Lilo & Stitch (2002) Disney/Sci-Fi-Comedy-Adventure RT: 85 minutes Rated PG (mild sci-fi action) Director: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois Screenplay: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois Music: Alan Silvestri Release date: June 21, 2002 (US) Cast: Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere, Jason Scott Lee, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames, Kevin Michael Richardson, Zoe Caldwell, Miranda Paige Walls, Kunewa Mook, Amy Hill, Susan Hegarty. Box Office: $145.8M (US)/$273.1M (World)
Rating: ***
With the live-action remake set to touch down in cinemas in a couple of weeks, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit the original animated Lilo & Stitch. I only saw it the one time back when it was released in summer ’02. I remember liking it, but not being very enthusiastic about it. In my never-humble opinion, I didn’t think it was one of Disney’s great ones. It didn’t strike the same chord with me as Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King. I thought it was good not great. As such, I never felt compelled to rewatch it. Until now, that is.
It probably goes without saying that I didn’t remember a lot about Lilo & Stitch as I sat down to watch it on Disney+ this past Sunday afternoon. I remembered the basic plot about a little Hawaiian girl adopting a crazy alien creature and that’s about it. So it was like seeing it for the first time again. My reaction was pretty much the same as it was 23 years ago. I liked it, didn’t love it. It has some funny moments and nice message about the importance of family. It’s sweet without being sappy. It has a bit of an edge to it with a spirit as anarchic as its title characters.
Lilo (Chase, The Ring), a 6YO orphan being cared for by older sister Nani (Carrere, Wayne’s World 1 & 2), has a penchant for causing trouble. She’s not a bad kid. She’s just misunderstood (by everybody) and lonely. Nani needs to find a way to get her kid sister under control before hulking social worker Cobra Bubbles (Rhames, Pulp Fiction) makes good on his threat to remove her from their home.
Overhearing Lilo wishing (on a star, of course) for a friend, Nani takes her to the local animal shelter to adopt a dog. Lilo selects Stitch (voiced by co-director Chris Sanders), an alien being who ends up in the shelter after crash-landing on Earth. He’s the creation of evil scientist Jumba (Stiers, M*A*S*H) who’s in deep you-know-what for conducting illegal genetic experiments. The leader of planet Turo sends “Experiment 626” (as he’s known) into exile to a remote asteroid, but he manages to escape captivity and hijack a spaceship. He lands on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i which is where he gets adopted by Lilo who names him Stitch.
Stitch is the living embodiment of chaos. It follows him wherever he goes. It’s not just his wild behavior. Jumba has come to Earth with Agent Pleakley (McDonald, The Kids in the Hall) to recapture Stitch and bring him back. They consistently fail to accomplish their mission so the Grand Councilwoman (stage actress Caldwell) sends her aggressive second-in-command Gantu (Richardson, Mortal Kombat) to complete the task. Their encounters with Stitch typically end in pandemonium. For her part, Lilo tries to teach her alien friend to be more civilized, emphasis on “tries”.
Surprisingly, Lilo & Stitch is NOT a musical. None of the characters break into song at any point. However, we do get a few Elvis Presley songs (yes, one of them is “Blue Hawaii’). Lilo is a fan of The King and at one point tries to teach Stitch to be an Elvis impersonator. It goes about how you’d expect. It’s a nice way to expose young children to music that’s actually good.
Directors Sanders and Dean DeBlois go old school with Lilo & Stitch by utilizing traditional 2D animation instead of going CA. Not only that, they use watercolor painted backgrounds like the animated Disney movies of old- e.g. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940) and Dumbo (1941). It results in a colorful and vibrant visual palette. It’s a reminder that animation is art. Look at what animators can accomplish without help from computers.
The voice talents do a good job bringing the characters to vocal life. Chase imbues Lilo with equal parts mischievousness and vulnerability, a lonely girl with a lot of spirit. She holds onto her belief in “Ohana” which means family which means “no one gets left behind”. It’s one of the lessons she tries to pass on to Stitch. Carrere is also good as the frequently frustrated but loving older sister. Rhames is awesome as the imposing social worker, a slightly kinder and far less profane version of his character from Pulp Fiction. Stiers and McDonald have good rapport as the mismatched pair sent to retrieve somebody they’re no match for.
Stitch is a cool creation. He’s a little blue guy with four arms in his natural form. He has antennae and a mouth full of sharp teeth. He’s wild but sweet. I like him. And I like Lilo & Stitch. It’s a fun animated movie that should delight the kiddies and some of the parents. It doesn’t reach the heights of The Lion King, but it has much more going for it than most of the hollow cinematic entertainment aimed at young audiences.
