Disney, always on a noble quest to turn its animated darlings into living, breathing CGI spectacles, has now waved its enchanted wand over the chaotic charm of Lilo & Stitch
. The original won hearts with its weirdly perfect mix of alien mayhem, Hawaiian sunshine, and enough “ohana
” to make even your grumpy uncle cry. It was a cocktail of chaos and cuddles, sweet, strange, and just the right amount of sassy. Recreating that kind of magic would be hard for even Picasso.
Well, apparently luck showed up in a flowered shirt, because the live-action version has already scored a major early win.
The live action Lilo & Stitch triumphs over the original
In an unexpected box office takedown more impressive than Stitch on a sugar rush, Walt Disney Studios’ live-action Lilo and Stitch
has obliterated expectations. With an intergalactic $341.7 million global opening, the film has not only snatched the crown for the biggest Memorial Day weekend debut in North America, earning $183 million domestically, but also vaporized the original 2002 film’s lifetime earnings of $273.1 million, faster than Stitch eats cake or destroys furniture.
LILO AND STITCH is surprisingly one of the best movies of the year. Heartfelt doesn’t begin to describe how touching this film is. Hilarious from start to finish & the cartoonish VFX worked great. The best Disney live action remake by a long shot #LiloAndStitch pic.twitter.com/xFSk93ebaI
— The HoloFiles – Movies & TV News & Reviews (@theholofiles) May 20, 2025
To add even more glitter to this cosmic victory, the alien-powered family flick has outpaced Tom Cruise’s gravity-defying Mission: Impossible
at the worldwide box office. Yes, the genetically engineered blue menace just left Ethan Hunt in the dust, no parachute needed. Apparently, audiences prefer warm hugs, funky music, and Hawaiian chaos over secret agents clinging to airplanes. And frankly, so do we.
Winning over the audience’s hearts and the battle at the box office is just one feat, the live-action version has also secured another remarkable accomplishment.
The day a blue alien broke Disney’s remake hex
It appears that Lilo & Stitch
has done what The Lion King
(2019) and Pinocchio
(2022) could not, inject actual life into a live-action remake. While Walt Disney Studios has been serving audiences uncanny valley realness and wooden emotions for years, this chaotic little alien in a flowered shirt has cracked the code. With warmth, humor, and characters who do not look like taxidermy, the film has finally lifted the gloomy cloud hanging over Disney’s remake empire.
LILO & STITCH mastered the art of the Disney live-action formula. It remembers what we love about Stitch and gives us incredibly sweet moments between him and Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and makes this a truly heartwarming new take on a classic. I sobbed over Stitch, obviously. pic.twitter.com/LBTl2RzVBQ
— Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) May 20, 2025
Unlike the more serious Snow White live-action adaptations, which leaned toward a darker tone, Lilo & Stitch
brings a refreshing blend of humor, heart, and plenty of Elvis Presley tunes, surprisingly, not one of Maia Kealoha’s top two favorite singers
, to keep audiences happily engaged. This remake accomplished what others struggled with: it made live-action Disney genuinely fun again, breaking the curse with a perfectly timed “ohana
” and a generous dose of alien mischief.
Read More: Disney Finds a Roaring Success in ‘Mufasa’ Prequel, While ‘Snow White’s Horrors Continue
Have you watched the live-action of Lilo & Stitch
yet? Let us know in the comments down below!