Note: This blog post contains spoilers for the 2025 live-action Lilo & Stitch film.
As an avid animation lover, I have always had an extra soft spot in my heart for Stitch, the fluffy blue alien living with Lilo on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. How could such a strange little guy be so adorable? That being said, growing up without cable, I unfortunately was never able to keep up with all of the adventures that Lilo and Stitch got up to on their show, Lilo & Stitch: The Series. I never thought too hard about all of this until this spring, when I heard just how much Disney deliberately misunderstood what Ohana means.
This May, Disney released another one of their live-action remakes, this time attempting to reimagine the modern classic that is the original 2002 Lilo & Stitch. The film was a massive box office success, grossing nearly a billion dollars. Creatively, though, the film has been negatively criticized for the changes that it made from the original.
“Ohana means family, and family means that no one gets left behind or forgotten.” This is a line that comes up over and over again in the animated Lilo & Stitch universe. Stitch utters this line towards the end of the original film, catching Nani’s attention and convincing her that Stitch could be a member of their Ohana. It’s a beautiful reminder of the importance of family and community. This line is shown throughout the animated universe through the love that Nani and Lilo share, particularly in Nani’s commitment to raising Lilo in their childhood home. It’s shown through Uncle Jumba and Auntie Pleakley and their slow but steady adaptation to life on Earth. It’s shown through the unwavering love and loyalty that Stitch shows Lilo and vice versa.
And Disney completely changed that for the 2025 remake.
In the live-action version, apparently, Ohana means that Nani signs over her rights to Lilo (animated Nani’s actual worst nightmare) and goes to the mainland for school. Apparently, Ohana means taking a perfectly delightful villain like Gantu and replacing him with our beloved Uncle Jumba. And, most tragically, Ohana means that Auntie Pleakley isn’t allowed to dress in wigs or dresses because of our current conservative social climate (insert eye roll).
After hearing about the mess that is the live-action remake, I knew it was my time to show some appreciation to the animated Lilo & Stitch universe. I’ve had a great time the last two months consuming all of the Lilo and Stitch content, watching all of the animated films, and the wonderful spinoff television series. Here, I’ll go through some highlights with you and let you know what is absolutely worth watching and what could probably be skipped.
I mean, what can I say that hasn’t already been said? The original Lilo & Stitch is a classic for a reason. A little melancholy, a lot sweet, and absolutely hilarious. Lilo is a breath of fresh air for a lead character in a Disney film, showing that children can be fully developed people. She’s struggling with the grief of losing her parents, upset that she has to listen to her older sister, sad that the girls in her hula class undermine and bully her, but still determined to have fun and play during her childhood. Insert 626 aka Stitch crash landing onto the island of Kauai.
I think that Lilo & Stitch has some of the absolute best side characters, particularly in Jumba and Pleakley. Enemies-to-friends (or lovers, depending on who you ask), Jumba and Pleakley are the comedic duo that this film needed. Two aliens hiding in awful human disguises in plain sight? C’mon. Plus, Pleakley in his wig is just *chef’s kiss*
This film has a shocking amount of depth for a children’s film. Family and belonging are two themes of the film, with both Lilo and Stitch struggling to see where they belong. The brief sad scenes are absolutely worth it to see the two of them come together at the end.
My one main gripe with this film, and with the rest of the canon Lilo & Stitch universe, is that Lilo is voiced by Daveigh Chase, a white girl, while Nani is voiced by a Native Hawaiian woman, Tia Carrere. I want to make it clear that I do not blame Chase for this culturally insensitive casting choice, and I do think she does an excellent job at voicing Lilo. But Disney really missed an opportunity in the 2000s to have both Lilo AND Nani voiced by a Native Hawaiian female duo. As we know, this choice was corrected in the live-action Lilo & Stitch in 2025, where Lilo is played by Maia Kealoha, a child actor who was born in Hawaii in 2016.
If you somehow haven’t yet, give the original Lilo & Stitch a watch. 5/5 ⭐️
This film serves as the pilot for Lilo & Stitch: The Series, which I absolutely didn’t know about until after I watched the entire first season of the show (it’s okay, you can laugh). It was a direct-to-home release that clocks in at a little over an hour. It introduces us to some of the recurring characters that we’ll see throughout the series and the rest of the animated canon – Sparky, the first experiment that Lilo and Stitch catch and turn good. Experiment 625, the experiment that precedes Stitch, whose only interest is making sandwiches. Dr. Jacques von Hamsterviel, Jumba’s former partner in evil, who is determined to get all of their experiments back and keep them evil.
This film is cute! It introduces Stitch calling all of the experiment pods “cousins,” which I adore. We learn a lot of Jumba lore, which is fascinating. We dive further into Ohana, with Pleakley and Jumba becoming a permanent part of the family and renovating the house for Nani. I would say that if you’re going to watch the show, you do need to watch this first. As I said, I watched it between seasons 1 and 2 and ended up going back afterwards and watching season 1 again. It fills in that many gaps! I think this film has some of the strongest writing of the animated canon and some great character development. It’s worth an hour of your time! 3.5/5 ⭐️
Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005)
I have to be honest, this is my least favorite film in the Lilo & Stitch animated universe, for a few reasons. One, our usual Lilo, Daveigh Chase, did not come back for this film, leaving Lilo to be voiced by… wait for it… Dakota Fanning? It’s an incredibly odd casting choice that doesn’t pay off, in my opinion. Part of Lilo’s initial charm in the first Lilo & Stitch film are the vocal choices that Chase makes throughout – the screaming, the laughing, the sighs. Fanning just isn’t able to replicate this. Again, I don’t quite understand why Disney used to be so committed to having Lilo be voiced by a white girl, while Nani was being voiced by a Native Hawaiian woman. But Fanning was not set up for success in stepping into this role.
Plot-wise, the film makes me a bit sad. The main conflict involves, well, Stitch battling a glitch in his programming. The film opens with Stitch having a nightmare where he is very, very bad and ends up scratching Lilo in the face. Stitch wakes up from this nightmare, horrified, scared of himself. Maybe I have too many maternal feelings for this little guy, but it was sad to watch! Naturally, through the course of the film, Stitch is a victim of glitching within his software and does end up committing some bad acts that hurt his Ohana. Throughout the film, Lilo is preparing for a big hula showcase and wants Stitch to help her with the routine. But each time that he does, he ends up glitching a bit more and more. In the end, he’s convinced that everyone would be better off if he left the island and lived out the rest of his time in space alone.
Obviously, this film has a happy ending, but goodness, did Stitch have to earn it! While I did find this film entertaining, it certainly puts you through the emotional ringer. It’s an important film to watch if you’re trying to watch the full animated canon (and does feature Stitch in adorable footie pajamas), but make sure to have some tissues nearby if, like me, you cry easily at animated characters in distress. 3/5 ⭐️
Similar to Stitch! The Movie, Leroy & Stitch, is the finale to Lilo & Stitch: The Series. Once again, it clocks in at a little over an hour long and aired live on Disney Channel in June 2006. A lot happens in this film, so buckle up.
The film opens with Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley being honored by the Grand Councilwoman for their work in catching all of the experiment pods, turning them good, and finding their one true place. As a reward, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley are offered positions in the Grand Federation. Lilo is obviously devastated, and all three men turn down their promotions – at first. Later, seeing how much each of them yearns for their offered position, Lilo gives them her blessing to leave Kauai and to go chase their dreams. It’s a very sweet and mature moment for Lilo.
However, it’s not what’s meant to be.
Slowly, Jumba and Pleakley realize how lonely they are without their Ohana. Stitch, though originally having a blast in space, deeply misses Lilo. And Lilo misses all of them, reverting back to playing with Scrump and lying facedown on the family couch.
Enter my favorite villain in the animated canon, Dr. Hamsterviel. He has once again broken out of prison and is determined to gather up all of his and Jumba’s experiments – this time, using a brand new experiment that Jumba has just finished building, called Experiment 627… or as Dr. Hamsterviel names him, Leroy. Dr. Hamsterviel eventually masterminds a switcheroo between Stitch and Leroy (against Stitch’s wishes, clearly) and has Leroy cause absolute chaos within the planets as he successfully catches all of Hamsterviel’s experiments (Gautu could NEVER).
Back in Kauai, Lilo knows that something is wrong with Stitch. She teams up with Experiment 625 (our sandwich maker) and the two of them set out to reunite their Ohana.
This is a really sweet film conclusion to the television series. I can’t lie, I did cry within the first twenty minutes when I thought that the canon ended with the Ohana being separated (and not just a few tears either), but was quickly relieved when it became clear that that wasn’t where the film was going. There’s a great final battle season (very Avengers: Endgame coded) between all of the experiments and Leroy, led by Stitch, that is just *chef’s kiss*.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to let you know that, despite the first twenty minutes, this film does have a happy ending that reunites the *entire* Ohana, all 600+ experiments included. 💙 4/5 ⭐️
Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003-2006)
How corny would I sound if I said that I absolutely adore the theme song for Lilo & Stitch: The Series? I had the best time at the beginning of each episode singing along to the lyrics written by Danny Jacob & Ali B. Olmo.
“Aloha (Ji waba!)
You’ll find the place where you belong
Ohana (a family to call your own)
Where you feel at home (everybody sing!)”
Anyway! We’re not here to talk about the music, we’re here to talk about the content. Lilo & Stitch: The Series follows Lilo and Stitch as they hunt down each of the experiment pods that went flying at the end of Stitch! The Movie, as asked of them by the Grand Councilwoman. They are up against the villain to end all villains, Gantu, and his trusted sidekick, Experiment 627. The series also follows Nani as she continues to work to support Lilo, Pleakley and Jumba as they get used to life on the planet known as Earth, and Lilo as she tries over and over again to become Myrte’s friend.
The first season of the show is pretty perfect in my eyes. Each episode got a laugh out of me, a 27-year-old woman. It’s really sweet to see Lilo and Stitch hunt down the pods, grow their friendship, and have fun along the way. Once again, Pleakley and Jumba steal the show for me a lot of the time with their alien antics and Earth musings. The only character I think gets the short end of the stick is Nani. Nani is oftentimes reduced to simply being the nagging older sister or is shown having to run off to work for the episode. I definitely think there are some lost opportunities when it comes to Nani – to me, she feels more fleshed out in all of the films than in the show.
The second season is where things start to go a little off the rails, plot-wise. The show has four crossover episodes with other Disney shows of the era, which caught me off guard. The shows included – American Dragon: Jake Long, The Proud Family, Kim Possible, and Recess. I was only familiar with The Proud Family and Kim Possible, but even those episodes weren’t my favorite. The plotlines didn’t feel very creative and mostly included separating Lilo and Stitch for the episode as they interacted with the crossover characters. Personally, this wasn’t why I was watching the show. I was watching the show to see Lilo and Stitch be a team, not have to defeat a villain from a show that I vaguely remember.
That being said, I did enjoy the second season. There’s a great episode that spotlights David, Lilo gets an actual, real, human friend, and Lilo graduates from hula school. We got to see the beautiful Ohana that is the Lilo & Stitch crew, and I loved it.
This is a great show to watch on Disney+. Especially if, like me, you didn’t have the chance to watch the show when it was first airing, it’s a great way to heal a little bit of the inner child within you. 4/5 ⭐️
The Lilo & Stitch universe, to me, feels like a warm hug. It’s funny, sweet, and safe. We get to watch Lilo and Stitch grow up throughout each film and episode of the series. We get to watch Jumba and Pleakley go from reluctant allies to true friends (or more? That’s another blog post). We see Nani continue to grow into her caretaking role and move up in her career. We even get to witness Myrtle grow a *tiny* bit.
If you end up going to see the live-action Lilo & Stitch this summer, make sure to remember the true meaning of Ohana – “Ohana means family, and family means that no one gets left behind or forgotten.”
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