Summary
The live-actionLilo & Stitchmovie has finally revealed Stitch’s appearance. Following a trend of Disney live-action remakes, the classic 2002 movie has earned a remake of its own, which will feature Chris Sanders reprising his role as Stitch. The rest of the cast will include Maia Kealoha, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, and more. TheLilo & Stitchremakeis expected to be released in the summer of 2025. In anticipation of the release, Disney shared a first look at Stitch’s appearance asthe D23 eventcontinues.
While viewers did not expect much from the adaptation, there has been a generally positive reception to the character’s appearance. Check out some of the responses below:
Twitter user@KaiserNekobelieved that an adaptation is unnecessary, but also that the Stitch appearance is lovable and huggable.
@arvalisis disappointed by Stitch’s design and believes that a slight change could make a large difference.
@mar_toonsbelieves that Stitch was properly adapted and is not quite as disappointing as some might think.
@RiseFallNickBckis impressed by the adaptation and believes that the design could have been far worse.
@MikeMartyLOVEY1is surprised by how good Stitch looks.
@supermangeek101is pleased by Disney’s decision to bring the movie to theaters and thinks that the Stitch model is perfect.
@Blueknight_V2loves the design but wishes that the colors were more vibrant.
@tonygoldmarkbelieves that this is a great design that perfectly matches the original design, even if they dislike the idea of an adaptation.
@ComicGirlAshleyenjoys the appearance and believes that he looks just like Stitch.
Why The Lilo & Stitch Movie Remains Controversial
The Stitch Design Has Changed Some Perspectives.
Disney has certainly seen its share of financial success from the recent trend of live-action remakes of animated classics. AfterThe Jungle Booksaw nearly $1 billion at the box office, Disney began to pursue live-action remakes more often.Beauty and the Beastsaw a $1.3 billion total. That remarkable take was only surpassed by 2019’sThe Lion King, which earned $1.67 billion. While there have been less popular movies, including 2020’s pandemic release,Mulan, the strategy has provided dividends for Disney. Check out the chart below, which showcases the recent live-action theatrical remakes and their box office success:
$175 million
$967 million
$170 million
$300 million
Beauty and the Beast(2017)
$160 million
$1.3 billion
$70 million
$198 million
$353 million
$250 million
$1.67 billion
$186 million
$492 million
$183 million
$1.05 billion
$200 million
$100 million
$234 million
$240 million
$570 million
With so much box office success,Disney is only expanding its live-action offerings,withLilo & Stitchbeing the latest adaptation to follow the trend. Although the approach is a proven moneymaker for Disney, the decision to remake so many animated movies has drawn criticism since the live-action adaptations tend to be subpar in quality. Many of the Twitter users responding to Stitch’s appearance further cite the lack of any reason to recreate the franchise in a live-action format, as it was perfectly rendered in the original animation. The photorealistic CGI often strips the characters of expressiveness and vibrance, which diminishes the overall effect.
Stitch’s appearance does seem to buck that trend, however, as the character remains expressive even in his CGI form. There have also been widespread complaints thatthe live-actionLilo & Stitchcastfeatures many characters impacted by colorism, as their skin color appears to be lighter than their animated counterparts. Sydney Agudong, for instance, will play Nani and does not match the character’s animated appearance. The movie remains controversial, but Stitch’s appearance draws at least some praise.
Source: Various (see above)
Lilo & Stitch
Cast
Lilo & Stitch is a live-action remake of the 2002 animated sci-fi adventure comedy directed by Dean Fleischer Camp.
