By John Corrado

Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp (who previously made the small gem Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), Lilo & Stitch is a delightful, big-hearted family movie that stands out as one of Disney’s best live-action remakes.

The original animated film from 2002, about the friendship between a girl and her pet alien, has had a surprising amount of staying power over the past two decades, with mischievous alien Stitch becoming one of Disney’s most beloved characters.

So a live-action remake was pretty much inevitable, especially in this current climate of the studio trying to redo all of their most popular titles. These remakes have admittedly had varying success rates, with some trying too hard to “modernize” beloved classics (i.e., recent box office flop Snow White). There is also the eternal question if animated films ever “need” to be redone in live-action.

But this new take on Lilo & Stitch works, to the degree that it is actually a pleasant surprise. And the reason why it works so well – not as a replacement for, but as a companion to the original – is because they’ve nailed Stitch and his antics. In bringing him into the real world, they have created an adorable CGI version of Stitch (once again voiced by the original’s co-director Chris Sanders), who is an absolute delight to watch every time he’s on screen. It turns out that is enough to sell a movie.

Stitch is genetic experiment 626, the creation of mad scientist Jumba (Zach Galifianakis). Like the animated version, the film opens in space, with Jumba and Stitch being brought in front of the Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Waddingham), who banishes the “dangerous” experiment. But Stitch steals a spaceship, charts a course for Earth, and Jumba is sent with Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) to retrieve him.

The little alien crash lands in Hawaii, which is where he meets Lilo (Maia Kealoha). Lilo is a six-year-old being raised by her older sister Nani (Sydney Agudong), with frequent visits from a social worker (played by Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani in the original). Their “Ohana” is small and struggling to stay together, with Lilo often getting into trouble. She finds Stitch hiding at the animal shelter, and adopts what she believes is a “talking dog.” Others are more skeptical of her choice of pet.

The two get into all sorts of mischief around the island, as Stitch is pursued by his alien handlers. But a bond also forms between them, with the two teaching each other how to be good. This is the heart of the movie. As much as Stitch is the main selling point here, we also get a breakout performance from child actress Kealoha, whose Lilo is a ball of energy from the first time we meet her. It’s no small feat to act alongside a digital creation, but young Kealoha completely and seamlessly sells the dynamic and chemistry between Lilo and Stitch that is crucial for this to work.

The screenplay by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes hues closely to the original, but doesn’t just copy it beat for beat, making a few tweaks and updates here and there that largely work in context. For example, instead of blending in by dressing up like in the original, Jumba and Pleakley take on human form here, allowing the actors to appear as themselves.

Though Galifianakis and Magnussen do their best with the roles, some of the stuff with the two aliens still played a little better in cartoon form. There was also a certain magic to the original, with its lush, watercolour backgrounds, that you can’t quite recapture in live action. But Lilo & Stitch is always quick to deliver the next adorable, funny, or heartfelt moment between Lilo and Stitch to win the audience right back.

The film is well-paced despite being expanded to 108 minutes, with Camp doing a fine job of handling the balance between both the comedic and touching scenes. The emotion and heart of the original remains very much intact here. This is still the story of two misunderstood creatures finding each other, and forming a family, and those with any affinity for these characters will likely find their heartstrings being tugged on throughout.

As a Stitch fan, it left me with a big smile on my face. It’s also going to make a ton of money at the box office, and should pack theatres with families all summer. I’ll be shocked if this doesn’t make over a billion dollars when all is said and done.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Lilo & Stitch opens exclusively in theatres on May 23rd.