Why Live-Action LILO & STITCH Is Missing This Iconic Character

Published: May 27, 2025

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 12: Maia Kealoha and Stitch attend the UK Photocall of Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" at The Corinthia Hotel on May 12, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Company Limited)

By Gavin Boyle

LILO & STITCH director Fleisher Camp explained why he had to remove the animated movie’s villain Gantu from the live-action adaptation.

“Gantu was one of those things that just didn’t work so well in live action,” Camp told Cinema Blend. “We explored it a bit, but ultimately we had to make the decision. And also I do stand by the decision ‘cause I feel like a lot of the things that in trying to ground these characters more and tell a story with more emotional depth, especially between the sisters, I feel like you have to free up real estate to allow that breathing room to do more things.”

Camp also explained how beyond Gantu, there were other elements of the original movie that did not translate to live action and required reworking for them to fit the new format.

“I think my approach to the film is to respect the fact that animation is a very different medium than live action…There’s a danger in just trying to port it in one-to-one,” Camp said. “I think you lose a lot of expressiveness and all these things that animation does better than live action. There are a lot of those.”

“There’s ways [animation] can also cheat that live action can’t, and live action can also do things better than animation,” he added. “Which is what we kind of tried to write a little bit more towards in recalibrating it for a live-action film.”

Despite all these changes, the movie as a whole remains faithful to the original, emphasizing qualities like family, friendship, love and redemption. A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:

The live action LILO & STITCH is lots of fun, with touching moments of rescue and redemption. Sometimes, however, the comical action is awkwardly shot. Eventually, Lilo’s love and devotion change Stitch’s heart, allowing him to feel love and want to be part of her family. Lilo won’t quit loving Stitch no matter how much trouble he causes. The live action LILO & STITCH has lots of comical action violence, however, and very brief light foul language. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children.

LILO & STITCH is in theaters now. The movie is expected to be a titan at the box office, and along with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING, could set the industry up for a killer summer.

While not exactly like the 2002 animated movie, LILO & STITCH could make for the perfect family movie event.