Lilo & Stitch

Summer of 2002 finally saw a new original story from Disney. Lilo & Stitch became their 42^nd canonical animated feature Starring Chris Sanders, Daveigh Chase, Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jason Scott Lee, and Zoe Cladwell, the film made almost $200 million. It also was nominated for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Spirited Away.

Sisters Nani (Carrere) and Lilo (Chase) have recently been orphaned because of a car accident, but neither completely understand each other and Lilo is often lost in her own world. Meanwhile, Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Steirs), a mad alien scientist, stands trial for having illegally created a new life form. His Experiment 626 escapes from the United Galactic Federation and finds himself on Earth.

Lilo thinks he’s a dog and adopts him, causing him to learn the meaning of family while Nani has to convince a social worker (Rhames) she can be a good guardian.

As weird as a concept this film is, it seems to really work. Disney finally created an understandable and relatable child character. She’s not annoying or whiny. She’s hyperactive, weird, and irrational, just like a little kid. And Nani isn’t a mean or spiteful, she’s trying to be the best guardian she can be. And the two realize that they’re really all they have. Then Stitch falls to Earth and sets in motion a chain reaction.

The backgrounds are all watercolor and are done really well, which helps immerse the viewer into the story, which is set in Hawaii. And that’s also interesting. The movie’s setting is in a state rarely touched on in films. There’s a few, but most films set in America go for the continental 48.

The parts with the aliens provide good comedic relief at times, but in other instances, they feel out of place. However, there is a throwaway line by Jumba midway through that’s surprisingly deep. When Stitch has nothing left to destroy, essentially voiding the necessity of existence, he wonders what it must feel like to not even have memories to visit in the middle of the night.

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