Average, could've been better

Rating: Null/10 (10 July 2002)

Lilo and Stitch was certainly a turnaround for Disney. Their films in the past ten years have done little to inspire, and have been more of a cameo hit for major actors and singers while forgetting the more critical points of plot and character.
This film I felt turned it around some, but, like a person waking from a long sleep, the efforts were groggy and uncertain in places. The introductory sequence was too heavy on exposition and slowed the flow of the start of the movie too much. They could've delivered the same information in one short scene, rather than drag it out.
Lilo and Nana shouldn't have been portrayed as a broken family. Their quarreling and consummate misbehavior prevented me (and likely the rest of the audience) from sympathizing and bonding with them. I think also Nana's regular outfit was inappropriate for young kids to see, showing too much midriff. It took too long into the movie for them to develop, and the same was true with Stitch.
Stitch is one of the most interesting characters to come along in ages, but he was vastly underused. Why did they wait through two-thirds of the movie before allowing him to speak? That barrier of silence again prevented sympathy and bonding, and it wasn't until his talk with Nana near the end before I felt I had a grasp of the character.
The Elvis sequences were cute, but I think in the end they kept Stitch from developing until late in the movie. He should've been given some time alone
in the spotlight to develop more quickly. In short, I think the concept of the movie was good but the timing and use of characters needed more planning and better timing. Overall, it was okay, but it's not one I'd likely go see again--the end credit sequence was great, though.