Meega na la queesta!

Rating: 7/10 (23 December 2002)

What do you say first about "Lilo and Stitch"? Do you stand slackjawed to learn the film cost $80 million to make when it looks considerably cheaper? Do you revel in its totally irreverent moments and clever touches? Or do you talk about the overall feel of the film?
Frankly, L+S is just so-so. It has some of the funniest moments in a Disney film ("My friends needs to be punished.") and some of the most disjointed. It does not feel as consistently whacky as "The Emperor's New Groove" or as saccharine as ANYTHING from Disney in the last two years. Some of the characters are priceless, though, and I like Stitch a great deal. To me, though, that's not nearly enough to make it a classic. Let's face it: the studio paid $80 million for THIS? On what?
Compare the storytelling and animation of this movie to "Spirit" that came out within a week of L+S's debut and got clobbered at the box office, and you might understand why I cannot give this movie super-high marks.