the only way to be happy. So the film ends with the older sister of the year giving up Lilo, leaving her with their next-door neighbor, and flying to California to be a girl boss.

So heartwarming.

Box Office and Reception

Despite my opinion, it is clear that in general people are not hating the film—quite the opposite. With only two weeks in theaters, Lilo & Stitch has made over $620.000.000 worldwide, becoming one of the most successful films of 2025 so far. The reported production budget is $100.000.000, making it a fruitful investment for Disney.

And I find this to be frustrating, because it’s sending Disney the message that they should keep selling us this type of low-quality and soulless products instead of investing in something new. 

Is Lilo & Stitch better than Snow White? Well, of course! Anything is better than Rachel Zegler making strange faces for two hours. But that is going to be our standard? Do we really want our kids to have A Minecraft Movie and a downgraded version of Lilo & Stitch as their childhood films?

Disney should do better, but so should we.