Lilo & Stitch

I have my reservations about live-action hybrid remakes of animated Disney classics. I just don’t see the point. The original invariably does a better job of charming newer generations of kids and adults (on smaller screens). The odd tech and VFX updates aside, there’s no real add-on; it’s like watching the capitalisation and credit of cultural interest into a bank account that refuses to invest in the current market. Remaking beats a re-release, sure, but it’s a mighty expensive way of telling the same story twice. The commercialism is grating, especially when the film in question is a cutesy childhood fable about the wonders of being young. But the most pressing question surrounding this remake/adaptation cycle is: Have we run out of imagination? Is there no will to create something new?

After the untimely death of her parents, little Lilo (Maia Kealoha), wanders around a Hawaiian island wreaking havoc. Unable to process loneliness and grief, she gets along with fishes and frogs, but makes the life of her elder sister Nani miserable. Looked upon as a misfit by girls her age, Lilo’s wishes of finding a true friend are answered when an equally troublesome alien Stitch, (voiced by Chris Sanders) bumps into her. It’s interesting when characters aren’t likeable per se and yet you weep for them. Both the lead characters (Lilo and Stitch) are destructive and don’t regret the bad behaviour one bit. It is people around them who must get used to it and find their way around these two. While the film revolves around the little girl and her alien pet, it is Lilo’s relationship with her sister Nani (Sydney Agudong) that lies at the heart of the story.