Disney’s live-action remake of 'Lilo & Stitch' may be inferior and it may even be pointless — but it’s also not bad

Disney fans are outraged that one key character from the original “Lilo & Stitch” film was cut from this year’s live-action remake. Captain Gantu, the villain of the 2002 animated flick, was noticeably absent from the new version that hit theaters on Friday, May 23.

LILO & STITCH actress, 8-year-old Maia Kealoha, is sharing all of her favorite moments from the new live-action movie.

Chris Sanders, who directed and co-wrote the original animated Lilo & Stitch (2002) with Dean DeBlois, voices Stitch in the live-action film. He also wrote on How to Train Your Dragon (2010), The Croods (2013) and on The Wild Robot (2024), which he also directed.

“Lilo & Stitch” teamed with Tom Cruise for a monster Memorial Day box office weekend. Disney’s live action version of “Lilo & Stitch” earned a staggering $145.5 million in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday, the second biggest domestic opening of the year after “A Minecraft Movie.”

Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" remake is flawed but sweet, with great performances by Maia Kealoha, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, and Stitch himself.

Disney's live-action Lilo and Stitch remake and Tom Cruise's supposedly final Mission: Impossible outing have opened as two of the biggest films of the year in a record-breaking weekend at the box office. Lilo and Stitch, which revisits the 2002 animated family favourite, exceeded expectations with takings of $341m (£252m) around the world.