Must See (and not for the animation)

Rating: Null/10 (25 December 2002)

I had the chance to watch Ice Age, Monsters, Inc. and Lilo & Stitch all within the space of about 3 days. My choice: Lilo and Stitch.
This might surprise some who are aware of the reputation of the other two, along with such monster hits as Toy Story and Shrek. I still think that Lilo and Stitch beats them all.
What hit me is the depth of characterization and story. Lilo is a truly interesting, unique, and complex character; Stitch is not far behind. In comparison, the characters in the other movies are cardboard cutouts. Somebody on L & S spent some time *writing* instead of thinking up in-jokes and amazing CGI. It shows. I identified very closely with both main characters, which really sold me on the entire idea.
L & S made me *think*, and *feel*, which any story, any movie really ought to do.
In comparison, the other animated movies are cute but not engaging. They're worth seeing once; L & S is worth seeing a lot of times.