With a Heart Filled with Mahalo (Thank You) for all involved...

Rating: Null/10 (22 June 2002)

Aloha ka~kou (Aloha to All of Us),
Yesterday, with great anticipation -- yes, with bated breaths -- we, my husband and I who were born in Hawai`i fifty years ago and raised there, went to see LILO AND STITCH at our local theatre, hoping for its unmitigated success and yet knowing it could be yet another dirty bomb unwittingly directed against the Hawaiian culture.
We were utterly impressed with LILO & STITCH's shining truth and loved and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the galactic high adventure and its down-to-Earth (literally) endearing story, brimming full of Aloha of the real, day-to-day variety, not the syrupy, touristy stuff. Having been raised with Disney movies, ourselves, we were delighted with its high caliber Disney feel and animation mastery, especially the stunningly gorgeous water-color visuals of our homeland.
Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois bolstered our faith in the next generation of moviemakers. I dare say that they are uniquely enlightened young people, wise beyond their years. Certainly, this movie is not yet another run-of-the-mill, Hawaiian-themed fantasy that my generation has come to expect out of Hollywood. We've seen, rolled our eyes upward, and laughed at the ludicrousness of too many hurriedly slapped together movies based on deluded, overly-dramatized or white-washed, idealized visions and versions of Hawaiian culture and its people.
Instead, it was clearly evident to us that the research that went into LILO AND STITCH was done with thoroughness, sincerity, concern and care.

The result? A movie with a huge sensitivity, concern and Aloha for our endangered Hawaiian and local culture, which, with a combination of "attitude" and sweetness, captures the authentic spirit and genuine warmth, and inner and outer beauty of Hawai`i, especially its unique Aloha Spirit and valuing of `ohana (family).
In its unique, far-reaching way, LILO and STITCH -- and Disney -- will help to perpetuate Hawaiian ways, beingness, and arts, as well as our one-of-a-kind local culture. I loved the snippets of pidgin, for most of us, our first language. Tia Carrere and Jason Scott Lee were perfect in their voice roles as Nani and Kawika (David). For a change, true locals playing local roles with every truthful and subtle nuance.

Loving Hawaiian music as I do, I am particularly grateful for the inclusion of authentic Hawaiian musicianry: the mesmerizing, lively chants by real-life Hawaiian chanter, Mark Keali`i Ho`omalu, were right-on. The casting of real-life kumu hula (hula master)Kunewa Mook as the voice of the hula teacher in the movie was exactly pono (right and proper); his input on depicting hulas as it is actually danced, and not the swishy hula gibberish of past Hollywood movies was greatly appreciated by us, his peers.
And singing by the Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus -- you must have indigenous blood to go to school there -- could not have been truer or more delightful. Ahh.... I am going out to buy the CD ASAP!
Of course, we grew up with Elvis' classic tunes, so we absolutely loved the resurrection of his songs as well as Wynonna's rendition of "Burning Love." A perfect balance to the Hawaiian music. Pono, which means not only right and proper, but balanced.
We spotted only one glaring mistake: the shakkah ("all is cool") sign as depicted in the movie at the end. They got the fingers right, but the way they did it, it's only half of the shakkah sign. As it was, it stopped as the Texas Longhorn symbol. Locals then swivel their wrist, 180 degrees, completing the local sign with the BACK of the hand toward the viewer. Oh well, as we say in Hawai`i: "Ain't no big t'ing, braddah" as the moviemakers can fix that faux pas for the video version.

A big MAHALO (THANK YOU) to all involved, viewers included, who make LILO & STITCH the sharing movie it is. Spread the Aloha.
Me ke Aloha, AU/AD of hawaiianlanguage.com