Lilo & Stitch: Every Major Change The Remake Made To The Original

Lilo & Stitch is crushing the box office now that it’s in theaters, and everyone’s favorite little blue alien is proving to be popular with longtime fans once again while also bringing new fans into the franchise. As with any live-action remake, there are several changes from the original animated film, including tweaks and changes to the story, roles of certain characters, and the presence of certain other characters entirely. While some changes have been warmly received, others have struck a nerve with some who want nothing changed from the original. We’ve collected the big and small changes from the animated original into one place, and we’ll start things off with a brand new character.

1. Grandma Tutu

The live-action version introduces a new character to the franchise named Tutu, who is played by actress Amy Hill. Tutu is the grandmother of David Kawena, and they live next door to Nani and Lilo. Tutu is actually at the center of two key changes to the original story, as she is actually the one who is with Lilo when she brings Stitch home. She thinks a pet will help Lilo have a friend during an especially hard time, and though Nani isn’t exactly on board, she soon starts to roll with it.

Tutu is also important towards the end of the film, as she ends up having Lilo come live with her and David so that Nani can pursue her career in marine biology. Tutu is the one who works it all out with the social worker, and she is also the one who encourages Nani not to leave her dreams and hopes in the past.

2. Sandwich Day Abomination

One hilarious moment from the original that doesn’t make an appearance in the live-action film is Lilo’s dilemma regarding Pudge the fish. While Lilo is late to Hula class in the film, in the original movie, she explains why she’s late, and that has to do with Pudge the fish. Lilo tells Moses it’s Sandwich Day, but it’s not at all going according to plan. Lilo reveals that every Thursday, she brings Pudge the fish a peanut butter sandwich, but today they happened to be out of peanut butter.

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When Lilo asked her sister what she could use instead, she said a tuna sandwich. Lilo then says, “I can’t give Pudge tuna! Do you know what tuna is? It’s fish! If I’ gave Pudge tuna, I’d be an abomination! I’m late because I had to go to the store and get peanut butter because all we have is stinking Tuna!” When Moses asks why this is so important, Lilo says, “Pudge controls the weather.”

3. Voodoo Dolls

Lilo’s little plush buddy Scrump is accounted for in the movie, though the scene where she introduces him to her classmates isn’t included. That’s not the only scene with her classmates that didn’t make the jump, as one memorable scene from the original involving Lilo getting some payback on the classmates who were mean to her with voodoo dolls is also not included.

At one point in the original movie, Cobra Bubbles walks in on Lilo working on a project, and he notices that the project involves a book titled Practical Voodoo. Lilo is seen then sticking some spoons that have been made up to look like her “friends” into a bottle of liquid, and she looks at him and says, “My friends need to be punished.”

4. A New Social Worker (but An Original Actor)

While Cobra Bubbles is in the mix once more, he’s actually not the main social worker in the live-action version. Instead, that role goes to Mrs. Kekoa, who is played by actress Tia Carrere. Carrere also starred in the original movie as Nani, so now she’s on the flip side of Nani’s storyline with the live-action remake, though like Bubbles from the original, she wants to work with Nani to keep her and Lilo together.

5. Cobra Bubbles’ New Role

Cobra Bubbles plays an important role in both versions of Lilo & Stitch, though some things have been tweaked, mainly in regards to his timeline. In the original movie, Bubbles begins the movie as a social worker, though it’s revealed later that he is a former CIA agent and still has plenty of connections, which helps him cement a deal to keep Stitch on Earth and keep the alien presence a secret. Bubbles’ role at Roswell and past events also helps ease things with the Grand Councilwoman.

In the live-action version, Bubbles is currently with the CIA and specializes in extraterrestrial activity. He takes on the role of a social worker so he can get closer to the alien, though several of the same beats in his encounters with Lilo, Nani, and Stitch are still accounted for. This version (played by Courtney B. Vance) is more focused on bringing Stitch and the other aliens (like Pleakly) into custody than the actual social work, though he is the one who smoothes over things with the Grand Councilwoman towards the end of the film once more.

6. No Disguises

Speaking of disguises, Jumba and Pleakley forego the humorous external disguises from the original animated movie and opt for something a bit more advanced. They both have devices that allow them to take on the looks of humans directly, so throughout a bevy of sequences in the film, we see them as actors Zach Galifianakis (Jumba) and Billy Magnussen (Pleakley).

Lilo & Stitch director Dean Fleischer Camp revealed in an interview that he tried to get those memorable disguises from the original into the live-action remake, and he even revealed concept art of Pleakley’s disguise. Camp said, “I have had people message me [asking], ‘Why is Pleakley not wearing a dress? And I just want to say I tried. I tried.”

7. Portal Guns

While Pleakley and Jumba are running around trying to catch Stitch, they bring some new tech with them in the form of Portal guns, which were not featured in the original film. These can create portals in an instant, but they can also be used to create humorous scenarios for Stitch, and Jumba is at the center of several of these throughout the movie.

8. Villainous Jumba

While we are talking about Jumba, he is the biggest departure character-wise from the original. The beginning parts of the story are pretty much intact in regards to creating Stitch, but once they get to Earth, Jumba takes a clear turn from the original. This version is played by Zach Galifianakis, who is no stranger to lovably quirky characters, but that’s not the direction for Jumba, as this Jumba is solely intent on capturing Stitch and saving his own skin.

In the original film, this is partly true, but Jumba is more of a lovable villain, and by the end of the film, he’s joined forces with Stitch and the family against the true villain of the film. Jumba then goes on to live with the family alongside Pleakley, and their adventures continue into the animated series, which features an even more lovable version of the character. That’s not true here, though, as Jumba remains the main villain throughout the movie, even trying to remove Stitch’s capacity to love and turn him into Experiment 627, which is in itself a change from the original film as well.

9. Missing Captain Gantu

The other major factor in Jumba’s change of direction is that Captain Gantu is not in the film at all. Gantu is the Grand Councilwoman’s right hand and is the main villain in the original, though he’s not inherently evil. Gantu was known as the enforcer of the Galactic Federation, and he’s ruthlessly efficient in whatever task he is assigned, but ultimately, it is about getting the mission done. That said, he holds nothing back in the original film when trying to track Stitch down, and without his involvement, the primary antagonist role falls to Jumba.

10. The Final Action Sequence

Due to the nature of some of these previous changes, the big action sequence has some obvious changes. The ship chase that has Stitch’s family and friends chasing Gantu’s ship with Lilo captured doesn’t happen since Gantu isn’t in the film, so that changes to a battle on Jumba’s ship between Jumba, Stitch, and Lilo. This whole sequence is new due to these factors, so there’s no Stitch rocketing off a fuel tanker or Jumba flying the other ship with Nani either.

Instead, we get a sequence that has Stitch offering himself up to Jumba, but Lilo stows away and breaks Stitch out. Stitch and Lilo manage to get Jumba stuck in his ship’s shattered door before it crashes. This leads to a sequence where Nani is the one who embodies the family’s mantra of (Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind) by heading out into the water and carrying Stitch to the shore. This also ties into an additional moment involving a picture that is both incredibly heartwarming and hilarious.

11. The Ending

This time around, Lilo’s purchasing of Stitch from the pet shop isn’t a factor, but the biggest change is in regards to Nani and Lilo. In the original film, they rebuild the house and all live together, but that’s not how things end up in the live-action. That’s because the film also establishes more about Nani as an individual rather than just Lilo’s older sister and guardian, and it’s addressed that Nani has turned down going to college for her passion of marine biology because she wants to be there for Lilo.

As the movie continues, she struggles with the possibility that despite wanting to be the guardian Lilo needs, she might not truly be able to. She’s ultimately convinced by the social workers that this is what is best for Lilo, but then Jumba’s chasing of Stitch throws all of that into chaos. By the end of the film, it’s actually Tutu who applies to be Lilo’s guardian, so that way Lilo can just be right next door, but Tutu and Lilo also tell Nani that they want her to go to that school and do what she loves, and that their parents would have wanted that for her as well.

The best part is that, thanks to the leftover portal guns, Nani visits Lilo on a regular basis and tucks her in, so not only is she pursuing her own passions, but she is still deeply involved in Lilo’s life. It’s also established here that Bubbles regularly visits and perhaps even stays over some nights, as he goes to check on Lilo as they watch movies downstairs.

What did you think of Lilo & Stitch, and what were your favorite parts of the film? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things Disney and Lilo & Stitch with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!