7 Ways Disney’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Remake Betrayed the Original

Lilo & Stitch might be one of the best live-action remakes Disney has had in years (especially compared to this year’s biggest box office flop Snow White), but there’s still lots of things from the original 2002 animated movie that the remake just couldn’t get right after all.

Even though it wasn’t that big of a deal for many viewers and critics who have already secured raving reviews and more than $400 million in the box office for Lilo & Stitch, the movie might not be a very faithful adaptation due to several factors. Here they are.

Stitch Was Never an Incidental Finding

In the animated movie’s live-action remake, it’s revealed that Lilo spends her free time visiting a local pet shelter where she can bond with abandoned dogs and form some kind of friendship with them since she has no human friends.

This is also the place where she meets Stitch for the first time and decides to take him home after he starts clinging onto her.

In the original film, however, things do look pretty different since it’s Nani who takes Lilo to the pet shelter so that the latter could choose a dog to take home and become friends with. This happens after Nani overhears Lilo’s prayers about finding someone she can befriend.

Stitch’s Personal Family Drama Is Omitted

The 2002 animated movie sees Stitch slowly becoming aware of the fact that he, just like Lilo, is an orphan that has no one around him but another orphaned girl.

When Lilo tells him the story of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Ugly Duckling”, Stitch starts seeing the connection between him and the tale’s character, eventually realising that the only family he’s been looking for was Lilo and Nani’s one.

His arc has the same outcome in the remake, though he doesn’t reflect much on the matter, initially even using Lilo as some kind of shield (quite literally).

Jumba Went From Complex Character to Straightforward Villain

Even though the mad scientist and Stitch’s creator wasn’t all good sometimes, he has never been just as evil as his remake counterpart.

When Jumba is sent to Earth, he gradually becomes aware of Stitch’s ability to sympathise for others and overcome his initially malevolent nature; later he even goes on to help Stitch save Lilo and stays on Earth to help Nani rebuild her house.

In the original film, Jumba’s redemption arc was exactly what made him a compelling morally grey character. The remake, however, turns him into nothing short of a villainous cliché.

Jumba and Pleakley’s Disguise Isn’t That Iconic Anymore

The original movie saw the two alien creatures disguise themselves as a couple while they were on Earth looking for Stitch, with Pleakley turning into a hilariously charming woman some people grew suspicious about.

The remake, however, gives them much more modernised looks and no gender change at all, so those who expected the original iconic “Actually, she’s just ugly” phrase to drop here too must have been pretty disappointed.

The Real Villain Is Nowhere to Be Found

While the live-action reboot turned against Jumba by turning him into the entire story’s biggest villain, the real one from the animated film never even made it to the remake.

Captain Gantu, a giant shark tasked with catching Stitch and bringing him back to the Galactic Federation, didn’t waste much in the original movie before unraveling his true evil nature, eventually getting into a fight with Jumba over Stitch’s unwillingness to be taken away from Lilo.

In the remake, there isn’t even a single mention of Gantu as Jumba is forced to take on his villainous role.

Pudge the Fish’s Absence Was Crucial to Lilo’s Limited Story Arc

Pudge the fish was a questionable friend of Lilo who in the original animated movie would go and visit him every week with a peanut sandwich she would prepare specifically for Pudge.

When Lilo is late for a Hula class, she explains that she had trouble with the sandwich, but it was necessary for her to come visit Pudge the fish anyway.

It’s later revealed that Lilo believed in Pudge’s ability to control the weather and hoped for him to prevent rain storms which years before were the reason for a car accident that killed Lilo’s parents.

The remake, however, doesn’t mention how exactly Lilo and Nani’s parents passed away and doesn’t give Pudge the fish that much of significance anyway.

Nani Willing to Give Up on Lilo Is Diabolical

Despite some hardships that Nani has to go through in both movies, the 2002 animated film sees her desperately trying to remain Lilo’s guardian and thus abandoning everything else; in the remake, however, Nani seemingly gives up on the long fight for keeping Lilo for the sake of her own ambitions.

This does end relatively well as Lilo goes on to live with their neighbours Tatu and David while Nani leaves for California where she will study Marine Biology.

Still, the sisters’ separation wasn’t that necessary and 2002’s Lilo & Stitch did keep Nani in Hawaii alongside Lilo.

In the remake, she still visits her family though, but even Nani’s portable travels back home to see Lilo just don’t sit right with the original movie’s fans whatsoever.