Snow White Surpasses Lilo & Stitch as a Better Disney Live-Action Remake

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This article contains spoilers for Lilo & Stitch.

2025 marks the debut of two Disney live-action adaptations, each from distinctly different realms. One is the retelling of Walt Disney’s inaugural animated film, Snow White, which has been met with criticism across the internet and underperformed at the box office. Contrastingly, there’s Lilo & Stitch, a remake of a relatively newer Disney animation that is expected to be one of the year’s blockbusters, bolstered by Stitch’s fan following. Notably, both films were compared for their treatment of the original stories, with Lilo & Stitch being praised for its fidelity and Snow White criticized for its departure from the source material.

It’s surprising that even with some modifications, Snow White appears to be more faithful to the original film compared to Lilo & Stitch, which dramatically alters characters, plot, and famous moments. While the CGI in Stitch is superior to the seven dwarfs, this positive assessment doesn’t apply to Jumba and Pleakley, who retain an off-putting quality similar to the CGI in Snow White. In contrast, Snow White excels creatively where Lilo & Stitch unfortunately falters.

‘Lilo & Stitch’ Makes Huge Changes, Leaving us Asking ‘Why?’

Essentially, the 2018 version of Lilo & Stitch largely adheres to the fundamental structure of the 2002 film. It revolves around an alien experiment gone wrong being adopted by a young girl named Lilo on Hawaii’s island. Through this relationship, the creature learns to be good. Despite the similarities in the plot on a superficial level, this movie introduces some substantial alterations to the original story that would have sparked heated debates among fans for months if applied to Snow White.

In the revised version of ‘Lilo & Stitch’, the most noticeable alteration is the absence of Gantu, who served as the Galactic Federation’s captain and the main antagonist in the original film. Throughout ‘Lilo & Stitch: The Series’, he continued to pose a threat. To compensate for his absence, the movie introduces a new adversary in the third act that could challenge Lilo and Stitch. The film chooses to portray Jumba Jookiba, Stitch’s creator, as a more malevolent character. It remains uncertain whether Gantu was removed initially to make room for Jumba as the villain or if his removal came first. Regardless, this creative decision leads to an unsatisfying outcome, resulting in a negative portrayal of Jumba’s character.

In the animated movie “Lilo & Stitch”, Jumba initially comes across as an antagonist but is actually quite comical. The filmmakers cleverly teamed him up with Pleakley to create a hilarious buddy comedy duo, which made audiences grow fond of him. Later on, when Jumba catches Stitch, his experiment soon realizes he needs to help save Lilo, adding one of the funniest scenes in the original film. By the end of the story, Jumba is accepted into the new Ohana that includes Stitch, Lilo, and Nani, proving that despite his claims of being an “evil genius”, he’s actually a good guy at heart. It’s also worth mentioning that while some might argue about his brilliance, given his 626 unsuccessful genetic experiments.

In the remake, instead of portraying Jumba as a comic relief character, they chose to present him as the main antagonist. He captures Stitch with the intention of dismantling him to create Experiment 627, which is the only nod to the Lilo & Stitch mythology in this film. The computer screen on Jumba’s desk shows Experiment 624 (Angel) and Experiment 625/Reuben. By making Jumba a threat to Lilo, they’ve turned him into a villain that Lilo and Stitch need to overcome. Eventually, he is captured by the Grand Council Woman and imprisoned again, leaving Pleakley as the lone alien on Earth, looking after Lilo and Stitch. This new portrayal of Jumba seems like an unnecessary alteration and deviates from the original character’s essence. Unlike Snow White, Bashful doesn’t work for the Evil Queen in this version.

In the original film, some viewers might find Cobra Bubbles as somewhat antagonistic towards child protective services. However, it’s important to note that he’s only concerned about Lilo’s well-being. The live-action remake introduces a new character, Mrs. Kekoa, played by Tia Carrere, who voiced the original Nani. Unlike Cobra Bubbles, Mrs. Kekoa is less intimidating and actively helps both Lilo and Nani to ensure that Lilo stays with her family. This change offers a more positive portrayal of child protective services, an organization dedicated to ensuring children’s well-being.

Despite eliminating Gantu from the plot, the movie continues to feature Cobra Bubbles, a character who seems to be unnecessarily added to the storyline. While he disguises himself as a social worker alongside Mrs. Kekoa for closer access to Stitch, his role is essentially that of a CIA agent investigating extraterrestrial life. Unfortunately, the filmmakers fail to give Cobra Bubbles an engaging role or exploit the talents of the talented actor Courtney B. Vance, which feels like a missed opportunity.

‘Snow White’ Wasn’t Afraid To Make Necessary Changes

By as early as 2022, discussions surrounding the Snow White remake centered around concerns that it would spoil the original by making significant alterations. This all started with the film’s choice to revamp Snow White’s romantic interest, transforming the classic prince into an outlaw with a golden heart. This change not only seemed to make Snow White a stealth adaptation of Robin Hood but also proved effective on a narrative level. In this new take, Snow White motivates a selfish rogue to improve himself, demonstrating how her compassionate nature can influence others and make the true love’s kiss scene more convincing.

The remade version of the movie smartly incorporates a fresh ending where Snow White takes charge of her tale, without resorting to grand action scenes. Instead, it stays true to Snow White’s original character – a gentle, loving soul – by having her triumph through heartfelt change rather than physical conflict. These modifications preserve the essence of the classic film while acknowledging that this is an adaptation and needs to establish its own identity.

In light of the substantial alterations in beloved animated films like ‘Snow White’ and ‘Lilo & Stitch’, it’s intriguing to ponder why one adaptation seems to have sparked more debate. Previously, we’ve noted that discussions surrounding ‘Snow White’ were often tainted by racist undertones, which ignited the controversy even before a single frame was shown. This prejudiced discourse overshadowed all other aspects of the film, making it the primary focus of conversation, regardless of the film’s quality. In essence, any significant change was perceived as the movie becoming more socially aware or “woke.

In a different perspective, Lilo and Stitch didn’t come with a villain that unscrupulous vendors could exploit in advance like they did with Snow White. The characters of Gantu or Jumba weren’t made “woke,” but rather these were creative choices that viewers must ponder over instead of blaming a non-existent diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issue for their dislike. Fortunately, Maia Kealoha, the young actress who played Lilo, wasn’t subjected to the same bullying as Rachel Zegler during her remake. Both Kealoha and Zegler are instrumental in making their respective reboots as successful as they are.

While both Snow White and Lilo & Stitch had differing responses from critics and viewers, it’s reasonable to conclude that there are elements in Lilo & Stitch that resonate with audiences that Snow White may have lacked.

Why Did ‘Snow White’ Get Criticized More Than ‘Lilo & Stitch’ for These Changes?

I can confidently say that when it came to captivating audiences, Disney’s promotional strategy for “Lilo & Stitch” surpassed that of “Snow White.” Unlike Snow White, the dwarf characters in the latter film fell into the uncanny valley, a concept that hindered its appeal. On the other hand, “Lilo and Stitch” cleverly utilized the realistic-looking CGI character, Stitch, as the main draw in their initial trailers. By emphasizing Stitch, the filmmakers managed to steer clear of revealing Jumba, Pleakley, or even Gantu, ensuring that the spotlight remained on our title characters. Had Disney opted to feature Jumba prominently in the trailers or disclose some of the story alterations prematurely, it could have sparked criticism, but Stitch’s charm effectively neutralized any potential backlash.

Another possibility could be that Disney’s live-action remakes might be hiding a surprising truth: viewers enjoy watching familiar stories again and again.

Although many people express disdain for live-action remakes, these films typically rake in significant profits. The ones that perform exceptionally well at the box office usually resonate with audiences by preserving the essence of the original, often replicating key scenes meticulously. For instance, while some may argue that the The Lion King remake offered nothing fresh, it managed to win over viewers, earning over $1 billion globally. On the other hand, Disney remakes that deviate from the traditional aesthetic or introduce new tales, such as Christopher Robin, Peter Pan & Wendy, and Mulan, tend to be less popular among viewers.

Regardless of any alterations in the remake, “Lilo & Stitch” retains numerous memorable dialogues, tunes, and scenes similar to the original version, stirring up nostalgia for fans. On the flip side, “Snow White,” being adapted from an older movie that not everyone might recognize as vividly as “Lilo & Stitch,” doesn’t carry the same level of familiarity with audiences, making its recreations less impactful compared to a live-action rendition of Stitch.

It’s clear that both “Lilo & Stitch” and “Snow White” draw heavily from their source material. However, “Snow White” appears to enrich its tale by including additional elements, making the story more robust. In contrast, “Lilo & Stitch” eliminates numerous beloved aspects from the original, and the additions it makes don’t quite live up to what was taken away.

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2025-05-24 03:03