On the planet Turo, Jumba, who is a large extraterrestrial creature, is in trouble for creating a wild and dangerous alien, Experiment 626. He gets locked up while Experiment 626 is exiled to Earth.

However, 626 steals a cop cruiser and uses it to go to Hawaii. The Grand Counsilwoman will allow Jumba freedom again if he can capture 626. He sends another alien, Agent Pleakley, to supervise and work with Jumba.

The scene switches to the ocean, where a little girl named Lilo is feeding a fish a sandwich. She hangs out on the beach until she realizes that she has her luau performance. So, she rushes to it.

After she gets there, she sees that her older sister, Nani, didn’t show up. Frustrated, she pushes her dance schoolmate, Mertle, off the stage – leading her to dismissal from the program.

At home, Lilo lies on the floor. Nani arrives, but Lilo won’t let her in, because she’s mad about her missing the recital.

The social worker, Mrs. Kekoa, comes and is unsatisfied with the house’s condition. She does not consider it suitable for Lilo to live in. So, she requires Nani to complete certain tasks over the weekend.

Nani gets angry at Lilo for putting her in this situation. However, she later forgives Lilo.

Lilo is also desperate for a friend. When she sees a “shooting star,” she makes her wish.

But that “shooting star” is actually 626 flying in a ship. He lands, but gets taken to an animal shelter, because he is assumed to be a dog.

The next day, the neighbor, Tutu, takes Lilo to the animal shelter to pick out a friend. She sees a blue alien creature (Experiment 626) and decides to adopt him and name him Stitch.

Later Nani takes Lilo and Stitch to her job. She straps Stitch in to a high chair since he is unruly. Unfortunately, Stitch gets out of control and accidentally sets a table on fire. Nani then loses her job.

Shortly after, Nani’s boyfriend, David, offers her a surfing opportunity at the beach. The two, plus Lilo and Stitch, have fun. But Jumba and Pleakley, who are disguised as human men, try to capture Stitch. Lilo also nearly drowns and even has to go to the hospital.

After Lilo is out of the hospital, Mrs. Kekoa and CIA Agent Cobra Bubbles tell Nani that they can cover her health insurance if she surrenders her guardianship over Lilo. This means the two girls have one last night together.

Because I saw the original 2002 adaptation of Lilo & Stitch, I was able to predict major plot points. However, this version had a lot of changes – so many that it made the story less predictable.

That did not stop me from enjoying it, though. For example, there was a good amount of humor in the film. One moment that was funny was when Stitch crashed a wedding reception and startled everyone there. He even ate the cake.

Another change I admired was how Nani wanted to go to college and study marine biology. This shows her being more proactive and independent. Plus, she is college-aged (19).

One change made in this adaptation was how the setting was updated to around this year or a little earlier. There were people using smartphones and the wedding Stitch crashed into had the song, “Uptown Funk” playing. But that’s typical in movie making.

However, some parts are faithful to the original film, aside from the plot. For instance, songs by Elvis Presley play frequently. The characters also act the ways they did in the 2002 cartoon.

But some roles were changed. For instance, Cobra Bubbles is a minor character, and his role as a social worker was taken by Mrs. Kekoa.

Speaking of which, Mrs. Kekoa was played by the same actress who did the voice of Nani in the 2002 movie: Tia Carrere. It’s cool when actors from original film adaptations return in later versions.

Unlike many people, I ended up not minding that Pleakley did not disguise himself as a woman while undercover with Jumba. It worked out fine for me.

As with many good movies, the characters were memorable and had great relationships with each other. Lilo’s bond with Stitch was especially nice as well as with Nani and even David.

Overall, I enjoyed this version of Lilo & Stitch. Although I will admit that certain parts lagged a bit, the film kept me engaged for the most part. Plus, there were a lot of twists and turns.

I give the movie 4 out of 5 stars.