LILO & STITCH Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Stars: Maia Kealoha, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Tia Carrere, Billy Magussen, Zach Galiafianakis, Kaipo Dudoit, Courtney B Vance, Jason Scott Lee, Amy Hill, voices of Chris Sanders, Hannah Waddingham.
The latest Disney animated film to get a live action remake is Lilo & Stitch, the family friendly film from 2002 which depicted the friendship between a rambunctious young girl and a genetically altered alien creature exiled from its home planet.
Six-year-old Lilo Pelekai (played by newcomer Maia Kealoha) lives in Hawaii with her older sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, from At Her Feet, etc) both of whom are orphaned following the death of their parents. Nani struggles to juggle her role of looking after Lilo with holding down a job. Social worker Mrs Kekoa (voiced by Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani in the 2002 film) is charged with judging Nani’s ability to care for the energetic Lilo. Unless Nani can prove her capability, Mrs Kekoa will separate them and put Lilo in foster care.
Unexpected help in healing the family comes in the form of Stitch (again voiced by Chris Sanders, who wrote and directed the original as well as voicing the character), aka alien experiment 626, that went awry. He is aggressive and uncontrollable and destructive with a prodigious appetite, and almost indestructible. The Grand Councilwoman of the planet Turo (voiced by Hannah Waddingham) declares that he must be destroyed. However, Stitch breaks out of confinement, steals a spaceship and flees. He crash lands in Hawaii. After causing havoc at a wedding reception Stitch is caught by animal control and placed into an animal shelter.
Lilo discovers him while visiting the shelter and mistakes the furry blue creature for a dog. She adopts him and takes him home. Lilo and Stitch develop a strong bond, but Nani is less sure of this latest addition to their household.
Meanwhile two agents from Turo are sent to Earth to retrieve Stitch. Pleaskley (Billy Magnussen, from the tv series Made For Love, etc) and Jumba (Zach Galiafinakis, from The Hangover trilogy, etc) assume human form and set out to capture Stitch. Their attempts to blend in lead to many pratfalls and comedic situations that provide the bulk of the laughs. Also on the trail of the alien is CIA agent Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B Vance), who poses as a social worker to get closer to Lilo and her unusual pet.
The screenplay comes from Chris Kekaniokalani Bright (his debut feature script) and Mike Van Waes (Dear David, etc), who have tweaked the original script from Chris Sanders and Dean De Blois. The writers also incorporate some elements from the subsequent animated sequels and tv series that followed. The script emphasises the strong bond between the two sisters, and it also deals with themes of family, community and connection. It also illustrates the strong connection between Lilo and Stitch, two impetuous trouble magnets who are ideally suited to one another. Director Dean Fleischer Camp (best known for his art house hit Marcel The Shell With Shoes On) maintains a fast pace throughout.
Cinematographer Nigel Bluck (The Home Song Stories, etc) gives us a good sense of place with his sun-drenched cinematography of the lush Hawaiian landscapes. Production designer Todd Cherniawsky (the tv series Star Trek: Picard, etc) has done a good job of creating the messy, cluttered split-level house that Lilo and Nani share.
The CGI effects that have created the alien creatures here are solid, and are seamlessly integrated into the live action sequences. Stitch is a hyperactive creation but here his essential nature has been softened somewhat, and he comes across as more cuddly and less destructive than in the original.
The human cast acquit themselves well in breathing life into these formerly animated characters. As with the original, Sanders again provides the voice for the CGI created Stitch. Many of the voice cast from the 2002 film return here to bring to life different characters, including Carrere, Amy Hill, and Jason Scott Lee. Agudong gives the film its emotional heft with her solid performance as Nani who feels the pressure of caring for her younger sister. Kealoha is good as the troubled but spirited and rebellious Lilo, although sometimes her dialogue is delivered in a shrill manner that is occasionally grating. Hill is also good and brings warmth to her role as Tuto, the elderly lady next door who tries to keep a maternal eye of Lilo and Nani and supports their efforts to stay together as a family. Kaipo Dudoit (from the revamped Magnum PI tv series, etc) plays David, a surfer and love interest for Nani. And Magnussen and Galifianakis provide the bulk of the slapstick humour and physical comedy.
With its visual humour and strong themes, this live action remake of Lilo & Stitch is a broadly entertaining film that is suitable for audiences of all ages. It will probably play well with those unfamiliar with the original.
Some of these live action remakes from the Disney back catalogue, such as the recent Snow White, have been a bit hit and miss, but Lilo & Stitch is much better than anticipated as it captures some of that charm that made the original so popular. And while Disney has been plundering its animated back catalogue for live action remakes for many years, now it seems as though Dreamworks are about to get in on the act with a live action version of How To Train Your Dragon due to hit cinemas shortly.
★★★☆
