FILM
LILO & STITCH
THIS MONTH’S LIVE-ACTION REMAKE OF AN ANIMATED CLASSIC
Clockwise from main: Furry fiend — Stitch is back; Double trouble: Jumba and Pleakley; Maia Kealoha as Lilo.
★★★
OUT NOW / CERT U / 108 MINS
DIRECTOR Dean Fleischer Camp
CAST Maia Kealoha, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Hannah Waddingham, Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis, Courtney B. Vance, Tia Carrere
PLOT An alien genetic experiment, designed as a superweapon, escapes to Earth and befriends a lonely Hawaiian girl called Lilo (Kealoha).
ONLY A FEW years ago, when considering new projects, the Pixar and Disney teams would ask, “Why does this story need to be told in animation?” The idea was that the art form should only be used to tell the stories that demanded to be animated. That question is perhaps less necessary in this VFX-assisted era. But it might be time to bring it back in reverse form: does this animation need to be live action? Some recent remakes can’t help but feel like a lesser effort, and that’s sadly the case with Lilo & Stitch.