Wonderfully Imperfect

Rating: Null/10 (3 October 2002)

I went to see Lilo and Stitch yesterday. Let me tell you straight off, it was worth the admission fee. Every single cent.
I was amazed at just how different, refreshing and enchanting this film was. It is not only set in a location never used by Disney before but has a style of animation that is not only beautiful but interesting. There are no perfectly proportioned faces or bodies, even in the humans. I'm not going to say that the characters look realistic, but they are a lot more realistic than Snow White and Belle in their simple imperfection.

There are no Disney musical numbers, not typical ones, anyway, and this seemed right. It would have been disheartening to grow to understand, perhaps love these characters and then see them launch into a verse of "a whole new world".
From the beginning you could tell this was not going to be a normal Disney film. Apart from the straight-to-video release of "Buzz Lightyear", this was Disney tackling something they had never done in a film before. Extra Terrestrials.
These new characters and characterisations are astounding. Hilarious. Well crafted and well executed. Who wouldn't be scared of the Captain voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson (seriously, you should hear that man roar... it is terrifying). Who wouldn't find Stitch (Chris Sanders) offensive yet funny?

I thought the voice acting was brilliant and I am very impressed with Lilo's voice artist Daveigh Chase who has also done the voice of Chihiro in the American dub of "Spirited Away".
The animation is beautiful. I have never been to Hawaii, but now I have a determination to go. The backdrops, the characters, the way they move. It is all unique to this film.
The storyline is well developed, simple to understand and the themes surrounding it are obvious. Love. Friendship. Family. Community. No-one gets left behind. These are integral to the spell which Lilo and Stitch casts on you whilst watching. I didn't look at my watch once, and even if I'm enjoying a film, I usually do.
The film follows Lilo and her sister Nani as they try to keep their family together whilst contending with not only interstellar nuisances but social services authority, Mr Bubbles (Ving Rhames). I won't give any more away, because, let's face it. Everyone else has anyway.
I didn't think I would say this about a Disney feature again, what with half-thought-out sequels being released every which-way, but this film deserves 10/10. Go buy your ticket today!