Following after Disney’s animated renaissance era for the 1990’s, the studio didn’t have as many consistent mainstream hits as before … certainly not during the early 2000’s. One big exception was their 2002 animated picture “Lilo & Stitch”, which was the studios 41st traditionally animated offering, and became the studio’s figurative Golden Goose in the early 2000’s. It launched a massive franchise, with three direct to video sequels, multiple animated series, several crossovers with other Disney properties, park attractions, and most recently a live-action remake. As such, the time seemed right to look back on the original animated classic and see how well it’s held up.
We open with the United Galactic Federation of aliens, who are none too happy with the illegal genetic Experimenting of one Dr. Jumba. His most recent project being an aggressive little beast dubbed Experiment 626.
Viewing the creature as an abomination, it’s imprisoned and treated with open hostility. The little guy proves clever enough to escape his captors, steals a shuttle, and after an exciting chase, crash lands on Kaua’I island of Hawaii. Soon after, he’s adopted by a little local girl named Lilo, who’s been going through hardships of her own. Following after a tragic car accident, she was left alone with no-one but her older sister Nani to watch over her. Unfortunately, Nani is constantly between jobs, struggling to make ends meet, and doesn’t always have the time to be there for her little sister. Thus, a new family pet, or best friend, is just what she needs to “patch up” an empty place in her life … and appropriately enough, she names her new pet Stitch.
Way back when this movie first hit theaters, I was just transitioning into fifth grade elementary school and was broadening my entertainment horizon. When I saw “Lilo & Stitch” on the big screen, I thought it was fine, but I remember writing it off as something I was just getting too old for.
I didn’t watch it again until my college years, and to my surprise, I found the film had more adult and mature content than I initially gave it credit for. It’s still very much a comedy for little kids, with a lot of silly gags and loud attitude on display, but there’s also a lot of quiet moments and identifiable drama. The pacing in this film is fantastic, as it knows just how long to be goofy and amusing for its target audience, before very gradually transitioning to more thoughtful material. I’d say it transitions its comedic material and its heartfelt content more smoothly than the majority of animated Disney films that aim to juggle different tones. The big emotional highlight being when older sister Nani comforts Lilo during what could be their last night together, and all she does is sing “Aloha Oe”. In less talented hands, this scene could have been very cheesy, but the way it’s naturally built-up and presented is perfect, delivering all the right feelings the sequence aimed for.
As for our two title characters Lilo and Stitch, they are still a wonderful pair and complement each other with their own distinct charms and personalities. It was also a smart choice to pair the alien pet with a little girl, as it gave the film a different voice than previous movies which utilized a similar formula of keeping a pet from space.
As seen in “The Iron Giant” and more obviously “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial”, boys tend to get along with cool creatures from space, and by making the main child of this film a girl, it adds more conflict to their connection, and by extent makes their bonding all the more special. The film’s co-director and producer Chris Sanders provided the voice of Stitch, and gives him mischievous energy, while also lending to a vulnerable and emotional side. Lilo is voiced by Daveigh Chase, who was an incredible young talent, and was ridding the high of a very successful year, also voicing Chihiro from “Spirited Away”, and everyone’s favorite decomposing girl from “The Ring”. As the voice of Lilo, she shines as bright as any child star. This is a kid with lots of personality and imagination but is out of flux grappling with the emotions of her late parents. As such, she’s wild, unpredictable, aggressive, but also innocent, loving and her connections with everyone around her are just as enduring.
While Stitch and all the other aliens provide an easy hook for little kids, a part of me can’t help but imagine what a version of this movie would be like if it was just the two sisters, their daily struggles, mishaps and bonding.
The older sister Nani in my view is an unsung Disney character and deserves a little more attention. Unlike most other Disney leads, Nani just feels like one of the more relatable, and her chemistry with her little sister Lilo is outstanding. They both have their heated and aggressive moments, but they always find themselves falling right back into each other’s loving arms. Of course, Nani is voiced by the always wonderful Tia Carrere, which is a plus, and a fitting choice as she was born in Hawaii, specifically Honolulu … which on a side note, just happens to be the same place my sister was born. Jason Scott Lee voices Nani’s surfer boyfriend David, who’s the one character I feel could have been removed, and wouldn’t change much … but with that said, Jason Scott Lee is always a welcome presence, even when it’s just his voice.
Aside from Tia Carrere as the voice of Nani, the other vocal talent who steals the show is David Ogden Stiers as Dr. Jumba, the mad alien scientist who created Stitch. Mr. Stiers was a regular vocal talent in a number of animated Disney productions, and while I wouldn’t call “Lilo & Stitch” the best movie he acted in, I’d say Jumba is my favorite character he ever voiced. Like his co-stars, his personality is tremendous, but he doesn’t feel like a one-note character either. Despite parading himself as an evil genius, he clearly has a soft side, and very naturally becomes a member of the family. His sidekick, Agent Pleakley is also voiced with charisma by Kevin McDonald, but I must admit, his personality and sense of hummer never really left an impression on me.
A surprisingly more memorable source of comedy is Agent Cobra Bubbles, a social worker in charge of Lilo’s welfare, and wonderfully voiced by Ving Rhames. While he’s an intimidating presence, he’s also brought to life with a humorous bedside manner, and has his share of quotable lines … “Thus far, you’ve been a drift, in the sheltered harbor of my patience”. Also, I like that he isn’t a villain, and frequently acknowledges how unfortunate Lilo and Nani’s situation is. On that note, this is one of the rare animated Disney films that doesn’t need the added excitement of a villain. Even the Shark-headed Captain Gantu isn’t an evil character (at least not in this first film), he’s just a cop trying to do his job, and by the end is pushed to his limit. He works as a means to keep the action going, without being a character with sinister ambitions. Gantu would naturally slip into the role of traditional villain in the following sequels and series, allowing voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson to channel his recognizable talent for voicing antagonistic characters.
The last character to highlight is actually the setting of Hawaii itself. Initially, when Chris Sanders came up with this concept, he planned on setting it in Kansas, but felt Hawaii was a more unique setting, with its own colorful look and laid-back atmosphere.
It was a great choice, and it certainly takes on a life all its own separate from other Disney settings. As I alluded to earlier in the review, my sister and I were raised in Hawaii, so it’s a very comforting setting for a family film. The Hawaii setting also inspired the animators to return to water-colored backgrounds, which hadn’t been utilized sense the early days of “Snow White” and “Dumbo”, but it looks wonderful here, and the characters blend into the environment seamlessly. Chris Sanders also contributed to the character designs, which emphasized rounder features ... (please don't miss-read that, I'm talking about their heads), and it again gives the film its own distinct look.
The music likewise is a welcomed departure from the Broadway-style musical numbers that dominated the previous Renaissance era. Alan Silvestri composed the score, and made sure the music complimented the setting.
This is punctuated beautifully in the opening “He Mele No Lilo” song number, which sounds wonderful, and helps the personality of the setting leap off the screen. The big showstopper is “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride”, which is a very chill song number, but irresistibly catchy, and continues to ring in my ears after it’s done. Of course, this film is also characterized by its use of Elvis Presley songs, which was another inspired choice for the film. My personal favorite song number being the closing montage set to "Burning Love", performed by Wynonna. It’s both a rousing sendoff, and a nice little slice of life extension of what happens to these characters after their initial adventure concluded. The only song that I feel is a touch dated is the A*Teens cover of “I can’t Help Falling in Love with You”.
Also worth noting, this film went through a number of changes both during and after production.
The biggest change is the films climactic chase, in which Captain Gantu unintentionally kidnaps Lilo, and takes to the sky, while our heroes purse. In the final version, it’s a chase between two spaceships, while the original animation featured our team stealing an airplane, flying through the city, and even crashing into buildings. Following so close after 9-11, this scene was appropriately altered ... but even without the backstory, the dueling spaceships always felt more appropriate to me than a spacecraft versus an airplane. On a side note, the chase itself is admittedly at odds with the film’s more relaxed tone, but certainly a fun sequence to close the picture on. Small changes to note are details like Lilo hiding in a washing machine, which has sense been altered to a table with a pizza box. Personally, with all the changes, I’m surprised the film still kept Lilo’s practice voodoo moment in the film. I know that was meant as a joke, but it’s the one piece of hummer that I never liked.
Lastly, the film had some of the best marketing of any animated Disney picture. I remember back when I was a kid, I was hooked by the film’s cleaver marketing, which featured Stitch intruding on various animated Disney classics.
I knew the film itself wasn’t going to have any direct crossover with other films, but it gave me the impression this would be a special film in its own right, and a welcome part of the ever-growing Disney family. Speaking of references to other Disney properties, the film’s producer Chris Sanders previously worked on “Mulan”, so there’s little background references to that film all throughout the picture. An even better call back are the "Ugly Duckling" illustrations in Lilo's book, which are based on Disney's Oscar winning animated short film. Also, as a fan of 1950’s Sci-Fi, I loved the little reference to 1958’s “Earth vs. the Spider”.
In the end, while I wouldn’t call “Lilo & Stitch” one of my absolute favorite animated Disney offerings, I do feel it’s only gotten better with age, and in many respects was ahead of its time.
It was rightfully nominated at the 75th Academy Awards for Best Animated Picture, but understandably lost to “Spirited Away” … I don’t think any other animated picture had a chance of topping that one. Still, “Lilo & Stitch” has the distinction of being one of the best animated Disney offerings of the early 2000’s and has earned the right to be called a classic. It’s upbeat nature, comforting music, and thoughtful themes of family … or “Oh Hannah” as they say in Hawaii … still resonate with audience’s years later and have won me over in my adult years. It may be simple, and not as fulfilling to me as other animated offerings, but it’s still good … yeah … still good.
Thanks for
reading my review of Disney’s 2002 animated classic “Lilo & Stitch” …
and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!
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