Our titular characters are two for the ages. Lilo is only six years old, but she certainly has been through a lot in her short lifetime. By the time her characterization even hits full throttle, we are aware that her innocence is gone due to the loss of her parents. Additionally, we see that life with her sister, Nani, is not all that glorious, but in the midst of this dreary picture, Lilo finds hope when Stitch arrives on the scene. As we follow Lilo's journey from brokenness to triumph, we witness one of Disney's most complete and emotionally satisfying character arcs to date. Experiment 626 is a wonder to behold. Stitch is the star of this film from beginning to end. I don't know how Disney did it, but they made this destructive alien with an impenetrable facade one of its most unique and iconic characters. Matching Lilo's arc, Stitch's story begins with his sole focus of destroying everything he comes in contact with. By the film's end, Stitch has discovered that there is more to life than just doing what you are expected to do. It's about family, belonging, and uncovering your true purpose. Therein lies the magic behind Lilo & Stitch. Not only are our two main characters thoroughly entertaining (the scene in which Lilo shows Nani that Stitch can act as a record player is an all-time favorite of mine), but due to our emotional investment into these characters, the payoff at the end is immense as pure Disney magic appears on screen.
Our supporting characters are given excellent chances to shine as well. Nani drives the family theme home more than any character in the ensemble, especially when the social worker, Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames for the win!), threatens to take Lilo away from her if their life does not improve. Nani is forced into this parental role for Lilo, and every step of the way, we feel for her and root for her wholeheartedly through the ups and the abundant downs. Our extraterrestrial characters are superb, oftentimes providing the comedic relief for the film. Jumba and Pleakley together are riots as they are tasked with returning Stitch to the Galactic Federation. Every scene they appear in is fantastic, especially when the endangered mosquitoes choose Pleakley are their host and, well, Pleakley discovers what mosquitoes really do to their hosts. Captain Gantu and the Grand Councilman are great counterparts to the rest of the ensemble as well, providing narrative, intimation, and a little tenderness in the end.
The animation in Lilo & Stitch is absolutely gorgeous as Disney returns to a tried-and-true method. Disney used watercolor-painted backgrounds for the first time since Dumbo in 1941, giving Lilo & Stitch an intentional, old-fashioned look. It contains only five shots that are entirely computer generated, and the result is one of Disney's most visually pleasant films ever. As much as I love computer animation and applaud its role in innovation for the industry, it is always a treat to see Disney remembering their roots. Furthermore, the music in this film is spectacular. Alan Silvestri has crafted a score that deftly blends his own unique style with the incredible culture of Hawaii. That is another aspect of Lilo & Stitch that I love. The way it pays respect to this amazing Polynesian culture is inspirational. From the animation to the music to the characters to the cast, this is a film made for Hawaii and its people.
Of the films produced by Disney in the 2000's, Lilo & Stitch is one of their best and my personal favorite. This film never ceases to put the biggest smile on my face every time I watch it, and I have watched it countless times. There is just something about its message of family that really clicks with me and always challenges me. "'Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten." That's a message worth shouting from the mountaintops.
Rating: 10/10
Historical Significance: The promotion for Lilo & Stitch is probably my personal favorite ad campaign in Disney history. In addition to the typical trailers and TV spots, a number of spoofs starring Stitch were used to promote the film. The theme was Stitch crashing some of the most iconic scenes from the Disney Renaissance. For The Little Mermaid, Stitch was shown riding a wave that eventually crashed into Ariel during the "Part of Your World" reprise. For Aladdin, Stitch steals Princess Jasmine away from Aladdin during the magic carpet ride. Stitch forces Beauty and the Beast to be a radically different film when he causes the chandelier to fall and ruin the ballroom dance between Belle and the Beast. Finally, Stitch takes Simba's place in The Lion King as Rafiki triumphantly presents Experiment 626 at Pride Rock. You can watch all of these great promotions here.
Behind the Scenes: The Emperor's New Groove and Atlantis: The Lost Empire eventually lost the studio quite a bit of money, so CEO Michael Eisner took a play out of Walt's gameplan to counter this problem. Eisner ordered the studio to make a smaller, much less expensive film, akin to the move Walt made after losing money with Pinocchio and Fantasia when they made Dumbo. Lilo & Stitch was the answer. According to Box Office Mojo, on a budget of approximately $80 million, the film grossed nearly $275 million at the worldwide box office, giving the studio one of its few critical and financial successes of the 2000's. Furthermore, the 2003 Academy Awards were extremely kind to Disney in the Best Animated Feature category. Of the five nominees that year, three of the slots were filled by Disney: Lilo & Stitch, Treasure Planet (tomorrow's film, as an aside), and Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away (financed/released by Disney). Spirited Away would go on to win the Oscar.
Favorite Character: Stitch is one of my absolute favorite characters in the Disney animated canon. A character who begins the story as a destruction-obsessed alien that ultimately evolves into an irresistible member of an amazing family is a character arc that nobody anticipated, but it truly works on every level. Chris Sanders, the voice of Stitch and co-director of the film, deserves a ton of credit for bringing Stitch to life and making him a character truly unlike any other. Oftentimes without any assistance from words, Stitch is an instant legend. Then, when he does begin speaking, whether in his native language or in English, he is either making us laugh hysterically or cry uncontrollably. Stitch is a character that, by all accounts, should be totally unrelatable, but leave it to Disney to make us genuinely care about a character that picks his nose with his tongue while possessing four arms as well.
Favorite Scene: The scene in which Nani and Lilo must finally face the fact that they cannot live together anymore is utterly heart-wrenching. Nani doesn't give some show-stopping speech and there are no desperate pleads from Lilo. Instead, they simply embrace one another, completely aware of their dire situation and willing to accept whatever comes next. Meanwhile, occurring simultaneously, Stitch is slowly coming to understand what it truly means to belong to a family and have a legitimate purpose in life beyond simply destroying things. As Stitch looks on to the scene transpiring with Nani and Lilo, a family of ducks interrupt his gaze, which of course is yet another emotional moment given Stitch's love for The Ugly Duckling. It is a simple moment, but it surely brings out the emotion in us all. When Stitch realizes that it would be best for Lilo if he left, he finds himself in the middle of nowhere, leading him to hopelessly proclaim, "I'm lost." Everything going on in this scene works together for one of Disney's most emotional sequences in its history, and it is a wonder to behold.Updated Ranking: Like I wrote with The Emperor's New Groove, Lilo & Stitch is one of my favorite Disney films, and this ranking will probably surprise some folks.
- Beauty and the Beast
- The Lion King
- Aladdin
- The Little Mermaid
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Peter Pan
- Cinderella
- The Jungle Book
- Sleeping Beauty
- Lilo & Stitch
- Hercules
- Mulan
- The Emperor's New Groove
- Tarzan
- Pinocchio
- Lady and the Tramp
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Alice in Wonderland
- Dumbo
- Bambi
- 101 Dalmatians
- Pocahontas
- The Great Mouse Detective
- Fantasia
- The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
- The AristoCats
- Fantasia 2000
- The Rescuers Down Under
- Fun and Fancy Free
- The Fox and the Hound
- Robin Hood
- Dinosaur
- Melody Time
- The Three Caballeros
- Saludos Amigos
- Oliver & Company
- The Rescuers
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire
- The Sword in the Stone
- Make Mine Music
- The Black Cauldron
One of Disney's more underrated films is on deck! Disney gives a classic tale a brand new look in Treasure Planet!
-Cody Fleenor
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