Lilo & Stitch

This is a personal favorite of mine, and I'm actually convinced it's Disney's most underrated animated movie. I guess the main reason I like this film so much is that it features the most sincere depiction of a relationship between siblings in any Disney film. For once, we get real, flawed (and therefore all the more lovable) people - not the usual perfect Disney princesses. But it's also incredibly funny and spectacularly entertaining throughout (not to mention that it has one of the most hilarious intros in any sci-fi film ever). I simply adore this movie, and I'm not ashamed to admit it makes me cry every time I watch it. This and Sanders' and DeBlois' other masterpiece, the first HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, are the cinematic medicine that get me through my darkest days.

The look of the film is very distinct and refreshingly different from Disney's previous animated features. And the visuals are gorgeous; the backgrounds are painted in beautifully faded watercolors, and the 2-D animation is an example of artists at the peak of their craft. Every scene is jock-full of original ideas and a virtual demonstration of Chris Sanders' and Dean DeBlois' seemingly limitless imagination (the film also features a ton of clever references to sci-fi and monster films). Simply one of the best animated films - and one of the funniest sci-fi comedies - of the last 20 years.

P.S. (for new IMDb users): In case you don't know whether to trust this review or not, because you have no idea what my tastes in film are, just click on my username - gogoschka-1 - and you'll see a list what my 50 favorite movies are.

Yes, it's a sad fact that Disney, the family favourite for close to a century, have fallen into decline. All the same, it annoys me no end when people go on about how 'The Lion King' of 1994 was the last truly great film that the company produced, because, in their period of decline and lack of success, the House of Mouse still surprised us all by churning out one cracking exception - the sassy and heartwarming 'Lilo and Stitch'.

In the Stitch of the title (and face it, he may have shared his title logo with Lilo but Stitch has always been the undisputed star of this empire) it really feels like Disney have found that very likable and very different kind of hero to break them out of their rut. To begin with at least, he has none of the noble or high moral qualities that Disney usually attributes to its lead characters. And the circumstances in which he comes about are, for a family film, startling - the result of an illegal extra-terrestrial experiment to produce a creature that is both destructive and indestructible. When Stitch finds himself seized by the Intergalactic Council to be punished for his inbuilt wickedness, he escapes - it wouldn't be much of a movie if he didn't - and flees to planet Earth, with the alien authorities in hot pursuit. Though the film's anarchic spirit owes a fair bit more to 80s creature films like 'Gremlins' and 'Critters', I suppose you could look at it as a inversion on the plot of 'ET', in which, this time round, the humans are harmless and it's his fellow aliens who pose greater threat to Stitch.

Finding himself stranded on Hawaii, our little anti-hero has no choice but to disguise himself as a dog and take refuge with Lilo. Lilo being a lonely young orphan living with her older sister Nani, and who may be taken away in a matter of days if Nani doesn't prove herself to be a more responsible guardian. The merging of these two very troubling story lines shows a lot of tenaciousness on Disney's part and in the end they produce a film that is fun and funky enough for the younger audiences, but also heartwrenching enough to touch even the most cynical of adults. It's also helped by a good line secondary characters, the most successful of which are Jumba and Cobra Bubbles, because, like Stitch, they're unconventional in the roles they fulfil. Jumba is an evil genius with a heart. Bubbles is a social worker who, fittingly since he's voiced by Ving Rhames, looks like he walked straight out of 'Pulp Fiction'.

It ain't perfect though. Considering that Stitch is one of Disney's most engaging heroes, it really blows that Gantu should have to be one of the stuido's flatter villains. He isn't drawn very well and he isn't developed as a character much further than being ruthless and bad-tempered. There is also one pretty big plot-hole that older viewers may be troubled by - if that lady at the pound really thought that Stitch was dead, why did she put him in with the dogs? And wasn't she alarmed by his six legs and his antennae?

It may be flawed, but in the end it's the merits that triumph. And it's a good example of just how dazzling 2D animation can be when given the right attention to detail. Once you get past the pretty pale opening scenes in outer space and enter the world that Lilo inhabits, visually this is beautiful stuff, employing the technique of watercolour backgrounds for the first time in decades. And the soundtrack too is one of the most memorable in Disney's canon. I believe this is the first time they've based its score around the pre-existing songs of a familiar artist - in this case the immortal Elvis Presley. Needless to say, it's great music.

(Sadly, we also had to tolerate the likes of Gareth Gates and A Teens doing sugary covers over the end credits, but at this stage you can always switch off or leave the cinema.)

Too bad that Disney are now really on the wane, or they could have tried doing these themed soundtracks more often with the Beatles and Pink Floyd...oh well, I can dream.

To sum up, Stitch is the best. Watch him.

Grade: A-

There is a little Hawaiian girl named Lilo, she enjoys diving, surfing and folk dancing. And she desperately wants a friend, even not just a friend, she wants to have a soul mate. A flying saucer crashes near her house and a strange creature emerges. Actually it is a hostile alien whose the only aim is to destroy life on earth. Their paths cross. What happens when the little earth girl and the extra-terrestrial maniac meet? A funny, heart-warming story of friendship, love, family ties… To be frank I was not going to see this animated film considering it to be "little kids stuff". But when eventually I saw it I realized how wrong I was. Disney proves its reputation for making "family friendly" films because this is the film in which each family member, whether it be a child or a parent, can find something for him/herself to enjoy and think about. A couple of words about music. Since Lilo is a huge Elvis fan, the soundtrack contains a lot of his songs. It is a hard task to make songs written rather long ago fit in the modern film but the producers succeeded! Recommended to all!

The film, directed by Sanders who also provides the destructive alien Stitch's voice, is a very touching animated comedy which turns Steven Speilberg's original ET movie on its head. The plot revolves around little Lilo, a five-year-old Hawaiian orphan, voiced by Daveigh Chase who unknowingly rescues an alien experiment from the dog pound thinking that she has rescued a dog. Her sister and guardian, Nani (Tia Carrere) is none-too-pleased due to his destructive tendencies, but is soon distracted by young surfie David Kawena (Jason Scott Lee). Unbeknown to Lilo the creature she names Stitch is actually experiment number 626 and has been designed to destroy all that he comes into contact with. Because of this Stitch is banished to an asteroid for the rest of his life but escapes to a blue-green world known as earth. To help with this he has extra thick skin and has been given strength way beyond his means To make the story of family and friendship more alluring Stitch's creator, Dr. Jumba Jookiba voiced by David Ogden Stiers, and the one-eyed Agent Peakley (Kevin McDonald) have a different idea. They are despatched by the Galactic Federation of Planets to capture Stitch and bring him home without interfering with the native humans. As the story unfolds Stitch learns what it is to be part of a family, albeit a very dysfunctional one, and feels like he belongs for the first time in his short life. As well as being loosely based on ET, in basic concept only, there are tips of the hat to the Star Trek television series as well as the Star Wars movies. The most obvious is when Stitch, imitating Jedi Master Yoda in Attack of the Clones, catches a laser blast in his hands, forms it into a ball and tosses it back at his attacker. Unlike most Disney films Lilo and Stitch has little music, save for the occasional clip of Elvis Presley which helps punctuate Lilo's obsession with the singer. Like Stuart Little 2, Lilo and Stitch is packed full of family values and emphasises the importance of friendship. Hilariously touching.

"Lilo & Stitch" is unusual for a Disney animated movie in that it actually seems to take place in the real world (not to mention the present day), despite the latter half of the title being a genetic creation from another galaxy. Devoid of almost everything that people come to expect when the name "Walt Disney Pictures" appears on screen - which is not to say we're in "Golgo 13" territory here - this, as did "The Emperor's New Groove," suggests that though the box office takings may go down, the House of Mouse may yet pull another "Beauty and the Beast" on us one day.

The movie's a breath of fresh air not only in its setting - it's set on the Hawaiian island of Kauai - but also in its characters; Lilo is a little girl being brought up by her big sister Nani following their parents' death (offscreen), and the movie's not afraid to indicate that it's tough for both of them. They, along with their social worker Cobra Bubbles and friend David, constitute a rare sighting of proper human beings in Disney cartoons (see also, surprisingly, Lucky Piquel from "Bonkers"), the reward writer-directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois get for putting the emphasis on the emotions rather than on the chase element of the plot (Stitch/Experiment 626 was created by a scientist in violation of the laws of his planet; when Stitch escaped, his creator and an "E-arth" expert were sent to bring him back) or on the potential for slapstick - though it's there and it's certainly used, the focus is purely on heart.

The realness of the movie means that "Lilo & Stitch" often feels like a live action movie that just happens to be drawn (at one point Stitch sees a 1950s SF movie on TV, and the movie in question is shown as a genuine film clip). Usually that's a bad thing if the 'toon in question strives to be realistic, but in this case there are so many elements that don't come naturally - seen any koala/dog hybrid-Elvis Presley wannabes on the beach lately? - that it still works. If there's a downside, it's that the scenes of the alien pursuers are for the most part almost a distraction... but even then the human element ups the involvement, with the added bonus of there being no real "bad guys" per se (yes, I said bonus - it's nice to see a Disney movie where there isn't a traditional black-hatted villain, just people doing their jobs).

And if all else fails, take into consideration the fact that it's also often genuinely funny; the fact that it never condescends to its audience; the fact that you actually have real Hawaiians (the voices of Tia Carrere and Jason Scott Lee) as key Hawaiian characters; and the fact that the songs used here actually have a purpose (to add dimension to our heroes - Lilo is a major fan of Elvis and tries to reach Stitch through the King), something many live-action movies often forget. "Lilo & Stitch" would be something worth seeing even if it wasn't a Disney film; seeing that it is... moving forward was always one of Walt's credos. It's encouraging to see that they're actually capable of following his ethos without the help of Pixar.

One major flaw though: in spite of the presence of Elvis, Wynonna and Alan Silvestri, the British release version has well-known song-murderer Gareth Gates slaughtering "Suspicious Minds" over the end credits. Thank heaven someone invented the "mute" button.