Lilo & Stitch
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Movie Reviews of Lilo & Stitch
Movie Review: Thank You Disney!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Lilo and Stitch is the story of a little girl, Lilo, being raised by her sister Nani. She is allowed to adopt a dog, Stitch, and together Lilo and Stitch find themselves in one situation after another.This movie was great! The characters were believeable (OK, except for Stitch). I was very impressed by the way the characters were drawn. Thank goodness there were no stick people in this movie! It was so refreshing to see Nani and Lilo along with the other "human" characters in this movie drawn with real bodies and not perfect figures. I can't express enough how much I was thrilled with this.
The storyline of this movie is very touching. Lilo has trouble fitting in with other kids her age because of her not having parents. As to the other reviewers that discussed her behavior--so what! No child is perfect all the time. Lilo does act out but that is because she isn't treated nicely by the other kids. She also doesn't have parents to correct her when she's wrong and she has a sister that's busy working so she can keep Lilo with her. And as to the way Nani and Lilo talked to each other, this just seemed like a typical exchange between siblings.
The soundtrack of this movie was great also!! I love the way they included the Elvis songs in the movie. They were put in so that it seemed natural and not just thrown in on a whim. The admiration that Lilo has for Elvis made the songs fit so well. I loved the "model citizen" segment. Stitch in an Elvis jumpsuit is just too cute!!!!!
I loved every aspect of this movie. I've read other reviews in which the reviewers said there wasn't a moral storyline in the movie. But there is. The moral of this story from my viewpoint is this: don't treat other people badly just because they are different from you. Lilo was different from the other girls and they excluded her from their group. That is one of the reasons Stitch appealed to her so much. She knew he was different but she didn't turn away from him. She knew how it felt to be the outcast and she didn't want to do that to him. She was just glad to have a friend. Another storyline in this movie that I liked was the family and that not all families are the same. This family was small and broken--but it was good. In todays society I think it's important for kids to understand that not all families may not be like theirs. To reviewers that think Snow White has a better moral storyline--hello??? A girl living alone with 7 strange men??? This is a good moral story????? Think again.
This movie was just awesome. It was good to see something from Disney that had todays issues in it. To all the people who didn't like the movie, that's your choice, but I thought this was one of the best animated movies to be released in a long time. I just can't say enough about it, it is quite possibly the best animated movie to ever be released. A keeper for anyone's collection.
Movie Review: Aliens Invade Kaua'i!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I won't bore you with yet another summary of the movie itself - even if you haven't seen it, you're probably familiar enough with the plot from numerous Disney adds in the past year, and if you're not, there are (as of this writing) 160 other reviews that will undoubtedly break the plot down for you. Instead, I want to look at the DVD itself and the type of movie (and DVD) Disney has made here.First of all, the DVD is excellent - the picture and sound are wonderful and the extras for both adults and kids are surprisingly good. For kids, the main extras are a "DisneyPedia" of Hawaii - a focus on the six biggest islands of the chain with a talk about various aspects of Hawaiian culture and nature prominent for each island, the "Create Your Own Experiment Game" - essentially a quiz on the movie narrated by David Ogden Steir's Jumba, a faux "Stitch Through the Years" documentary, and the "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" music video, as well as the usual DVD-ROM links. It's not jam-packed, but it's pretty decent for something that's on one disc and doesn't have "Special Edition" stamped across it in big, bold letters. For adults, there are behind-the-scenes documentaries on the making of the film, the Hawaiian music from Kamehameha Schools, animating the hula and a half-and-half music video/behind-the-scenes look at Wynonna Judd's rendition of "Burning Love". There are also half-finished deleted and alternate scenes (three in all, with lead-in commentary) and (my personal favorite) the four "Stitch Invades Other Disney Movies" teaser trailers. When put together, it makes for a really excellent DVD on Disney's part.
As for the movie itself, it's the best one they've done since at least "Pocahontas" and probably since "Aladdin" - it's got an excellent offbeat humor to it, it hits the right moral notes without descending into preachiness. Likewise, it shows Hawai'i surprisingly effectively. By having all the action on Kaua'i (the next island northwest from O'ahu) and The Big Island, they bypass Honolulu and much of the touristiness of the islands (although they do give tourists the occasional sardonic nod) in favor of the color, diversity and open acceptance that Hawai'i is, more often than not, known for. Likewise, while staying firmly rooted in the silly, it strikes a very impressive balance between care and humor that seems to be harder to find with each passing year's new Disney movie.
I really can't recommend this DVD enough. Along with the quality of the movie itself, it's got a really impressive slew of extras. Hopefully Disney can take a message from this movie that you don't need to threaten a limited shelf-life, plaster words like "Uber-Diamond Edition" across the packaging, or stick it in a limited edition tin to sell a good product. Whether or not you've seen it, it's worth owning, and - for the price - it's the best DVD Disney's done so far.
Movie Review: A lovely tribute to the Islands!
Summary: 5 Stars
There have been some fine Disney animated features over the years, but this is the one that I watch over and over again. For my money, this stands head and shoulders above the rest of the animated movies I've seen (and I try to see them all).
ANIMATION - A+: In the opening scene of the hula dancers, observe the reflections of the dancers on the wood floor. Wow!
PRODUCTION VALUES - A+: The movie is visually stunning. The backgrounds look like watercolor paintings and are extremely colorful. The backgrounds completely capture the look, colors, and flavor of living in a small town in Hawaii.
CHARACTER DESIGN - A+: The directors took great pains to design the look of the characters. Unlike most Disney women characters, the older sister has some meat on her bones and looks athletic, not anemic. Hallelujah! A more realistic approach to portraying women.
Lilo reminds me so much of my Hawaiian nieces in the way she moves and speaks! And the feistiness of her! Some people have said she does not present a good role model for children! I would say that she is a much more realistic child than usually shown in movies. I LOVE her spunk and strong personality!
My heart was completely captured by Stitch! What a roly poly, cute character he is. Chris Sanders, the director, provided the temporary voice of Stitch, but did such a great job that they kept his voice in the final movie. I can't imagine Stitch sounding any other way.
MUSIC = A+: Wow! The choral music sung by Hawaiian children is wonderfully moving! And of course, the King (Elvis)! Very appropriate as he was extremely popular in Hawaii.
TARGET AUDIENCE = B: The movie is SO entertaining for adults that I rather wonder if it isn't more enjoyable for adults than kids. I know that my three-year old niece wouldn't watch it because she thought the beginning was too "scary." Whereas, I've watched it maybe 5 or 6 times and laughed each time at the Elvis jokes and some of the other jokes that I think might go over the heads of children.
And just between you and me (nobody else is reading this, right?), there are a few moments when Stitch reads the story of the Ugly Duckling, realizing that he too is separated from any family, and when he prepares to leave Lilo that always make me cry. How a little furry animated character can show dignity and nobility I don't know, but he does.
I find the movie a delight visually, musically, emotionally, and it makes me laugh!
DVD EXTRAS = A+: I thought the extras on the DVD were quite nice. A great documentary on how the animators "got" the hula by attending a hula school, and a nice piece on the main animators and on the children's choir that sang the Hawaiian-style choral music in the film. Also lots of information on the Hawaiian islands.
Movie Review: A New Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
After a long break in good movies, the Walt Disney Company has been able to miraculously create a movie comparable to its classics. It seemed like for quite some time the Walt Disney Company had run out of ideas, so it resorted to making sequels for many of its classic movies. Then, without warning, the Walt Disney Company came up with a brilliant idea for a movie. The movie was "Lilo and Stitch," and it seems to have become an instant classic. When I first heard of the movie, I thought that it was going to be another pathetic attempt to turn an original idea into a movie, but much to my surprise it was quite the opposite. The commercials leading up to the release of "Lilo and Stitch" portrayed the movie as a movie directed toward young boys, with aliens and guns, but it turned out to be a movie that everyone could enjoy.
Up until "Lilo and Stitch" came out, "Sleeping Beauty" was my favorite Walt Disney movie. Instantly, "Lilo and Stitch" became my favorite Walt Disney movie, in addition to "Sleeping Beauty," of course. The story line behind "Lilo and Stitch" is like many I have heard before, but with a unique twist.
Lilo, one of the movie's two main characters, was an oddball. Not liked by her peers, her sister decided to adopt a pet for Lilo to befriend, but gets more than she had hoped for. Not only is this movie adorable, but it also has a good message behind it. The moral of the movie is to not care what other people think, but to always believe in yourself and know that the people who truly matter will always be there for you, a moral that every child should have bestowed upon them.
Another positive message one receives after watching this movie is one concerning self-image. In this movie, all of the characters are drawn to proportion, and do not look unhealthy due to how skinny they are. The characters look like real people, not fat, but also not sculpted and perfected. When a child sees this movie, he or she will see that not everyone can have a perfect body or look sleek and slender, but that it is okay to be healthy.
Lilo is able to hula her way into the heart of many people who watch Lilo and Stitch, and as a result has become a favorite Disney character of mine. Like many other Walt Disney Company movies, Lilo and Stitch also has a sequel, but this sequel is not cheesy like most sequels are. Rather, this sequel is nearly as good as Lilo and Stitch was. If you enjoy "Lilo and Stitch," I would highly recommend seeing "Stitch! The Movie." Also, if you enjoy the idea behind "Lilo and Stitch," I would recommend "Lilo and Stitch: The Series." Each of these installments is a continuation of the idea behind "Lilo and Stitch."
The Walt Disney Company really made a wise choice in creating this movie. I know that I loved all aspects and installments involving "Lilo and Stitch," and I hope that you will to. Aloha!
Movie Review: Stitch-the most delightful alien in cinematic history.
Summary: 5 Stars
Disney's best animated film is, strangely enough, neither an epic such as Atlantis or The Lion King, but a relatively simple sci-fi comedy about a rowdy alien who befriends a little girl and her older sister. That alien, in particular, is named Stitch, the end result of genetic experimentation; he exists solely for pure destruction and now that he's loose on Earth, the aliens send his creator to bring him back. First, let me get into the drawbacks. The movie takes a bit longer than the usual animated film to get into its central plot (almost a good half hour!) and I can see how that might test a few kids' attention spans. The animation itself is mostly very good, but some of the backgrounds are static and maybe less in quality than you might expect. Probably of greatest concern to parents is, given the destructive nature of the movie's titular E.T., it's possible kids might get scared (though I doubt it).
But all in all, these are merely minor quibbles in what is otherwise a terrifically entertaining and heartwarming comedy. The film has appeal for virtually everyone. The "edginess" and surprising unpredictability of the material will please those who tire of the typical Disney formula. Sure, the story is a partial carbon-copy of Spielberg's E.T., but the filmmakers put enough spin on it to make it a work that stands fitfully on its own.
Animated Disney films usually rely on two elements: crowdpleasing, nonoffensive humor and a heartfelt message. Some Disney movies vacillate back and forth between these with occasional success while some just fail outright. Lilo and Stitch, on the other hand, works beautifully as both simultaneously, delivering a palpable relationship between the two sisters, meanwhile showing how their lives are "wrecked" by their interaction with Stitch. The movie's message, the importance of family, is probably nothing new to avid Disney fans, but I've yet to see it delivered as well as it has here.
The voice acting here is excellent; Tia Carerre, Daveigh Chase, Ving Rhames, and Jason Scott Lee all convincingly embed their characters with the right tone. But the scene-stealer is Stitch, easily the cutest-and possibly greatest-character to come from the Disney vault. His initial obsession with destruction is hilariously portrayed without going overboard, and his eventual transformation is touching and easy to believe. If listening to Stitch sincerely state "Nobody gets left behind" to Lilo doesn't get you choked up, nothing will.
In the end, though, Lilo and Stitch is touching without getting overly sentimental. It's fast, exciting, and hilarious, a much needed tonic for Disney, whose animated movies seemed to be getting worse as the years pass by. Add in an enjoyable Elvis soundtrack given a modern spin, and you've got yourself a movie that can be recommended to anyone.