“Lilo & Stitch,” a Walt Disney Studios release that hits theaters Friday, is rated PG for “action, peril and thematic elements.” Running time: 148 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

But none of this is new. Disney has worked hard to keep the Lilo and Stitch brand alive over the years, starting with three quickfire direct-to-DVD sequels between 2003 and 2006.

Lilo & Stitch is a cornerstone brand for Disney.Last year Lilo & Stitch consumer products made an estimated $2.5 billion-plus, according to sources, and was one of 11 evergreen franchises for The ...

There's no reason to believe that Nani, Lilo, Tūtū, David, Cobra, Pleakley, and Stitch won't be together after four years. And, thanks to Jumba's portal gun, Nani can visit Lilo whenever she wants.

In Lilo and Stitch's universe—err, Hawaii—perfection is nowhere in sight. Loveably awkward Lilo faces grief and anger while her young adult sister tries to balance her own life with her sister's needs ...

But it's also because Lilo and Stitch is merchandising gold. By the time Lilo and Stitch arrived in cinemas in 2002, the Disney Renaissance of the 90s was truly dead and gone. The movies around it in ...