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A trouble-making alien crash-lands on a Hawaiian island where he’s adopted by Lilo, an ostracized little girl whose parents are recently deceased. Lilo names the alien ‘Stitch’ and begins to tame his wild ways while offering him a place in her family, which she calls “Little and broken, but still good.” Meanwhile, Lilo’s older sister Nani, forced into the role of primary guardian, is struggling to find gainful employment to keep child protective services at bay. Stitch’s rambunctious antics don’t help matters, eventually leading to the decision to remove Lilo from Nani’s care. At the same time, additional aliens have landed in Hawaii to hunt and capture Stitch.
Lilo & Stitch is part of the last leg of DIsney’s hand-drawn animated legacy, which would end after three or four more films. It’s one of their best from that ‘era’, containing enough heart, humor, and aesthetic appeal to attract a broad audience of all ages. The adorable and mischievous Stitch is a character who enthralls children. Adults will appreciate the drama of the screenplay, in Nani’s plight to step into a responsible mother role and in little Lilo’s desire to rebuild her family. Stitch’s character is given added dimension when he realizes he’s an experiment created for violence, without parents or family — alone in the universe.
The film, written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DuBlois (who would go on to create the excellent How to Train Your Dragon franchise together) moves at a brisk pace to invite repeat viewings, with a lively soundtrack that contains several Elvis Presley songs (Lilo is a big Elvis fan) and beautiful pastel backgrounds that bring the Polynesian setting to life. The action-packed third act becomes mired in over-plotting and starts to resemble a television cartoon more than a serious animated feature, but it’s not enough to detract much from the film’s overriding emotional and escapist appeal. Most audiences will have a hard time not falling in love with these title characters.
Featuring vocal performances from Daveigh Chase (The Ring, Donnie Darko) as Lilo, co-director Chris Sanders as Stitch, Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, and Ving Rhames.
Oscar Nomination: Best Animated Feature