Lilo & Stitch: Missing the magic

The big-eared blue koala-like destructive critter has been brought back after 23 years in this live action film. It’s an emotion-laden saga, but the funny antics are sorely missing.

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Lilo, a little girl, is living with her older sister, Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong), in Hawaii because their parents are dead. Lilo is a little monster and she wrecks everything she touches. When she meets a strange blue dog at an animal shelter, she immediately adopts it.

But the dog isn’t a dog, it’s a rogue genetic experiment created for total annihilation.

The weird extraterrestrial creature, Stitch, is being pursued by his creator, mad scientist Jumba (Zach Galifianakis), and Pleakley (Billy Magnussen). They are looking to take him back to their leader, the Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham).

Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes have updated the original screenplay by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the emotional depth has expanded a bit, and everything boils down to the importance of family. There’s a lot more slapstick, including a fun surfing sequence, but it’s not always funny.

Maia Kealoha, the six-year-old child actor who plays Lilo, is cute and endearing and doesn’t look like the type to set fire to the restaurant where her older sister works. The social worker (Tia Carrere) here has a little more screen time than in the original, and those privy to Stitch’s back story will have an idea about his destructive potential; new audiences, however, might have to wait in anticipation for the antics to follow through.

Dean DeBlois revives the watercolour background to provide a lush landscape for the Hawaiian set-up. Agudong delivers a heart-tugging performance. The film also uses a fair amount of Elvis tunes.

The 2002 animated classic was efficient and easy at a lean 85 minutes, but this new live-action remake is longer and less productive. ‘Lilo & Stitch’ isn’t an embarrassment. The family values on display are heartfelt, and the narrative delivers some laughs but the whole is not as appealing as the 2002 film.