With the remake around the corner it's time to look back at the beloved animated original.
Lilo & Stitch is an animated sci-fi comedy that was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation with Buena Vista Pictures Distribution distributing. Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois both wrote and directed.
The story is, after escaping his exile sentence Experiment 626 lands on Earth and plans to hide there. He's soon adopted by orphan sisters Nani & Lilo and Lilo names him Stitch. At first Stitch just wants to use the sisters as a way to stay hidden, but he soon begins to bond with them. But what he doesn't know yet is there's two other aliens who've landed on Earth and they intend to recapture him.
- Negatives
I've got nothing.
- Mix
The only thing that needed more work were the villains. While they have entertaining moments and some characteristics, their character depth isn't nearly given as much development as characters like Nani, Lilo, and Stitch.
- Positives
One good thing about this is the pacing. Some areas did get slow but a majority of the runtime goes by smoothly.
Now to write about the great stuff. One being the humor. Some of the comedy does have slapstick and it was funny. But I found a lot of the dialogue to pretty hilarious. There's one line from Jumba where he says, "His destructive programming is taking effect. He will be irresistibly drawn to large cities, where he will back up sewers, reverse street signs, and steal everyone's left shoe". I don't know why but that last part got a big laugh out of me. 😆
My next praise goes to the music. I actually forgot how beautiful the music was. We get a beautiful mix of Elvis Presley songs and Alan Silvestri's score. It worked perfectly with both comedic and emotional beats. Along with the great writing, the music is perfectly impactful.
Then there's the animation. As a kid I liked the way it looked, and now as an adult I find it gorgeous. The Hawaiian backdrop is beautifully made and the vibrant water color visuals even more so. I just couldn't help but get immersed into this style.
The last thing I'll praise is the story. It's just so heartwarming. The cornerstone is Lilo and Stitch. Lilo is a lonely girl who's not only struggling with her parents death, but also feelings of grief and struggling trying to fit in. Then there's Stitch. His sole cause is to destroy and at the beginning he's having the time of his life doing just that. But once he's in Hawaii and that one thing he was created for is taking away, he now has to find a new purpose. When they first naturally things don't go so well, but as the movie goes on they bond. Lilo never once saw Stitch as a monster but as a potential friend and teaches him about family and loyalty through small tender moments. Stitch in return stops seeing Lilo as a way to avoid capture, and seeing her as family and being able to defy his programming. We also get a great story with Nani. While she's also saddened by the death of her parents, she knows she has to step up and take care of her sister Lilo. But she's under stress both from parenthood, financial strain, and social worker Cobra Bubbles keeping constant tabs on her, which in return gives her the fear that she might lose Lilo/the only family member she has left. It's very realistic and gut punch. Because of this the story is a greatly told tale of family, hope, and showing any outsider can find a home.
Guys, Lilo & Stitch is awesome. It's one of Disney's best of their more modern classics and I was very happy to get a chance to review it even if nobody is excited for the live-action remake.
My final rating is, Great.
So that's all for now. Come back on Saturday, May 24th, for my review of well, the live-action Lilo & Stitch remake. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.