Lilo & Stitch puts a couple of media myths to rest (and to shame).
Myth #1: Lilo & Stitch breaks with Disney tradition.
Myth #2: Traditional 2-D animation is dead.
To all those spreading such myths, we have an un-Disney-like word or two for you. Rather than breaking with tradition, Lilo & Stitch is exactly what Disney is supposed to be about, exercising the imagination and entertaining the audience. And because it does both so well, the film should prove that whether ink and paint or pixel, what makes any animation work is heart.
Smartly, Disney has wrapped this risk-taking film in blankets of cute, but they don’t get smothering. Instead the design of the characters will likely lure kids into a story that will challenge them a little and might even make them think. The fact that it will also sell a lot of stuffed animals and t-shirts is purely a bonus. (kaff, kaff)
The story begins at the heart of the “Galactic Federation,” where aliens of all types have gathered for the trial of Dr. Jumba (David Ogden Stiers), a multi-eyed hulk who has been dabbling in genetic engineering. This self-proclaimed evil genius has created Experiment 626 (Chris Sanders, also the film’s co-writer and co-director), a six-limbed engine of destruction with apparently no chance of redemption.
Rather than kill the creature, the tribunal elects to banish it to a lifeless asteroid. But 626 proves to be too clever, and escapes in a police starcraft, headed straight for a planet the Galactic Federation has dubbed Area 51 – Earth. Though the military would love the chance to destroy it, they are forbidden by Agent Pleakley (Kevin McMillan). Area 51 may be primitive, but it is the breeding ground for an endangered species – mosquitoes.
It sure doesn’t sound like the average children’s film. 626 is the creature that will come to be called Stitch, mistaken for a dog and adopted by a troubled Hawaiian girl, Lilo (Daveigh Chase). Though bred for destruction, Stitch finds it difficult to achieve his goals on a small Hawaiian island. There are no huge cities to send spinning into chaos. Instead, he discovers peace, threatened soon enough when his creator comes after him.
Like Warner Brothers’ The Iron Giant, Lilo & Stitch asks if we have a choice in our place in the universe. A slightly (very slightly) repentant Jumba puts it, “…he has no greater purpose to drive him, no past. No memories to dwell on at night.” Despite his comical appearance, Stitch is a tragic figure, almost a Frankenstein Monster (which would explain the name). Only this time around, the monster explores what could be, rather than give in to his nature.
His “owner” Lilo has problems of her own. Troubled at school and in life, Lilo has recently lost her parents in a car accident. Her sister Nani (Tia Carrere) is trying to raise her, but Lilo liked Nani better as a sister than a mother. In a lot of ways, and thankfully done subtly, Lilo and Stitch are kindred spirits on different scales.
If you must say that the movie breaks with Disney tradition, it is in this real confrontation that life isn’t like a fairy tale. An ominous social worker (Ving Rhames) may take Lilo away from Nani, but even she has to admit that maybe playing mother is beyond her capabilities. Growing up is hard, and some people get hit with more than their fair share of pain. Unlike many Disney single-parent families, the loss of the sisters’ parents is still sharp and keenly felt. But they make do.
All that depth is there, but the movie is also genuinely clever and funny. Most of the laughs come from the aliens, teaming McDonald’s usual schtick with Stiers’ ridiculous outsized villain persona. The combination works extremely well.
As for the humans, they are some of the most successfully real that the Disney studios have produced, and not just because they have been rendered with realistic proportions. In the script and on the screen, Lilo is a six-year-old that many have met in their lives, with the possible exception of her obsession with Elvis Presley. But more power to her for that.
Indeed, the choice of Elvis music helps propel this movie along, as opposed to its usage in his actual movies. When there’s no room for an Elvis song, composer Alan Silvestri fills in with a beautifully evocative score that never becomes intrusive. (He’s aided by a Hawaiian musician who, unfortunately, I do not have the name of, but his contribution is just as powerful and effective.)
Co-directors Sanders and Dean Deblois have proved that they understand their art’s past. Much has been made of their return to watercolor backgrounds, a technique last used by Disney for Dumbo. It gives the film a softer look. Even though it’s science fiction and present day, it still feels out of time. Not only have these guys revived “classical” animation, they’ve made a classic.
I have only one problem with the movie, and that is that I fear Disneyland will now re-do the Enchanted Tiki Room as Lilo’s House. If such plans are not underway, let’s pretend I didn’t say that, hope Disney doesn’t see the idea, and just treasure this great film.
