The new “Lilo & Stitch” takes a much more grounded approach to the plot, with some changes from the original movie. For example, the antagonistic alien brute Captain Gantu is left out.

Call it Stitch’s vindication. For 23 years, the rowdy blue agent of chaos lived as a second-class citizen at Disney. The animated “Lilo & Stitch,” released in 2002, was made in near secret ...