Lilo & Stitch

It feels like ages since Disney gifted us with numerous gems like 'Bambi', 'The Little Mermaid', 'The Lion King' etc (to name only a few) but things haven't been going too well for them in the last 20ish years. The other day I saw 'Tarzan and Jane' and I was mortified at how awful it was. Not just in term of its content, but even the animation looked very amateur. 'Lilo and Stitch' is a gem to have emerged from Disney after a long long time. Sadly, Disney has gone back to churning the usual crap and the success of trash like 'High School Musical' can assure us that we cannot expect anything great from Disney for a while longer.

'Lilo and Stitch' presents a very new style of animation with a new story. The characters, setting and music are all very refreshing. It's quite a nice touch of Disney to reintroduce Elvis to the younger generation. I loved most of the songs including Wynonna's version of 'Burning Love'. the only song i hated was A-Teens version of 'Fools Rush In'. Those bitches totally ruin that song. I didn't listen to the rest of the songs during the end credits but i hear that those too have been ruined by non-talents of the current-day. The setting in Hawaii is beautiful. I know it's only animation but it makes one want to go live there. The Hawaiian culture is very nicely portrayed.

The characters are very unique, real and lovable. We can recognize the little brat we once were in Lilo. She's a brat and gives her sister one hell of a time but also has a soft spot. She clearly loves her sister and is pretty much a lonely child. The sisters relationship was very real. Nani is pretty much the sole guardian struggling to make a living and raise her sister. This was also another point that 'Lilo and Stitch' lightly tackle, real life situations where an elder sister is trying to be a good parent to her little sis while she is also threatened by a social worker and tries to balance her worklife and life at home (which is clearly dysfunctional). At the same time we also see that she hardly has time for any romantic relationships. Stitch is one of the most unique characters of a Disney film. He is pretty much like an outsider who doesn't get along with anyone in the beginning, mostly through faults of his own but gradually forms a close bond with Lilo and Nani (kind of like me when I was a teen except that instead of Lilo and Nani I had a few good friends). The voice cast (that includes names like Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers Ving Rhames and even Chris Sanders who created the film) do a fine job giving life to their characters.

'Lilo & Stitch' is sheer entertainment. It tackles some relevant themes such as family value, the need to belong and unconditional love but it is well handled and doesn't do it in a way that will bore the kids. It's as much a movie for kids as it is for adults. It all started with Chris Sanders's (who also dubbed for Stitch) idea and he deserves full credit for it. Just think of the beautiful line often repeated in the film. 'Ohana means family, and family means NO ONE gets left behind'. Simple words yet such a powerful line. And it's coming from a Disney film. A real gem indeed.

There is a little Hawaiian girl named Lilo, she enjoys diving, surfing and folk dancing. And she desperately wants a friend, even not just a friend, she wants to have a soul mate. A flying saucer crashes near her house and a strange creature emerges. Actually it is a hostile alien whose the only aim is to destroy life on earth. Their paths cross. What happens when the little earth girl and the extra-terrestrial maniac meet? A funny, heart-warming story of friendship, love, family ties… To be frank I was not going to see this animated film considering it to be "little kids stuff". But when eventually I saw it I realized how wrong I was. Disney proves its reputation for making "family friendly" films because this is the film in which each family member, whether it be a child or a parent, can find something for him/herself to enjoy and think about. A couple of words about music. Since Lilo is a huge Elvis fan, the soundtrack contains a lot of his songs. It is a hard task to make songs written rather long ago fit in the modern film but the producers succeeded! Recommended to all!

The film, directed by Sanders who also provides the destructive alien Stitch's voice, is a very touching animated comedy which turns Steven Speilberg's original ET movie on its head. The plot revolves around little Lilo, a five-year-old Hawaiian orphan, voiced by Daveigh Chase who unknowingly rescues an alien experiment from the dog pound thinking that she has rescued a dog. Her sister and guardian, Nani (Tia Carrere) is none-too-pleased due to his destructive tendencies, but is soon distracted by young surfie David Kawena (Jason Scott Lee). Unbeknown to Lilo the creature she names Stitch is actually experiment number 626 and has been designed to destroy all that he comes into contact with. Because of this Stitch is banished to an asteroid for the rest of his life but escapes to a blue-green world known as earth. To help with this he has extra thick skin and has been given strength way beyond his means To make the story of family and friendship more alluring Stitch's creator, Dr. Jumba Jookiba voiced by David Ogden Stiers, and the one-eyed Agent Peakley (Kevin McDonald) have a different idea. They are despatched by the Galactic Federation of Planets to capture Stitch and bring him home without interfering with the native humans. As the story unfolds Stitch learns what it is to be part of a family, albeit a very dysfunctional one, and feels like he belongs for the first time in his short life. As well as being loosely based on ET, in basic concept only, there are tips of the hat to the Star Trek television series as well as the Star Wars movies. The most obvious is when Stitch, imitating Jedi Master Yoda in Attack of the Clones, catches a laser blast in his hands, forms it into a ball and tosses it back at his attacker. Unlike most Disney films Lilo and Stitch has little music, save for the occasional clip of Elvis Presley which helps punctuate Lilo's obsession with the singer. Like Stuart Little 2, Lilo and Stitch is packed full of family values and emphasises the importance of friendship. Hilariously touching.

This was a pretty entertaining "kids" animated film. It was a little different in that there is some dramatic action you usually don't see in nice animated cartoons and you have heroes who aren't exactly good role models. However, as the film progresses, all those characters (small child, big sister and alien) all become nicer and more caring "people." There also is a good "no one is left behind" family message. You just have to be patient with the human kid and sister in the beginning.

I think the best feature of this film are the brilliant colors. This is a great visual movie. It's also nice to hear a kids movie these days with absolutely no profanity in it. (What a sad statement to have to make.)

In summary: one of the better modern-day animated films. Highly recommended.

A very entertaining animated comedy for the whole family. A little Hawaiian orphan girl named Lilo(Daveigh Chase)adopts a precocious "pet" that is actually an extra-terrestrial experiment known as 626 and soon to be named Stitch. Lilo's guardian is her sister(Tia Carrere)who his having troubles with the child welfare case worker(Ving Rahmes). Stitch has his own troubles being an alien creature on the run. Lilo shares with Stitch her obsession of Elvis Presley and several of the King's classic tunes are scattered throughout to keep the pace rolling. A very different kind of Disney film well worth watching.