Lilo & Stitch

This is my first big review so stick with me here lol. I just wanted to write about a few things I hadn’t really seen mentioned about this film. Lilo and Stitch is one of my favorite films of all time. It’s easily my favorite Disney movie, which is interesting as it’s possibly the most non-traditional animated Disney movie ever made; It’s set in modern day Hawaii and features two women of color as the main leads. The way the film uses its setting is fantastic. In most films set in Hawaii, Hawaii is seen the same way it is by most Americans- a vacation destination. Maybe I’m too cynical, but I’d go as far to say that a lot of live action films take place in Hawaii just so the cast and crew essentially get a paid vacation (I’m looking at you, Adam Sandler). For a lot of people, watching this film is the first time they get to see Hawaii as a home, and not just a vacation destination. This is because of how well Hawaiian culture is woven into the story and radiated by our two main leads. The tourists are still there, but we see them through Lilo’s eyes (and oftentimes her camera, which is a great little bit of irony). It’s honestly impressive the lengths the filmmakers went through to respect the culture and accurately depict modern Hawaiian local life.  It’s obviously not without its flaws. The first half of the film is much stronger than the second half, some of the timing of jokes could be adjusted, and the animation noticeably dips off in the final act. That last point is most likely due to the change from a chase through a city to a chase through the mountains (because 9/11), but better quality control would’ve gone a long way- most notably, Jumba’s changing head size in the final act.  That being said, it’s flaws don’t hold a flame to what makes this film so great. Every time I watch this film I tear up multiple times. Not even over super sad moments. Lilo being embarrassed by her doll, lashing out and throwing it on the ground, then storming off only to quickly run back and tightly hug it is fucking heartbreaking. I’m no child psychology expert, but it seems like a good portrayal of how a child may act while still processing the loss of loved ones, and is clearly an act of self-hate. And even if you don’t buy that, it’s not hard to see where she learned that behavior when the exact same events play out between her and Nani in the next scene. Nani is such a fantastic character because you can feel how unprepared she was to take up the motherly role, but the responsibility she feels for taking care of Lilo drives her to do her best. When asked by Lilo if she was fired because of Stitch, she says “Nah, the manager was a vampire and he wanted me to join his army of the undead” to not only lie so Lilo doesn’t feel the blame, but also to feed Lilo’s atypical, fantastical imagination. It’s little details like this that really sell the viewer on Nani, and there’s plenty of other little details to pick up on too. This is a pretty well known example, but Lilo’s obsession with feeding Pudge, a fish she believes controls the weather, is most likely because her parents died in a car crash during a thunderstorm.  The performances in this are also extremely good. Lilo’s voice actress steals every scene she’s in. It’s super impressive how in some scenes you can hear Lilo trying to not cry through the shakiness and tone of her voice alone. It’s something that I haven’t really noticed other voice actors do, and especially not ones her age.  I could go on and on for hours about this film, but I’ll leave it at this.