Lilo & Stitch director explains why Stitch is less violent in live-action version

While the film is broadly true to the original, there are naturally one or two things that have been altered for the transition from animation to live action.

One of those things is how the CGI version of Stitch is perhaps a little less destructive than his hand-drawn counterpart – and speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, the film's director Dean Fleischer Camp explained why this was the case.

“Things such as Stitch's level of destruction and violence... like, violent is too strong a word, but violence in general, can play very funny in animation," he explained.

"You can imagine a very funny car wreck on a highway, but I would challenge any live-action director to do that with real cars and real people, because you're just worried.

"And so, you know, we spent a lot of time trying to figure out how do we preserve the essential Stitchiness of Stitch and the destruction and the fun of the movie, while also navigating around those pitfalls?"

He added: "I think the opportunity that it affords is to really invest in the relationships and emotions. And I think with a live-action movie, it affords you that opportunity, we could really deep dive on, like, the Pelekai sisters and Lilo's emotional dynamic with Stitch and all those things."

Further exploring the emotional dynamic between the two sisters was also something that was very important to Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, who plays Lilo's sister Nani in the movie.

"I think I really wanted to bring in more of that familial bond," she explained.

"And I think that pressure and that sense of responsibility, or kuleana [a Hawaiian word meaning responsibility and privilege] that the caretaker Nani has as an 18-year-old girl trying to take care of her sister... I think that that was really cool to explore."

Read more:

• Lilo & Stitch review: A lavish Disney production with oodles of oddball charm
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Another change that the new film makes is that it brings in a couple of new characters – and this was something which producer Jonathan Eirich believed added some new levels to the story as well.

"One of our favourites is Tūtū [played by Amy Hill]," he said. "Some of that actually came from our screenwriter, Chris Bright, who is Hawaiian, and he sort of had this thought that, you know, the way the community works in Hawaii, there would be support for two sisters like this who are all on their own.

"And really the issue then becomes more that Nani is a person who's not willing to accept help right away in this movie, which is a little bit different than the animated movie, but we loved that there is a support system in Tūtū and David sort of around."

Lilo & Stitch is now showing in UK cinemas.

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