Strange Concoction

Rating: 5/10 (21 June 2002)

I'll not fault Disney for trying something new, but this strange concoction of a movie left me ambivalent. My 9-year-old laughed in places and appreciated the overall message of inclusion, but even he had to admit that it was more than a little on the weird side. The broken family relationships that begin the story make this cartoon much too dark for small children. The theatre was of course filled with small tykes due to the Disney brand. They didn't seem to pick up on the pop culture references, nor did they laugh all that much at the antics. The behavioral problems Lilo and Stitch exhibit near the beginning of the film (biting, hitting, spitting, etc.) ought to make any parent think twice before taking an impressionable child or at least be prepared to talk it through. All in all, its not as anti-children as "Antz" or "Shrek", but its far from being the funfest that the media fanfare seems to be promising.