Watching Lilo & Stitch made me miss the animated Disney films of the early 90s. The real classics. It’s not to say that Lilo wasn’t a good movie, because surprisingly enough, it actually was—but it had nothing on the greats: The Lion King or Aladdin, even The Little Mermaid. Those movies made you want to go on a safari or rub every gold lamp you find or comb your hair with a fork. Well, maybe not the last thing. The way Ariel does it underwater makes it seem to flow through her red locks without effort, but I’m sure in real life it wouldn’t detangle one’s hair so easily.
Lilo & Stitch was good; it just wasn’t as good. The film tells the story of Lilo (voice by Daveigh Chase), a young girl who longs for friends and lives with her older sister who is trying to make ends meet and avoid pressure from social services that question her parenting abilities. Meanwhile, on a faraway planet a defect alien escapes and hijacks a spacecraft and heads for the sunny Hawaiian Islands.
The alien winds up at an animal shelter at the same time Lilo goes to adopt a dog; she chooses the blue creature thinking he was a mixed breed and calls her new “puppy,” Stitch. The pair set off on an adventure together as Stitch learns to stop terrorizing people and making messes, while Lilo and her sister fend off the Men in Black-esque man from social services and the aliens from Stitch’s planet trying to capture him to bring him home.
In the way of the Disney formula, the story rises and rises and then falls in the last few minutes, wrapping neatly in a way that warms your heart. Simba becomes king of Pride Rock, Aladdin defeats the powerful Jafar, and Ariel retrieves her voice from Ursula the purple octopus. It’s amazing how a mixture between good artists and Hollywood dialogue can create such touching moments between animated characters. In one scene Lilo attempts to show a few girls from school her homemade doll, they laugh at it and scamper off. She chases after them, ditching her favorite doll as a sign of surrender—only to retreat back realizing the girls wouldn’t befriend her with or without the patchwork toy, and picks it up giving it a big hug as if to say “I’m sorry I left you.” This is the magic of Disney. It appeals to children because of the silly stories and cartoon characters, but the adult viewers feel the emotions, too.
One thing unfortunately missing from Lilo & Stitch was the music. It doesn’t have to be a musical in the traditional sense with singing characters to have this quality, but the score was generally pretty boring and didn’t create the usual Disney emotion from cartoon characters like it usually does. I wanted a big “Circle of Life” moment, but was let down finding Lilo’s soundtrack unfortunately ineffectual.
It’s sad to say that Disney’s classical period has lifted, leaving us with watered down versions of its heyday. The animated features noticeably went downhill with time. After the three aforementioned films between 1989 and 1994, we skip ahead to Mulan in 1998. Again, a good movie just not as good as the earlier classics. And then we continue downhill to Lilo & Stitch. At least it was better than The Emperor’s New Groove, which came out two years prior to the 2002 Lilo—that was just awful.
Hill or no hill, the beauty of the Disney movie is that it takes no brainpower to watch it; you simply need enjoy the manufactured (as opposed to organic and natural feeling) characters and follow along as they encounter an ordeal that wraps in a feel-good ending, usually in less than 90 minutes. Lilo & Stitch is no exception. It fits the pattern and is a perfectly watchable film—I just wish Disney would put out another high-quality animated feature like the good old days.
DVD Bonus Features
The re-release of the 2002 DVD is called the “2-Disc Big Wave Edition.” It certainly has a number of extra features that are fun for kids and adults alike, but it probably doesn’t warrant a re-purchase if you already own an earlier copy. The first disc of the two-disc set contains all of the extras for the children, featuring games to play and sing-a-longs with the characters. The features are fun, but absolutely kids-only. The second disc however, features a two-hour documentary with the creators of the film including everything from art design and voice creation to story and direction. The documentary is packed with information and if animation and behind-the-scenes at Disney is your bag, the second disc is where you should start (and finish).
"Lilo & Stitch: Big Wave Edition" is on sale March 24, 2009 and is rated PG. Children & Family. Written and directed by Chris Sanders. Starring Chris Sanders, Daveigh Chase, Tia Carrere.
