Summary

Disney's Lilo & Stitch live-action remake maintained charm, similar to the original.
Zach Galifianakis revealed strict improvisation rules during the strike impacted the film.
Despite lack of improvisation, Lilo & Stitch performed well at the box office, suggesting more adaptations may be made.

Disney's live-action remakes of popular animated classics have proven divisive from the moment the company started making them, as fans have questioned whether they're really necessary. The latest installment was Lilo & Stitch, which took the iconic 2002 animation and brought it to life in a live-action format.

For the most part, this version of Lilo & Stitch was precisely the same as the original, but it did bring a level of charm due to the performances that were put together. That is something that has been made all the more impressive by Zach Galifianakis' recent reveal about the movie.

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By Matthew Wilkinson

Disney was putting Lilo & Stitch together during the strike, and at that time, there were many unique rules in place to ensure movies could still be made. Many fans weren't aware of this, but Galifianakis revealed to Collider just how much it impacted them on set.

"We did this during the strike, one of the rules is that you're not really allowed to improv. So we had to stick pretty much, there was a little bit of we were tethered to those rules a little bit. I was like a day where I realized, 'Oh shoot, oh right, the union rules are like you cannot add to this.' It's interesting, show business has been working in covid and also this strike, it affects he product, it does. For good or bad. Sometimes when you're given limitations creatively, it forces this other thing and sometimes that's really wonderful."

Galifianakis took on the role of Dr. Jumba Jookiba, who is a character from the original movie who plays a key role in Stitch's personal journey. He is the mad scientist who creates Stitch and is ultimately tasked with retrieving him from Earth. However, in the live-action adaptation, there was a significant twist in that Jumba portrayed a human disguise for parts of the film, which allowed The Hangover star to appear as himself rather than just providing a voice for an alien. His character proved popular in the movie, with Galifianakis doing a good job of bringing Jookiba to life, which is no easy feat due to his larger-than-life personality.

Being unable to improvise will have impacted Galifianakis more than most of the cast, as that's where he thrives. He has spent his career being involved in some of the greatest comedy movies, showcasing his ability to improvise and add humor to his work. Between Two Ferns is the best example of that, where he sits down and interviews other celebrities, where he often makes things up on the spot whenever he thinks something is funny, and there's no doubt he'd have brought that to Lilo & Stitch had he been given the chance. However, the rules during the strike were strict, and Disney was fortunate to be shooting at all, which is likely why they made the best of a bad situation.

The lack of improvisation is something that didn't hurt the overall quality of Lilo & Stitch, with the movie receiving fairly positive feedback across the board from fans and critics alike. With a 93% rating on the Popcornmeter and a 71% rating on the Tomatometer, Lilo & Stitch has performed well on Rotten Tomatoes. However, more importantly for Disney, it has also performed brilliantly at the box office. Lilo & Stitch has grossed $911 million worldwide so far, and there is still time for that number to increase ever so slightly. It proves exactly why Disney opts to make these live-action adaptations, regardless of the public perception. The success of Lilo & Stitch will likely lead to more films being adapted, such as Tangled, but it remains to be seen if Disney will limit improvisation due to this performing so well.