Lilo and Stitch tackles a great deal of thought provoking themes while also being a cute and endearing movie for all. The movie would be the directorial debut for Disney animators Chris Sanders and Dean Deblois who would later go on to Dreamworks to create “How to Train your Dragon'' and “The Croods''. The movie came out during a period where Disney was struggling to adapt to the modern changes coming from the rise of CGI films, but it came out as a success and has gained a large cult of fans ever since.
Alien scientist Jumba Jookiba is arrested by galactic control for illegal genetic experimentation of a new species he names experiment 626. Experiment 626 is sentenced to exile, but he manages to escape the security and hijack a ship that heads straight for earth. Meanwhile somewhere in Hawaii, a little girl named Lilo and her teenage sister Nani struggle to adapt to their new circumstances after their parents tragically pass away. It also doesn’t help that Nani tries to fill the role as a parent to try to take care of her sister Lilo who is already a handful. Looking for a change they decide to adopt a dog but instead come across experiment 626 who is later named Stitch. Stitch must now pose as a dog to avoid Jumba and pleakley from capturing him while all the while learning about what it means to be in a family.
Most of the setting takes place in modern day Hawaii and it incorporates many of the unique cultural aspects regarding the setting. I also like how it’s set in a Modern day. It’s actually sort of refreshing to see Disney try and step out of their usual Fairytale comfort zone in favor of something a little more modern times, but still be timeless enough in it’s storytelling. The thing everyone seems to praise over and over again is how great the story between the two sisters works. It’s actually handled almost realistically and they do a great job in showing the pain of the tragic situation they both have to face while at the same time dealing with Stitch who seems to make their problems worse. The movie also features two alien sidekicks and their bits aren’t nearly as good as the stuff with Lilo and Nani but the stuff with the family is so dang good that the aliens can be forgiven for existing for their attempted comedy and to be fair they aren’t the most annoying sidekicks Disney has churned out.
Most of the characters are enjoyable as well as they are given a good amount of personality. Lilo is young and very sweet but she’s also very troubled and it’s great how well they handled her immaturity without being too annoying with it. Nani is very simpatic and you really do feel her love for her sister and the stress she goes through to become a parent. Stitch is adorable and an overall riyat in his over the top destructive nature. Not to mention that he can be really funny thanks to Chris Sanders' well timed voice work. I also like how the social worker Cobra Bubble keeps his strong face when dealing with Nani’s problems while also showing sympathy for the tragic situation. Even the side aliens can get a laugh every now and then even if they do distract from the main conflict on occasion. There really is no bad guy which is great seeing that Disney usually features a true villain in most of their movies.
The Animation is colorful and pretty to look at. This movie came out when 2D animation was starting to go extinct in the Disney studios and this film proves that Disney can still provide stunning animation that can provide a unique and colorful experience. The backgrounds are painted with watercolor to get more of a tropical soft feeling which helps bring out the beauty of Hawaii’s atmosphere. The characters designs on the aliens are very creative and the human designs do have more of a chubby look with their round noses (Probably a design choice that relates to Chris Sanders style of character design). It was also really cool to see some common modern day objects such as cars and everyday appliances to be in an animated Disney film.
The Music embraces the feeling of being in Hawaii while also incorporating some songs by Elvis Presley. The film also features original songs by Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu and composer Alan Silvestri. Songs like “Hawaiian Coaster Ride” are very joyful and a great way of capturing the feeling of being in the Hawaiian Islands. The Elvis are also very clever at giving the movie an identity and they use it as a means of knowing Lilo’s character.
It has been a while since the Disney Renaissance when they made another true classic. A lot of the other Disney films around the time weren't turning up as good as people wanted them to be but this movie proved to be the rare exception. With a heartfelt oddball story, Fun Characters, Beautiful animation and some very lovely music, this is a movie that should never be left behind or forgotten.
(Final Grade: A)