Lilo & Stitch Review
by Eugene Novikov (eugenen AT wharton DOT upenn DOT edu)August 1st, 2002
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Reviewed by Eugene Novikov
http://www.ultimate-movie.com/
Featuring the voice talents of Daveigh Chase, Jason Scott Lee, Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Ving Rhames, Kevin McDonald, Zoe Caldwell and Chris Sanders as Stitch.
Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean Deblois.
Rated PG.
"What a weird dog."
Lilo & Stitch is a half-hearted effort by Disney's traditional animation department. At a time when cel animation is rapidly giving way to the CGI wizardry of (deserving) specimens like Shrek and Monsters, Inc., it is upsetting to see the old breed go out with a wheeze, especially after The Emperor's New Groove made such a compelling case for it two years ago. This is like a pale shadow of that hysterically funny effort; it doesn't even live up to its irreverent trailer, which showed the titular monster intruding on classics like the Beauty and the Beast ballroom scene.
The movie itself will be set in Hawaii, but not before the opening sequence which takes place on a different planet. A genetic experiment goes horribly wrong, and the result is Experiment 626, a horrific little creature that wants to do nothing but destroy, destroy, destroy. It escapes, and the alien high council finds out that its pod is headed for a little blue planet called Earth, set to land on a little island in the Pacific.
Meanwhile, a spunky little Hawaiian orphan named Lilo is being cared for by her sister Nani. Nani loves Lilo and is a good mother figure, but since Lilo is always getting herself into trouble, and since Nani is hardly the best housekeeper, child protection services doesn't get a particularly favorable impression of their relationship. Lilo decides to get a dog, but upon arrival at the adoption agency, she finds an endearing little critter whom no one can quite identify and takes him home, names him Stitch. Little does she know that lil' Stitch is actually Experiment 626 in slight disguise, plotting to take over the world and cause all kinds of mayhem. He is, however, quite lovable.
Lilo & Stitch isn't bad by any means, and, at its standard kiddie-movie running time, it is a more than tolerable sit. It is aimed primarily at children, with less universal appeal than most Disney flicks have, but that's okay too: I think a truly good kids' movie is a fun watch for any movie lover. The problem isn't anything I can specifically pinpoint except to say that it never sparks, never comes to life, never feels inspired. Stitch is a cool creature, but I never fully bought him as a character: he is mean or nice only as the plot requires, and when he starts professing his love for "family" at the end of the film, it isn't genuine or moving.
Perhaps I'm being too hard on a movie that only wants to give us a good show and deliver a heartwarming, wholesome message, but I don't think it delivers. It's too bland and generic; its advertising promised subversive dismantling of lovable boy-and-his-dog movies with a Hawaiian-girl-and-her-monster movie, but what it gives us is a rather sappy, unremarkable story of how important it is for families, even non-traditional ones, to stay together. It is almost humorous to watch the film bend over backwards not to villainize the child protection services agent (voiced by Ving Rhames) who shows up to harrass Lilo and Nani; I laughed when the movie wound up turning him into one of the heroes.
Lilo & Stitch is fully watchable and hardly boring, but it never reconciles its mean streak with its innocuous message. Its biggest sin is not giving traditional cel animation a reason to continue existing. I doubt that anyone wants to see the format die, but not enough people, it seems, are willing to do much about it.
Grade: C+
Up Next: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
©2002 Eugene Novikov
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
