Lilo & Stitch

Rating:
Summary: Best. Disney. Movie. Ever? Maybe.....
Review: "Lilo & Stitch" never really caught my attention until seeing some hilarious trailers that involved Stitch ruining moments in past Disney movies: Ariel, the lil' redheaded mermaid, sings but Stitch comes riding in on a huge tidal wave heading towards Ariel; Belle and the Beast are having their dance but lil' Stitch is on top of a chandelier that comes crashing down nearly hitting the two characters; Jasmine and Aladdin are riding on a carpet singing away when Stitch arrives on a space ship, wooing Jasmine who then rides along with Stitch, leaving Aladdin in the dust; all the animals go to Pride Rock to see Simba's ceremony, only to be greeted with Stitch. "Hey, that's not Simba!" says Timon, then the animals run off in terror and disgust.

And each characters' response to Stitch: Get your own movie.

Indeed, lil' Stitch does get his own movie. I've always heard positive responses to this movie. Anyone I knew that seen this movie loved it. Newspaper articles praised it for its humor and use of Elvis music. Ebert loved the movie, but his buddy Roeper hated it. Oh well, Ebert's the man!

Sadly, I wouldn't be able to view the movie myself until it was to be released on DVD.

Prior to "Lilo & Stitch," Disney didn't have the movie that really grabs you (this excludes the Pixar ones). Let's face it, "Atlantis" was a complete disaster. "Fantasia 2000" just wasn't "Fantasia." "The Emperor's New Groove"... absolutely hilarious, I'll give 'em that. And also something lacking in Disney's trademark: musicals. Thinking of all this, I felt that "Lilo & Stitch" was going to be another disaster.

Once I finally bought it on DVD (I took a chance), little did I realize that I was gonna be completely amazed by the movie. The movie packs action, plenty of humor, and a charming storyline. Stitch (aka: Experiment 626) was created my a mad alien scientist to fulfill one duty: destroy everything. Both were captured and put on trial. Stitch was to be taken away, but he escapes and takes refuge on Earth in a lil' place we all know as Hawaii. There he becomes contained... in an animal shelter. A girl comes by to find a suitable pet. She finds Stitch, thinking he's a puppy. The girl's name is Lilo. And thus begins the duo's adventures, whether they'd be wacky or compassionate.

The movie also centers around Lilo's personal life and her relationship with her older sister. With their parents deceased, Lilo's older sister must care for the both of them. Lilo's sister, Nani, is also having a big problem with a social worker, named Cobra Bubbles (*snicker snicker*). Nani is trying to be a suitable mom for Lilo, but is faced with also losing Lilo. Pretty deep and touchy themes for a Disney movie.

Lilo tries to teach Stitch some manners as well. Stitch is very short-tempered, but he learns quickly. And to add more to the duo's wacky adventures, two aliens are tracking down Stitch: the alien that created Stitch, and a counterpart who is to keep things under control.

The movie's main theme is being a family and how a family can go through hard times. But in the end, the family always manages to pull through and stick together. The word "Owahana" describes the meaning of family (the meaning I forgot, but I will post when I remember).

"Lilo & Stitch" is not like the past Disney movies. Though the movie itself may seem silly, it packs a darker tone that hasn't been in a Disney movie since "The Lion King." An obnoxious little alien bent on destruction almost destroyed the most important value in everyone's lives: a family.

"Lilo & Stitch" then became one of my favorite Disney movies (if not, my favorite Disney movie ever). The animation rarely uses computer animation (finally... a cartoon that actually looks like a cartoon). And each time I watched the movie afterward, it always felt as if I'm watching it for the first time again. Rarely does a movie have such an impact on me.

A masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: A great Disney movie
Review: In my opinion, Lilo & Stitch is one of Disney's better recent releases. My three-year-old son absolutely loves it. So much so that we managed to wear out our first DVD and had to buy a second one. The story is fresh and funny and the characters are quite loveable, despite the fact that many of them are aliens! I think I've seen (or heard) this movie so many times that I have most of the dialogue memorized. That said, it still remains to be funny each time it's played so it has to be good, right? I would recommend this DVD for children of any age.

Rating:
Summary: A lovely tribute to the Islands!
Review: There have been some fine Disney animated features over the years, but this is the one that I watch over and over again. For my money, this stands head and shoulders above the rest of the animated movies I've seen (and I try to see them all).

ANIMATION - A+: In the opening scene of the hula dancers, observe the reflections of the dancers on the wood floor. Wow!

PRODUCTION VALUES - A+: The movie is visually stunning. The backgrounds look like watercolor paintings and are extremely colorful. The backgrounds completely capture the look, colors, and flavor of living in a small town in Hawaii.

CHARACTER DESIGN - A+: The directors took great pains to design the look of the characters. Unlike most Disney women characters, the older sister has some meat on her bones and looks athletic, not anemic. Hallelujah! A more realistic approach to portraying women.

Lilo reminds me so much of my Hawaiian nieces in the way she moves and speaks! And the feistiness of her! Some people have said she does not present a good role model for children! I would say that she is a much more realistic child than usually shown in movies. I LOVE her spunk and strong personality!

My heart was completely captured by Stitch! What a roly poly, cute character he is. Chris Sanders, the director, provided the temporary voice of Stitch, but did such a great job that they kept his voice in the final movie. I can't imagine Stitch sounding any other way.

MUSIC = A+: Wow! The choral music sung by Hawaiian children is wonderfully moving! And of course, the King (Elvis)! Very appropriate as he was extremely popular in Hawaii.

TARGET AUDIENCE = B: The movie is SO entertaining for adults that I rather wonder if it isn't more enjoyable for adults than kids. I know that my three-year old niece wouldn't watch it because she thought the beginning was too "scary." Whereas, I've watched it maybe 5 or 6 times and laughed each time at the Elvis jokes and some of the other jokes that I think might go over the heads of children.

And just between you and me (nobody else is reading this, right?), there are a few moments when Stitch reads the story of the Ugly Duckling, realizing that he too is separated from any family, and when he prepares to leave Lilo that always make me cry. How a little furry animated character can show dignity and nobility I don't know, but he does.

I find the movie a delight visually, musically, emotionally, and it makes me laugh!

DVD EXTRAS = A+: I thought the extras on the DVD were quite nice. A great documentary on how the animators "got" the hula by attending a hula school, and a nice piece on the main animators and on the children's choir that sang the Hawaiian-style choral music in the film. Also lots of information on the Hawaiian islands.



Rating:
Summary: Kids Want to Watch it Over and Over Again!
Review: My little cousin and her "kiddie club" has watched this movie over fifty times and still counting! I have been "invited" to watch the action on at least a dozen visits. This is one movie that I enjoy because Lilo is so sweet yet adventurous. Stitch is cute and humourous as well. Its such a cute, wholesome Disney production!

Rating:
Summary: Heh heh...
Review: In all honesty, I wasn't expecting much from this movie. When I saw the advertisements before it came to the theater I just thought Disney was reaching...overextending itself.

Happily, I was wrong.

This film kept me giggling from start to finish. The characters were funny and real throughout. Lilo was such an oddly charming child and Stitch...well...he was just weird enough to be interesting.