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Lilo and Stitch
Review by Mike Furches (Mike's bio)
Directed by Dean Deblois and Chris Sanders
Written by Dean Deblois and Chris Sanders
Daveigh Chase .... Lilo (voice) girl
Tia Carrere .... Nani (voice) sister
Ving Rhames .... Cobra Bubbles (voice) social worker
Jason Scott Lee .... David Kawena (voice) boyfriend
Chris Sanders .... Stitch (voice) alien
David Ogden Stiers .... Jumba (voice)
Zoe Caldwell .... Grand Councilwoman
Susan Hegarty .... Rescue Lady
Amy Hill .... Mrs. Hasagawa
Kevin McDonald .... Pleakley
Ashley Rose Orr .... Vocal Artist
Kevin Michael Richardson .... Captain Gantu
Produced by Clark Spencer
Original music by Alan Silvestri
Film Editing by Darren T. Holmes
MPAA: Rated PG for mild sci-fi action.
It seems like Disney turns out movies like rabbits turn out babies sometimes. There is almost always a decent push for the movies and every now and then we even get a classic tale with classic lessons. There are many who loved Shrek for its irreverence for the Disney genre and although the new Shrek is in production, it wouldn't surprise me to see them poke a few more jabs at Disney, including Lilo and Stitch.
Lilo and Stitch falls far short of the Disney magic that has occurred in the past but is still a movie worth taking the kids to. There are a couple of premises that will have some parents cringing but I found the references to aliens to be innocent enough. There is also one brief mention of evolution that the movie could have done without but despite these two areas I still found the movie enjoyable and one that contained valuable lessons.
The premise of the film is that Stitch is a small alien created to bring about destruction. In that he has no potential for good he is doomed for eternal consequences including imprisonment. Meanwhile on earth there is a small girl named Lilo who is being raised by her big sister Nani. Nani is in constant conflict with her Social Worker who is making a determination as to whether or not Nani is capable of raising her younger sister. Lilo is a small child who is constantly in trouble and seeking attention in any way she can get it. It is after a visit from the social worker that Nani decides to take Lilo to the local animal shelter to adopt a puppy.
Meanwhile back in space with Stitch being the destructive creature that he is he escapes from the space craft where he is doomed to spend eternity in prison. While escaping he destroys much of the space craft as well as numerous space ships that pursue him. In the process he crashes on earth where he is eventually picked up and placed in the animal shelter. It doesn't take a brain scientist to figure that these two, Lilo and Stitch will end up together.
What pursues for the rest of the movie is a wonderful example of the importance of finding love and meaning. "Family Forever," is a concept that Lilo tries to instill in Stitch despite the fact that he continues to get them into more and more trouble. Disney has done as good a job as anyone over the years at telling contemporary fables and this is a movie that comes through with the old moral lessons and attributes that instill faith and love of family. There are also wonderful lessons on forgiveness and second chances.
The movie offers up ample laughs for youngsters and enjoyable giggles for adults. The sound track, featuring almost all Elvis music, is enjoyable and fun to listen to and watch as Stitch takes on certain Elvis characteristics. There is an actual sub plot involved and the story is developed quite nicely to keep the adults attention.
There are no noticeable big star voices in the film and the animation is quite weak by Disney standards. The story holds par and the music is worth the price of a matinee ticket. The lessons regarding forgiveness and the potential for people (or aliens) to change is also nicely told. One leaves the theater thinking about the need to love their family and at the same time provide opportunity to those who often get into trouble. As weak as parts of the movie are these are lessons that are nice to reinforce for children and for that matter adults. There should be ample opportunity to discuss these issues with your children after seeing this film. For that reason I would certainly recommend Lilo and Stitch, especially at a matinee or discount movie price. While falling short of typical Disney magic it still provides appropriate Disney moments.
For the 6 little legs that Stitch gets around on I'll give a cautious 6 on a scale of 1-10.
Copyright 2002, Mike Furches. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
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About Mike Furches: Mike is the senior pastor of United at the Cross Community Church in Wichita, Kansas. The church, located in the inner city of Wichita has a unique ministry to former gang members, drug addicts, prostitutes and others often neglected by the church. Mike also is involved in freelance writing and speaks nationally. Check out his web page for more information: http://www.furches.org/ E-mail Mike |
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