Though the movie was originally going to be released directly for streaming, Lilo & Stitch trailer brought in record-breaking amounts of views in a short period of time, proving the audience's interest in the Disney remake.
Lilo & Stitch's original animated movie, along with the TV show, is a beloved work within Disney's filmography. This put a lot of pressure on the live-action version to perform, as audiences have built up a strong relationship with these characters over decades. The Rotten Tomatoes score for Lilo & Stitch is likely settled into place after it just had its first weekend in theaters, and it tells a promising narrative for Disney.
Lilo & Stitch Live-Action Remake Debuts With 68% Rotten Tomatoes Score
And The Popcornmeter Is Even Higher
Lilo & Stitch currently has a 68% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes with 161 reviews so far. The score has gone down slightly since its 74% Rotten Tomatoes debut. This is lower than the original, which boasted an impressive Certified Fresh 86% score with 152 reviews. Both movies have reached a critical mass in of critical numbers, so they are unlikely to shift a lot in their position. While the live-action version of the film is 18 percentage points below the original, its reviews still skew generally positive. Given the beloved status of the original, the 68% approval is a win.
Disney's Lilo & Stitch Opening Weekend Explained: Every Box Office Record Broken & How It Beat Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Lilo & Stitch’s first weekend has already broken a number of incredible records, setting an incredible pace for 2025’s latest Disney remake.
Audiences are liking Lilo & Stitch even more than critics, which says a lot about how the movie is doing. At the time of writing, the movie boasts a 93% Popcornmeter with over 5,000 scores. This is actually higher than the 2002 animated film, which has amassed a 78% Popcornmeter over time with over 250,000 scores. While that score is subject to change, it seems that it has solidified around the 90s, and its positive reception is a good testament to its strengths.
What Are Critics Saying About The Lilo & Stitch Remake
People Like Maia Kealoha's Lilo
While this Tomatometer is fairly strong, it has still led to both praise and criticism. One of the movie's champions was ScreenRant's Mary Kassel, who gave the movie 7 out of 10 stars. She praised Kealoha's performance, writing: "it's the adorable Kealoha who steals the show as Lilo." This sentiment about the young star's acting debut has been shared by other critics, expressing that she really makes the film shine. The young Hawaiian actor was a complete unknown, but playing such a key character, it was vital that her performance shine.
Lilo & Stitch Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play
The new Lilo & Stitch brings fresh elements to the beloved story, but one way it doesn't deviate from the original is in the pop-centric soundtrack.
However, Lilo & Stitch is not without its flaws. Even Kassel's positive review noted that "the concentric plot lines are a little disted until the final moments of the story." The Washington Post's Jen Yamato echoed a similar duality, calling the movie a "watered-down" version of the original while still enjoying the lead performances. Others felt like the characters had lost the magic of the original, despite how charming Kealoha was in the lead role.
While the movie still introduces the story to a new audience, viewers are more likely to be critical of the comparison between the two, since the first movie is only 23 years old.
Most of the reviews were either positive or mixed, but some critics were not nearly as kind to the Lilo & Stitch adaptation. The UK Times critic Kevin Maher left a scathing review, calling Stitch a "charmless CGI parasite" and calling the overall film a "mind-numbing abomination." The Wall Street Journal was similarly critical, digging into Stitch by saying "his demented-toddler-on-three-espressos energy isn’t funny." This shows the more negative side of Lilo & Stitch's reviews, despite its overall positive reception.
Some Critics Have Called Lilo & Stitch One Of The Best Disney Live-Action Remakes
And The Rotten Tomatoes Score s This Claim
Despite some mixed responses to Lilo & Stich, some critics have called the movie the best of the Disney live-action remakes. ScreenRant's Kassel was one of such critics, plainly saying that the movie is "Disney's best live-action remake yet." This is pretty well-ed by the Rotten Tomatoes data, as the movie currently has the no. 6 best Tomatometer of all 14 of the Disney live-action remakes that have been made in the last decade.
Title |
RT Critics Score |
RT Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
The Jungle Book (2016) |
94% |
86% |
Cinderella (2015) |
84% |
78% |
Cruella (2021) |
75% |
97% |
Mulan (2020) |
71% |
46% |
Beauty and the Beast (2017) |
71% |
80% |
Lilo & Stitch |
68% |
93% |
The Little Mermaid (2023) |
67% |
93% |
Lady and the Tramp (2019) |
67% |
50% |
Peter Pan & Wendy (2023) |
65% |
11% |
Aladdin (2019) |
57% |
94% |
The Lion King (2019) |
51% |
88% |
Dumbo (2019) |
46% |
47% |
Disney's Snow White (2025) |
39% |
71% |
Pinocchio (2022) |
27% |
27% |
The Disney live-action remake with the highest Tomatometer is still The Jungle Book, followed by Cinderella. Interestingly, these were also the first two movies Disney remade in this decade's live-action slate. They also redo older animated works, whereas the animated version of Lilo & Stitch is still fresh in the minds of many audiences. While the movie still introduces the story to a new audience, viewers are more likely to be critical of the comparison between the two, since the first movie is only 23 years old.
This makes Lilo & Stitch's Tomatometer feat more impressive, as it still managed to be a well-rated film despite the proximity to its original. The movie has also already been exceeding expectations at the box office, opening to over $145.5 million despite its projections being closer to $120 million. Lilo & Stitch has now made over $341 million worldwide, further cementing its success.
Lilo & Stitch's Rotten Tomatoes Score Is A Good Sign For Disney Remake After Recent Hiccups
Their Previous Live-Action Film Didn't Go Well
This box office and Rotten Tomatoes score win comes at a critical moment for Disney. Lilo & Stitch is the second Disney live-action remake to come out this year. The first, Snow White, did not go well, and that movie was fraught with controversy from early on. Snow White's reviews slanted negative, as the film had a 39% Tomatometer overall. ScreenRant's Rachel Labonte had mixed feelings about the movie, giving it 5 out of 10 stars and critiquing its CGI dwarfs. Snow White also underperformed at the box office, making $205 million on an estimated $250 million budget.
As such, Lilo & Stitch will help turn around Disney's live-action adaptation reputation. This is critical for the studio, as they still have other live-action remakes coming down the pike. Next year, they have a live-action Moana planned, which will come out only 10 years after the original. They also have planned remakes of Bambi, The Aristocats, and Hercules, which are yet to have dates. The positive performance of Lilo & Stitch will help restore viewers' faith in Disney remakes after Snow White and other mishaps, marking a positive sign for the future.
Lilo & Stitch
- Release Date
- May 21, 2025
- Runtime
- 108 Minutes
- Director
- Dean Fleischer Camp
- Writers
- Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes, Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois
- Producers
- Tom C. Peitzman, Dan Lin, Ryan Halprin
Cast
Maia KealohaLilo
Chris SandersStitch (voice)
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