Summer Cinema: ‘Lilo and Stitch’
The vast majority of animated Disney movies all follow the same format. There is a hero or heroine who is hopelessly perfect in mannerism and looks. They fall in love with another perfect person and are thwarted by someone blinded by greed. Both the good and bad guys are aided by annoying sidekicks who are there purely for comic relief.
Maybe that’s why I got such a kick out of Disney’s newest animated offering “Lilo and Stitch.” It wasn’t afraid to break all the old molds and make a completely unique movie. It still wasn’t a film on the level with “The Lion King” or “Beauty and the Beast,” but it was a nice change from Disney’s blasé offerings of the past while.
The story opens in the galactic federation’s court system where Jumba Jookiba, a scientist, has created a genetically altered killing machine dubbed Experiment 626. The creature escapes, and is tracked to one of the Hawaiian Islands on Earth where he crashes.
The other main character is a girl named Lilo. She lives with her sister Nani (her parents were killed) and is constantly in trouble. Child Services are threatening to take her away, and she is miserable. The two sisters end up adopting the alien and name him Stitch, unaware of his true nature.
While the aliens try to apprehend Stitch, Lilo teaches him the meaning of family and finding out where you belong and Stitch helps her understand that destructive behavior is not the way to deal with grief.
This film was made on a small budget basically as an experiment. It was also the first Disney animated film since “Dumbo” to be done with watercolors. The experiment was an obvious success. Disney should venture away from their tired cliches more often, and the watercolors accentuated the raw beauty Hawaii has always had and brought it to life in breathtaking grandeur.
Kids will love Stitch because he is such a repulsive. He spits, drools and regurgitates food. His wanton destruction of everything around him is every little boy’s dream. Unfortunately, they will probably come away with some bad habits.
Like every Disney film, this one is made to be marketable. Each character looks as if it was designed with the sole purpose of providing a basis for toys. And although the film is a far cry better then some of its predecessors (and definitely different then them) it is still a shallow plot with flashy animation and only slightly humorous sight gags.
This is a step in the right direction, but Disney is fast losing its crown as the king of animated features. Movies like “Shrek” and “Jimmy Neutron” are proving other companies can compete, and the only reason Disney remains on top is their lucrative partnership with Pixar.
All in all though, this film is fun. The kids will enjoy it and the adults will either hate it or think it is cute. Either way it is a fun family night outing. Just make sure your kids don’t come away with any ideas or bad habits from Stitch.
Grade: B