Stitch's Blue Hawaii
Written: Jun 30 '02 (Updated Jun 30 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful animation and fine performances
Cons: Stitch is not a very original creation
The Bottom Line: "Lilo & Stitch" provides lessons and laughs in equal measure.
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| pmills1210's Full Review: Lilo & Stitch |
“Lilo & Stitch” is a movie that will be of interest to all sorts of people. Kids will be drawn to the story because it’s about two sisters who are trying to stay together, and finding the going tough. Fans of animation will take note because it’s the latest offering from the Disney studio. Elvis Presley fans will want to see how the tribute Disney pays to the man and his work. I think all will be delightfully rewarded by this experience.
“Lilo & Stitch” takes us through the journey of Lilo (Daviegh Chase) and her big sister, Nani (Tia Carrere), as they try and stay together after their parents have died. Things are going so badly for the sisters, a social worker named Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames) has been called upon to be the final arbiter on their fate. When Cobra arrives, Nani makes a terrible impression upon him. First, she has trouble letting Mr. Bubbles into the house, for Lilo has locked the doors and wants to be left alone. When Lilo acts up at the Hawaiian restaurant where Nani works, Nani gets fired. Cobra, who quietly follows, tells Nani she has to get another job or lose Lilo permanently. The news saddens David (Jason Scott Lee), her closest friend at the restaurant. He offers his assistance to Nani and Lilo.
Nani, in a never-ending battle to make Lilo understand that she can’t always have her way, gives in to her little sister on one point. Adopting a dog is an inexpensive proposition, so they go to the pound and adopt a dog. Lilo picks out a little blue creature that looks nothing like a dog, but she has her heart set on the little one, whom she names Stitch. Stitch looks more like a koala bear than a dog, but just like a puppy, he has a tendency to get into everything. There’s a good reason for his nature. Stitch is a creation from another planet, and he was specifically created for destruction. That caused problems on his home planet, who has forbidden the unnatural creation of any life. The ruler on that planet ordered Stitch’s destruction, where he is known as Experiment 626, but before he can be destroyed, he escapes and makes his way to Hawaii. That doesn’t stop others from following and carrying out the ruler’s orders, but that becomes easier said than done when the title characters form a bond that make them virtually inseparable.
“Lilo & Stitch” is a funny and heartwarming picture that evokes a bygone era of animation. While “Shrek” and the Pixar films have blurred the line between animation and reality, “Lilo & Stitch” is a film that animates the old-fashioned way – with watercolors. Disney hasn’t used that technique for about sixty years, which was around the time they were first making feature-length animated movies. The result is a movie that looks bright and beautiful. While “Lilo & Stitch” isn’t as great a film as “Pinocchio” or “Fantasia,” it is still very good. Even though the action reminds me more of Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny, I found myself laughing consistently throughout the film. I especially like the scenes where Lilo teaches Stitch to not only like Elvis’s music, but dresses him up like The King. I also like the scene where Stitch learns to play guitar by listening to Elvis’s records, but he winds up smashing the guitar as if he were Pete Townshend.
The one small complaint I have with “Lilo & Stitch” is that Stitch (who is voiced by co-writer and co-director Chris Sanders) seems to be modeled a bit too much on E.T. and the gremlins. He looks very much like one of the gremlins, comes from another universe like E.T., and adapts to his environment like both. He’s also a crafty creature, using his self-preservation instinct to keep one step ahead of the creatures who want to eliminate him. Still, Stitch is an engaging creature deserving of compassion.
Chase is just as engaging as Lilo, who’s all girl and all tomboy. At one moment, she’s taking hula lessons. The next moment, she’s fighting another girl who criticizes her. Rhames delivers another strong performance as Cobra Bubbles. It gives us a chance to see a bit of his comic side as he reacts to Lilo, Nani, and Stitch with delightful disbelief. As he’s drawn, he doesn’t look like a social worker, but he has some secrets that prove he had a far different career before social work. Carrere and Lee also provide good support in their roles.
“Lilo & Stitch,” like many a Disney film, has fine lessons, including the importance of family and respect for animals. In that regard, as well as many others, it’s a better film than the recent “Ice Age,” which handled similar material in a far less interesting fashion. “Lilo & Stitch” shows that there’s some good in everyone, even if they were not created that way. It’s also a picture that pays its respects to a classic era of Disney animation. The lessons of the past live on at Disney with efforts like “Lilo & Stitch.” The best films geared at children should also hold the interest of the adults. “Lilo & Stitch” will make some of the grown kids recall the TV and the music of their youth. This film lets them know - if only for a moment - that youth can be a state of mind.
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Pat Mills
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