Wow! What a film! Some people apparently didn't "get it", but
I honestly think this is the best thing Disney's ever done since The
Fox and the Hound. I'm very opinionted, but it is my belief that movies
like this, The Fox and the Hound, and the classics of old are far
superior to the most of the movies Disney made after The Little Mermaid.
Judging by the response by most people who aren't critics, it's pretty safe
to say this movie will become a much loved classic. However, I still
think this is the most underrated animated movie ever, beating even The
Fox and the Hound. While I had my doubts after reading bad and modest
reviews and seeing the PG rating, after seeing the movie, I have never
felt so alive after an animated movie or any movie before.
This movie was picked on by some for many of the exact same reasons
that The Fox and the Hound was picked on in the past. While everybody is
entitled to their own opinion, I feel these are wrong reasons to pick on
a movie. Some critics said that the animation was cheap and of a
Saturday morning cartoon level. Don't listen to them. Most critics are so
addicted to computer generated animation, special effects, and obnoxiously
realistic animation that they don't see the beauty in carefully
realized, traditional and character animation created with heart in mind
rather than a "look at me" feel.
Some critics also dismissed the story of Lilo and Stitch, saying that
it was either too childish or too dark. This is completely untrue. The
story is a remarkable achievement. It is complex and bold, something
different yet still familiar enough to have a recognizable story. It
doesn't risk alienating viewers like Atlantis or The Emperor's New Groove.
In many ways, it is a more solid entry than those two and maybe even
than every single movie Disney's put out after The Fox and the Hound.
Here, the characters are not perfect heroes or perfect villains. While some
of the characters are cartoony as befitting of a Disney entry, some of
the other characters feel like very real people leading real lives, not
some storybook formula. They have real issues and very real problems,
Lilo especially, which makes her very easy to become attached to. The
movie also has one of the most heartwarming stories I've seen come out of
Disney in years. Lilo and her sister Nani create complex emotional
bonds, and Lilo and Stitch are practically equal as characters. Both are
destructive little monsters. But together they support each other and
help each other emotionally. Lilo is trying to get through a life of
living in a broken family with the constant threat of being taken away by
social workers hanging over her. Stitch is trying to find an identity
within himself that doesn't involve destroying things. That's what I loved
about this movie, its complexity and the fact that their are no true
"good guys" or "bad guys" like you find in most Disney movies.
There are too many things that make Lilo and Stitch a beautiful movie
to list. Needless to say, people need to realize that not every Disney
movie needs to be the same stale, formulaic musical extravaganzas with
sidekicks and heroes and princesses falling in love. Not every Disney
movie also needs obnoxious animation and computer graphics sticking out,
nor do they need to be hokey laughfests. Lilo and Stitch is a vibrant
breath of fresh air from the typical junk. It has bouncy, engaging
characters and a brilliant story. I've seen lots of animated movies, and a
lot I do enjoy. But rarely has an animated movie given me such a
tremendous feeling that something so completely right just happened. It
happened with The Fox and the Hound. It's happened again with Lilo and
Stitch.
Disney is no longer the company it once was. Creatively (If not financially), the company is taking risks and trying out unconventional stories and plots. And that is most truly evident when watching their latest animated feature, Lilo and Stitch.
The stroy is a nice change from the normal Disney storyline. It's primarily about an alien life form, known as Stitch, who is bred for destruction and crashlands on a tiny Hawaiian island. Mistaken for a dog, a young girl known as Lilo adopts him, much to her older sister Nani's chagrin.
The humor is similar to that in The Emperor's New Groove, never forced or pandering. It's truly funny. The story is excellently handled so as not to include any out-of-place musical numbers or trite love subplots. Sure, there are some love and musical aspects to it, but they never felt intruding on the main story. As for the characters, they all are well fleshed out and believable. Lilo and Stitch make a great comic duo and never feel forced on each other for the sake of plot. And when the story turns to a dramatic tone, you care a great deal for the characters involved. The animation is generally good even being on a smaller budget than most Disney features.
Even with all the positive aspects, there are still a few small complaints. It's nice to see them experiment with the backgrounds in watercolor, but it becomes very distracting and clashes badlly with the hand-drawn characters. Also, the motives of some characters change at the drop of a hat just to move the story along.
Aside from some niggling complaints, Lilo and Stitch is a true modern masterpiece. Disney, keep these unconventional animated movies coming!
Spoilers
Talk about a Hawaiian roller-coaster ride! This film was both
very funny and very sad, and you leave it feeling good.
The story involves a little girl, Lilo, who adopts an alien named
Stitch, mistaking it for a dog. Stitch is built to destroy everything he
touches, yet Lilo manages to bring out the good in him and he learns that
"o'hana means family, and family means that nobody is left behind or
forgotten".
The characters are realistic and fascinating, I loved the interaction
between Lilo and her big sister Nani. They're not perfect or sickeningly
sweet with each other, on the contrary, they can get mad at each other,
scream and kick. But as in real life, they also show love and care
about each other. Their family is not a typical one either, their parents
are dead and Nani is working hard to convince the social worker that she
can take care of her little sister. (I never thought I'd see 'Disney'
and 'social worker' in the same sentence!) Stitch is adorable not only
in looks but personality as well, it's heart-breaking to realize he's
wishing for a family of his own to love him, the way it's done in the
film is not annoyingly saccharine but actually emotional. The love story
between David and Nani was also greatly woven in: in fact, there IS no
love story in this movie. Just hints of budding romance. No grand
wedding, no big kiss, no forced romance, this is Lilo's and Stitch's story
and they are the main characters. Everything else is just background, and
it all works out.
The music is enchanting, both the Hawaiian themes and the Elvis songs.
Most of the remakes were great and didn't really even feel like remakes
(except for the horrendous remake by A*Teens).
The use of watercolors in the backgrounds is detailed, colorful and
beautiful. It blends in perfectly with the soft colors of the animation
and the "real" photographs and film clips don't seem out of place either.
The only complaints I have is the fast pacing of the film, there didn't
seem to be enough silent and calm moments to balance the acton- and
humour-filled sequences. The story seemed to go on really fast and it was
impossible to catch all the little jokes and to "chew" what you had
just seen before the next scene came on. Also the character animation
didn't seem as flowing and natural as is usually expected of Disney, to me
it seemed to show through that Disney let a lot of good animators go.
Overall, definitely one of the best animated films out there, one for
all ages and sure to lift your mood on a rainy day.
Spoilers
Ok, When I first saw the previews, I thought that this movie
would be lame. But I was way off...Lilo and Stitch is probably the best
movie I've seen by Disney. Instead of their latest "Computer Amimation
By Pixar" craze, we get the traditional 2D cartoons that we all know
and love.
The story of Lilo and Stitch is rather simple and touching. A lonely
girl from Hawaii named Lilo has no parents and only her older sister to
take care of her. Meanwhile Expieriment 626 AKA Stitch has escaped from
and intergalatic prison and lands on earth. Stitch disguises himself as
a dog, and becomes Lilo's pet.
There are many reasons why this is probably the best Disney movie I've
ever seen-
1. The jokes are hilarious and made so that the whole audience can
understand. No adult humor, as far as I know, like in Shrek. And, not just
humor that only a toddler would get.
2. Finally, Disney really gives us a rather touching theme. In other
words, being accepted and finding your place in the world.
3. Stitch.
Nuff said!
Hi everybody reading this. I'm from Hawaii. Yep, no lie I really
am. Anyway here's my review.
When I first saw the trailers, they were the funnest thing I ever
saw. Later on I thought that the movie was going to portray Hawaii, with
all the characters living in grass shacks and hula skirts, but when I
saw the movie it turned out to be very good. The surfing scenes were
excellent, although I think the way the human characters were drawn were a
bit out of character, since Native Hawaiians don't have fat legs,
slanted eyes or big noses, that's one of the things I had to gripe about the
film. The film's meaning of Ohana means family was a sweet and cute
meaning although in a pinch it became a bit annoying. In other words it was
sooo cute, it even made my mom cry, that's how good it was. Thanks for
reading the review.
By Hawaiian Neko-chan
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