One of the first truly original Disney animated films, ever!

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 2002)

I knew this film would be different from the instant the credits rolled, when they read "based on an idea from Chris Sanders". Wow...an original IDEA, not a knock-off of some old fairy tale.
This is a lovely film. It's beautiful to look at: The backgrounds are dazzling hand-painted watercolor backdrops, a technique that hasn't been seen from Disney since the 1960's. It gives the viewer a sense that this film was lovingly rendered by artists, rather than much of the impersonal computer-generated images we've seen of late.
The stark reality of Lilo's situation may disturb some extremely young viewers, as she tries to cope with the loss of her parents. The writers are to be commended for not trying to soften the very real problems her broken family faces. It is still very evident, however, that she and her sister love each other, and that they are frantically trying to make their situation work.
As in many recent animated successes, they've figured out that satire works, and the film is peppered with pop-culture references that some of the younger viewers might miss altogether. (There are also a few visual references to some other Disney animated films, which a keen-eyed viewer should be able to pick out.)
The music is wonderful: Some great Elvis classics, and a lovely new original musical score that transports you to the Hawaiian Isles.
Overall, I haven't enjoyed a film this much since "The Iron Giant", which was of a similar quality and story, but unfortunately did poorly in the box office. I devoutly hope that the same thing doesn't happen in this case, and that people will let the studio know with their pocketbooks that we wish to see more quality films like this!
I thought this film was definitely a 10 out of 10, this is one which will be in my permanent DVD collection!