Another double date for the Hawman siblings, this time it was Kayleigh's choice for the movie.
A lifelong Stitch fan, it was clear early on she'd be right up for this movie and as her inlaws Jay and I could only oblige. So off we went to the cinema once we'd returned from Cornwall and bundled along the back row to enjoy this live action remake of a beloved movie.
There's a lot of it about, these live action remakes. In my view it hasnt actually done anything to improve the movies, it's literally just pushing the same story on us but using it as an opportunity to bring Disney into the modern universe as they've been so far behind for years. We all know that's why their movies are so diverse now, they're trying to market inclusivity to right their wrongs.
But as you know I love a bit of Disney, so I'll watch it like the hypocrite I am and try to ignore the tactics the big D is trying to use. I'll admit I was excited for this one as I too loved the original movie. They somehow made Stitch more adorable which I was hoping for, and they brought a sincere cheekiness to Lilo which made me smile. The only downside to this movie was that Pleakly and Jumba sounded wrong, (I could forgive Pleakly, but Jumba was way wrong) and Nani's body type had changed when in the animated one she was athletic but clearly a plus sized woman.
The movie had changed to include more of an emotional story. It fleshed out the relationship between the two sisters a bit more and touched on the loss of their parents. It was far more realistic as it was live action so it had to be, and we saw a silver lining sort of happy ending, not a true happy ending for the girls.
We pretty much follow the same story as the original. Experiment 626 escapes to Earth and poses as a dog to a lonely little girl navigating the loss of her parents while her older sister struggles to provide and keep custody of her sister.
Stitch causes chaos as that is what he was made to do, but while living with Lilo he learns how to be good and we see his character arc change. So when the aliens come to collect him he fights them and out of this a strange extended family is formed meaning that Lilo is no longer lonely and Nani is no longer struggling.
Despite the obvious changes which is expected when you are to convert an animation to live action, the film was very good. In fact I would go as far to say that this is the best live action remake Disney has produced so far. The original Lilo & Stitch is a fairly recent movie as it is (I'm aware its been like 20 years, but in terms of my lifetime that's recent compared to Cinderella or Snow White from the 30s), but one so beloved that it was a no brainer for Disney to claim the box office without pointless sequels of other animated classics (Toy Story I'm looking at you. Please stop).
I liked the main cast, their chemistry was brilliant and I liked the little tweaks to each character to make them stand out from their original forms. I'd say this movie was a success and I'm looking forward to the inevitable sequels that this one produces, just leave the animated TV series alone.
I have to put the question out there and answer it. Which version do I prefer, animated or live action?
Still the animated version by far. I grew up with that movie, it was the biggest new movie of my childhood next to Emperor's New Groove. These were my cosy movies growing up and the only Disney movies I'd entertain as I tried to shun the girly stereotype liking Disney brought. That's because there were aliens and it was seen as cool. There were no princesses and romance. These movies brought an actual story and character growth which is why us 20-somethings hold them so dearly. They shaped us.
While the live action version was very good, it still was only a remake and because of this I can only award it a 7/10. It tugged at my heart strings and I did shed a tear or two because I was emotionally attached to Stitch, but at the end of the day it wasn't anything I hadnt seen before. Kayleigh loved it as expected, Matt was indifferent, and Jamie enjoyed it but just like me preferred the original.
Would I watch it again? Absolutely, doomscrolling or babysitting, perhaps even just as a cosy afternoon movie as the sun sets. It's family friendly, non offensive, and familiar which is something we want to relax to. This was a good shout from Disney but I'm just dying for some originality from them. I have high hopes for Elio, I just hope this isn't another Strange World scenario where it seems really good but is a flop because there is no story, just wokeness. I want a movie which will make me cry and teach my kids values from emotional yet friendly plots. I want the old Disney back but with the correct representation. Dont try too hard, just let people be people and then add the story and we have a winner. Forcing it is the problem. Princess & The Frog was a winner, we want more like this.
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