And we’re finally back to the blockbusters, to be precise, the big Summer box office blockbusters, that will dominate the multiplex for this weekend (of many to arrive). Of the titanic duo for the three-day holiday, this one’s a remake, though it actually may be considered a “franchise” or even a “tent pole”. In the wake of the huge success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, several other studios have wanted their own “unified, united film series”. In a few weeks, we’ll see DC Studios at Warner Bros. try once more with SUPERMAN, while Universal continues to “fiddle” with their “Dark Universe” returns of the classic movie monsters of the “golden age” (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc.). Well, that “home of Marvel”, Disney, has an ongoing universe comprised of “live-action” remakes of their iconic animated classics. They stumbled, to put it lightly, a couple of months ago with SNOW WHITE. That nixed a planned redo of TANGLED, but this new redo was already well “down the pipeline”. Maybe since this isn’t almost 90 years old like the March misfire, this “re-imagining” of a 23-year-old cartoon feature will work, since children continue to adore (I’m stunned by all the clothing “merch” over the last few years) the cartoon chaos of LILO & STITCH.
We return to deep, far, faraway outer space as the United Galactic Federation meets to pass judgement on “mad” scientist Jumba Jookiba (voice of Zach Galifianakis). The Councilwoman (VO: Hannnah Waddingham) announces that he’ll be imprisoned while his “creation”, the destructive, wild Project 626, will be banished to a barren, empty world. Well, the little critter breaks his bonds and hijacks a ship and is on his way to Earth. The Councilwoman is relieved since the planet appears to be comprised of water…until she sees that 626 has crashed on an island. She then sends “Earth expert” Agent Pleakley (VO: Billy Magnussen) off to retrieve it with the begrudging help of Jookiba, who hopes this will help to reduce his “sentence”. Meanwhile, on that Hawaiian island named Kaua’i, an orphaned six-year-old girl, Lilo (Maia Kealoha), struggles to make friends and stay out of trouble. Luckily she’s not completely alone, as she lives with her nineteen-year-old sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong), who is her legal guardian after the death of their parents. But she’s having a tough time holding down a job while keeping their home tidy for the inspection from a kindly but firm social worker, Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere). Luckily, Nani is helped by her neighbor Tutu (Amy Hill) and her smitten (with Nani) grandson David (Kalpo Dudoit). When 626 crash-lands, he disrupts a big wedding party, before being knocked out by a truck and taken to an animal shelter. That’s where he’s spotted by Lilo, who’s been begging for a puppy. 626 retracts the spikes on his back, along with his antennae and a pair of arms (he has four and two feet) in order to look more like a dog. It follows Lilo home, where she names it Stitch (VO: Chris Sanders). Oh, his pursuers are not far behind, as Jookiba and Pleakley assume human form and search for the escapee. Also on the hunt is CIA agent Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance), who suspects that an alien is on the loose. Can Stitch evade them while curbing his destructive instincts as Nani tries to convince Kekoa that she should retain custody of lil’ sis’ Lilo?
Heading up the cast, in the “co-title” role is the bubbly, effervescent screen newcomer (hey, she’s only nine now) Kealoha as Lilo. She’s got an infectious smile, bringing lots of good-natured energy to the role, getting us on her side when those “mean girls” zero in on her. She has a good rapport with the more-seasoned actress Augudong as her frazzled big sis Nani, who has a deft comic touch even in the manic slapstick sequences as she tries to keep the crazy chaos under control. Galifianakis tones down his weird, awkward comedy flick persona as the fussy and devious mad doc Jookiba. Most of the alien zaniness (aside from Stitch) is provided by Magnussen, who appears to be having a grand old time goofing on his leading man looks. Vance is somber and stoic as the determined fed who’s always a few steps behind his quarry. Carrere projects warmth and concern in a role that is usually villainess, but her social worker is truly trying to help things work out for the siblings. Hill is also a nurturing presence as the protector of those girls. while being a good “foil” for Dudoit as her clumsy, cute, and charming grandson who just can’t say the right things to his adored Nani.
So, this is a big leap from MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON for director Dean Fleischer Camp as he tackles a sprawling family fantasy adventure. For most of it 108-minute runtime, he keeps the story afloat with the plot pretty much “on track’ in a variation of the classic cartoon chases (think the Roadrunner and the Coyote, Tom and Jerry, etc.). And, as with many of these remakes, it’s not really all “live-action” as Stitch and all the aliens have now gone from smooth, fluid, hand-drawn (2-D) animation to state-of-the-art, every hair rendered CGI animation (we don’t see the live actors in the first six or seven minutes of the “space trial”). And these beloved cartoons have lost little of their appeal in the transition, though I’m not keen on Pleakley’s mucus-like skin texture. So the effects animation is slick, but it doesn’t mesh completely with the often clunky live slapstick, with many of the action set pieces ending with “wacky” frozen still shots. It proves distracting, much like the overuse of vocal “looping” or ADR, which results in many quick cutaways while characters are speaking. And a few shots where bits of dialogue are delivered by actors with their backs to the viewer. Perhaps this may have been implemented due to the stilted line direction of some film acting novices. For a time, I was flashing back to one of the many irritations of MADAME WEB (they set the bar very low for audio editing). The whole film seems to be running (or swimming) in circles, going into its second hour, with the obligatory set destruction and the overused “death fake-out” of so many family-friendly flicks. Sure, the island locations are gorgeous, and kids will still love the gross-out antics of Stitch, but those not swept away by a wave of nostalgia for that 2002 original may prefer to dust off that DVD (or VHS tape) for a more consistently entertaining comic romp with LILO & STITCH. Aloha!
2.5 Out of 4
LILO & STITCH is now playing in theatres everywhere
