It’s a silly, little Disney cartoon about an alien whose spaceship crash lands in Hawaii. So why does it reduce me to a blubbering mess of snot and tears every time I watch it?
Oh, yeah. Cuz it’s also a HEARTBREAKING ODE to the FRAGILITY OF FAMILY and one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL ANIMATED FILMS ever produced.
It’s been over a decade since Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois’ animated masterpiece, Lilo & Stitch, first landed in movie theaters. Although it was easily one of the more…um, unorthodox animated films that Disney had released, it was an immediate hit with critics and audiences alike. Adorable and unforgettable, Stitch quickly joined the stable of go-to characters for Disney’s many marketing and merchandising needs. Hell, they even hastily re-themed a Tomorrowland ride in order to make his presence stronger in the parks!
In the ensuing years, Lilo & Stitch has lost none of its magic. The sarcastic yet sentimental script still packs a wallop. The character designs look as fresh now as they first did. The voice work never fails to feel both hilarious and heartfelt. The energy and artistry of the animation (care of Andreas Deja and Alex Kupershmidt, among many, many others) is still a wonder to watch, and the gorgeous watercolor backgrounds have yet to be topped via CGI.
While rumor has it that John Lasseter hates L&S, methinks Walt would’ve loved it. After all, with the lion’s share of Disney’s modern animated flicks taking their cues from Snow White and Cinderella, this is the only one to blend the tenderness of Dumbo with the irascible insanity of the original Mickey Mouse shorts.
Me, personally? I love Lilo & Stitch. The film slays me every time I watch it. The way that Sanders and DeBlois managed to blend quirky comedy with a heart-breaking treatise on the meaning of family is an artistic feat on par with Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, Mamoru Hosoda’s Summer Wars, and Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid.
I still find myself tearing up during Stitch’s final scene with the Grand Councilwoman. (“This is my family. I found it, all on my own. Is little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good.”) Never mind the scene on the bed between Lilo and Nani. (“I like you better as a sister than a mom. And you like me better as a sister than a rabbit, right?”) I can’t be the only one who feels this way.
Maybe it’s my being a product of a ‘broken’ family, but this film really resonates with me. There is something so achingly honest about the way that Sanders and DeBlois portray the emotional fragility and combustibility of Nani, Lilo and Stitch. When arguments arise, it’s a roll of the dice as to whether they’re going to cry, scream or tear off down the hallway in a huff. This is exactly how it is with my make-shift family. And just as with me and mine, throughout it all, there’s an equal and opposite set of emotions also at play: The unconditional love, the unfathomable affection and the intuitive understanding, all colliding and combining to create a bond that’s wholly unbreakable.
Lilo & Stitch helped me immeasurably in a time of tragedy. When my pops killed himself, leaving my kid sister and I as late-in-life orphans, L&S‘s repeated mantra of ‘ohana‘ (“Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind…or forgotten.”) and its focus on keeping a fractured family together (as well as being open to adding new members to it), hit me like an uncut speed-ball of spiritual strength and emotional stamina. While it would be hyperbolic to say that I wouldn’t have survived the experience without Lilo & Stitch, it would be equally untrue to say that it did not help. A lot.
Lest you think this movie is nothing more than an incredibly maudlin melodrama, let me quickly list a few of its more effervescent elements. You’ve got the hyperactive hi-jinx of Lilo and Stitch. The Laurel and Hardy antics of Jumba and Pleakley. Nani’s attempts to land a job. David’s attempts to land Nani. The extended surfing sequence (BREATHTAKING!), the ingenious inclusion of Elvis (the man, the myth, the music), and the chase scenes (lots and LOTS of chase scenes).
To recap:
Tears of sadness. Tears of joy. Tears from simply laughing too damned hard.
All of this from a silly, little cartoon about an alien whose spaceship crash lands in Hawaii. Not too shabby, eh?
A few choice quotes:
Lilo (pulling a doll out of her backpack): This is Scrump. I made her. But her head is too big, so I pretended that a bug laid eggs in her ear, and she’s upset because she has only a few more days to…
Lilo: We’re a broken family, aren’t we?
Nani: No. Maybe a little. Maybe a lot. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.
Lilo: We’re sisters. It’s our job.
Nani: Yeah, well, from now on…
Lilo: I like you better as a sister than a mom.
Lilo (while creating voodoo dolls of her playmates): My friends need to be punished.
Pleakley: Look! A mosquito has chosen me as her perch. She’s so beautiful. Look, another one! And another one! Why, it’s a whole flock! They like me! They’re nuzzling my flesh with their noses! Now they’re… they’re… Aaaaaaaah!
Lilo: You came back!
Stitch: Nobody gets left behind.
Some of my favorite scenes from the film:
The beautiful opening credits sequence:
The Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride scene:
This Is My Family:
