LEELO & STITCH (Lilo And Stitch (Special Edition, DVD))

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Lilo And Stitch (Special Edition, DVD)
Date:	29/10/02 (556 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Charming & funny

Disadvantages: You may not like Disney

Forgive the pronunciation but it seems to be the Hawaiian vernacular. So there we are looking for suitable movies at the local multiplex to fill the void that is half-term week. Having slalomed our way through the numerous nippers wondering about like refugee giraffes in a Toys-R-Us store, we finally negotiated our way to screen 4. Surrounded by the rustling of sweet wrappers and the inevitable kicks in the back from the obligatory restless child behind me, we settled down to take in Disney's 41st effort in their movie making sequence.

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Directed by: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders (III)

Writing credits: Chris Sanders (III)

Daveigh Chase ~ Lilo Pelekai (voice)
Chris Sanders (III) ~ Stitch (Experiment #626) (voice)
Tia Carrere ~ Nani Pelekai (voice)
Jason Scott Lee ~ David Kawena (voice)
David Ogden Stiers ~ Dr. Jumba Jookiba (voice)
Ving Rhames ~ Mr. Cobra Bubbles (voice)
Kevin McDonald (I) ~ Pleakley (voice)
Zoe Caldwell (I) ~ Grand Councilwoman (voice)
Kevin Michael Richardson ~ Captain Gantu (voice)

Running time: 85 mins
Cert: U
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Lilo (pronounced Leelo) is a little Hawaiian girl with a dysfunctional nature. With only her teenage sister to look after her, she is the classic misunderstood child with a tragic background. You kind of know her parents are dead, whilst her peers hardly help by isolating her at every opportunity. The opening scene plays out to Lilo and her friends on stage doing a grass skirt dance only for Lilo to be pulled off one of the other little innocents before she can punch her lights out.

Like the best in social security operations, the rather large coloured agent, Mr Bubbles (like an over-sized Man in Black) turns up to check on how the sisters



are coping on their own. Not impressed with what he sees, he gives them an ultimatum to get their act together with the threat implicit of taking Lilo into care.

Meanwhile, on another world - Stitch (pronounced Stitch) or, more accurately - Experiment 626 - is a biological experiment gone wrong. Subject to a destruction order at the trial of his rogue creator - Dr Jookba - Stitch the alien experiment escapes in a spacecraft. Engaging the hyper-drive (a suitable homage to movies like Star Wars), the cross between a dog and a lizard turns up on Earth persued by his creator along with general do-gooder Pleakley.

As you'd expect, Lilo and Stitch's paths cross in down town Hawaii as Lilo adopts Stitch who, by now, is masquerading as a rather ugly dog and the rest of the plot is taken with the doomed attempts to recover the renegade alien canine before he fulfils his programming based on destruction.

Lilo & Stitch is almost wholly down to Chris Sanders who is the current darling of the Disney animation set up. He wrote, directed and voiced the movie and I recall from our trip to the States last year, seeing the storyboards on a tour of MGM studios, the awe in which he is held by the parent company. Dean DeBlois, co-wrote and directed along with Sanders having been involved with Mulan (1998).

The first thing you notice about the movie is the animation. The CGI feel to recent movies like Jimmy Neutron is passed over in favour of a paint and water style effect. This is much more the traditional Disney style and is easy on the eye. The movements themselves don't seem as sharp as the more computer-orientated productions but, in exchange, the movie takes on an extra charm of bygone years that adds to the family feel.

The story itself is simplicity itself with the requisite comic capers ensuing. The plot has a 50's B-movie atmosphere what with mad scientists and strange looking entities from other world
s. There are plenty of visual gags and the inclusion of a soundtrack that pays homage t
o Elvis Presley seems bang up to date with the old swinger currently in vogue. The anarchic scenes played out to the tune of "Devil in disguise" provide one of the many highlights of a film that could patronise but eventually ends up warming the heart.

As the centre of the story is the traditional Disney message based on family values counting for much. The phrase often used throughout is "no-one gets left behind" which neatly provides the rip-roaring but predictable finale. Never slow to teach the audience a thing or 2, the Disney storyboard reflects on the isolation of children brought up outside the nuclear family unit; the role of social services and how we should all stick together because things turn out for the best that way. Never at more than a cursory level, veterans of Disney will be used to the moralising by now and take it in their stride and, on this occasion, it isn't to the detriment of a good Disney outing.

There were lots of things I liked about the movie but the acid test, as ever, was whether the kids liked it. They both said they did and after a de-brief made the following additional observations:

 Tia Carrere is a fox.or..erm..that's my observation actually (Oriental bass playing babe from Wayne's World).

 They enjoyed the upbeat sound track mainly based around Elvis Presley hits. In fact, it got the kids in the audience boogying in their seats along with a few moms and dads who were a bit more discreet.

 They liked the playful scenes based around Stitch's destructive nature including the bedroom seen where, when challenged to create something for a change; he/it made a mini San Francisco from toys.

 The tropical setting lent a feeling of escapism that the main characters made their own replete in flowery shirts and shorts and plenty
of beach settings (the sub plot based around the mutual attraction between Nani the teenage sister and David the wholesome, handsome surf boarder was a bit icky though).

 They warmed to the harmless villains of the piece i.e. Pleakley and Dr Joobika almost certainly knowing that their attempts at capture was doomed to farce.

 The fast-paced, anarchic finale proved a suitable wrap for the conclusion albeit the lack of outtakes as the final credits ran is always a disappointment these days.

So, 85 minutes later the final verdict was that Lilo & Stitch is one to go and see. Suitable for all, it's a family film that won't challenge the adults that much but then a couple of hours of innocent fun never hurt anyone...did it?

Lilo & Stitch is currently at cinemas across the country.

Thanks for reading

Marandina

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