out of this world

Rating: Null/10 (7 September 2003)

"Lilo & Stitch" is a cute and funny movie which has characters not that hard to like. Not like those traditional Disney animated features where a lot of the characters seemed to have come out of the same blueprint, this features unique characters with adorable personalities. It also shows the traditional Hawaiian way of life clearly as well as entertaining you without being boring or having to resort with musical numbers.
The plot? Well, you'd probably think "Yeah right. Yet another animated version of aliens going to earth..." But actually, it is not about another ala-"War of the Worlds." The story is about Lilo (voiced by Daveigh Chase), a lonely little Hawaiian girl who with her older sister Nani (Tia Carrere) have been struggling to stay together since their parents died; and Stitch (Chris Sanders), a pesky little monster from the planet Turo created by mad scientist Jumba Jookiba (David Ogden Stiers), and is programmed for destruction.
Stitch, originally called Experiment 626, is sentenced to exile in a distant asteroid, but when the monster escapes to earth, he is adopted as a pet and is named "Stitch" by Lilo. From then on, Lilo and Stitch share some hilarious adventures, evading welfare officer Cobra Bubbles and running away from galactic police agents. They soon learn about "ohana," the Hawaiian concept of family which means nobody gets left behind nor forgotten.
The animation is simply beautiful, capturing the beauty of Hawaii and the waters surrounding it with the computer animation seamlessly placed in with the hand-drawn segments, while a space pursuit prologue enthralls the audience with action and then consistently amazes with the Hawaiian atmosphere on earth. Plus the comedy is brilliant and not contrived.
The downside though is that this movie deals with broken families and how one can recover a new family and it does not present it in the usual Disney way. It has complex issues never seen made so realistically in a Disney movie as when Lilo first meets Stitch, he is a mean, heartless experiment because he has no family. Meanwhile, Lilo and her sister try hard to live together harmoniously and take care of each other as social worker Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames) constantly check on them.
Usually Disney shows issues too shallow as their target audiences are children who are merely looking to be entertained and don't care on what's going on with the world. And oftentimes, issues are shown metaphorically. But in this one it may be too intense and profound for the younger audiences who have had similar experiences. But at least it has none of the preachy syrupy stuff that ruined good old Disney films the past years.
The point is, if you're looking for an excitingly funny and refreshing animated movie, then you won't regret seeing "Lilo & Stitch."
Grade: A-