Written by Sam Clark 

Certificate: U

Running time: 108 minutes 

Director: 

A trend within Hollywood that I really wish we didn't have is Disney's obsessions and incessant need to remake all of their animated classics, and in turn tarnish some of them for all they're worth. This all started ten years ago with Kenneth Branagh's ''Cinderella'', and since then, the realization that plenty of people will come back to watch live-action remakes caught like wildfire. This all sounds fairly promising (and maybe even exciting) and some were quite successful, but one thing was crucially missing and made apparent very quickly: very few of them were able to maintain the magic and wonder of their animated predecessors and they just ended up feeling artificial, empty and, worst of all, pointless.

They took away that one thing Disney has always been loved for: magic. They quickly became greedy crash crabs. And so now, anytime a new one comes along, that depressing cycle begins all over again. ''Lilo & Stitch'' does, again, feel pointless, but this is a welcome and surprising improvement over what we have had recently. Everyone behind the camera here appears to be making their debut feature, a pretty big undertaking for your first time. 

Photo credit: IMDb/ Disney

This live-action version is adapted from the 2002 and onward animated classic (boy do I feel old). Directed by Dean Fleishscher Camp with a script from Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes, the story here is one fans will already be familiar with. On the planet ''Turo'', ''Dr. Jumba Jookiba'' (Zach Galifianakis, most well known for portraying ''Alan'' in ''The Hangover'') is being convicted by the ''United Galactic Federation'' for illegal genetic experimentation with the creation of ''experiment 626'' (who we know as ''Stitch'').

''Stitch'' is a weapon that is far too dangerous to exist. He is sentenced to exile, escapes custody, and crash lands on Earth on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. It is here he meets ''Lilo Pelekai'' (played by Maia Kealoha - appearing on screen for the very first time). She is struggling with the loss of her parents and the challenges of being raised by her older sister ''Nani'' (Sidney Agudong). 

Photo credit: IMDb/ Disney

''Lilo'' comes across ''Stitch'' in a dog shelter (where he has been captured), thinks he is a dog and adopts him. She takes him home from the shelter, and chaos inevitably begins to unfold. The odd thing here is that despite not being the target audience or demographic for this anymore, I did grow up with the show, the film and the characters. I'm 22 now and what was funny and surprising to me is how popular ''Stitch'' still seems to be with kids today, judging by how many children were wearing ''Stitch'' merchandise and holding toys in the screening.

When ''Shrek 5'' drops next year, it will be the same situation but ten times bigger, cinemas will be full of 20 year old's reliving their childhood once more instead of kids, and the same goes for the live-action ''How to Train Your Dragon'' next month too. I was really pleasantly surprised with ''Lilo & Stitch'' and happily won over, which is not how I have been feeling with these remakes, this is one of the biggest surprises I will have this year. 

Photo credit: IMDb/ Disney

I went in having read the absolutely awful reviews (at least two one start reviews) which naturally set me on edge as I thought I would be nothing but bored and fed up. After initially starting off very poorly, I thought I was in real trouble as I could not get with it. But, I stayed somewhat patient and optimistic, and I was slowly but surely beginning to be defeated and worn down by the sheer cuteness and adorable nature of the film. So much so, in fact, that I genuinely came away thinking this is one of the best adaptations we've had in years, especially after ''Snow White'', which was nothing short of a car crash. So, you could say this film is the very definition of damning with faint praise. 

The quality is, as predicted, rather poor in general but my biggest gripe is actually nothing to do with that. Watching this, I did wonder whether or not it would have been best suited for a Disney Plus release instead, as it often has all the feelings of a straight to streaming family flick. But, naturally, you put something like this in cinemas, crowds of families will flood to see it (this is a Disney film with a cute, cuddly and fluffy alien we are talking about). 

Photo credit: IMDb/ Disney

Whenever I see a film that is playing this young and has a U certificate, I always remember to not worry too much about the actual quality, but pay attention to how the audience is responding, considering these are the youngest of cinemagoers. This always determines if a film like this works. There were very young ones in my screening and they all seemed to be going along with it perfectly fine and commenting on what's going on, no one seemed too distracted or disturbing. There is a fart gag which they all laughed at really loudly which demonstrates what we're dealing with here. For me, I actually thought it was quite powerfully sentimental in areas whereas the animation was not.

This time, we do explore more grown up themes to do with family and the worry about being separated. Very much to my own surprise, and I do mean that to the fullest extent, I welled up a couple of times and it proved to be more powerful than I thought it would, and I really took to it. I do want my very own ''Stitch'' now as well. 

Photo credit: IMDb/ Disney

There have been times in the past in which children have got bored, and have just ended up running round the screen and playing etc, so thankfully there was none of that here. Maia Keoloha is absolutely adorable as ''Lilo'' and she's a perfect fit here, made even more impressive by the fact this is her first acting role, talk about pressure. But, in the grand scheme of things, I am still not on board with these remakes, and I don't know how many people actually are as well. Money is and always will be the key deciding factor here, and the more they make, the more of the same we will get. By now, they clearly make enough and they clearly won't be stopping anytime soon for the reasons I have outlined.

They were never ones to sell out when I was growing up, but nowadays, that's all they seem to be doing. Take me back, please. Granted, this is the best one in a while, but its still far from perfect, and that does speak volumes. We have gone from great animation, to live-action adaptations where we hope they will be good/okay, oh how far we have fallen. Are Disney going to carry on sacrificing that magic just to make a quick buck? All signs point to yes which is just heartbreaking. 

In cinemas now