Lilo and Stitch

So I started out watching this movie already having a bit of a prejudice against Stitch.  Here's why: there's a ride in Disney called Stitch's Great Escape.  It used to be Alien Encounter, and was super scary.  I would never have gone on it in a million years.  But everyone said with Stitch it wasn't scary at all, in fact it was kind of lame, so I reluctantly gave it a try.  Well let me tell you, I'm just a big old wuss because that ride scared the heck out of me.  I don't like being in a pitch black room feeling things running over my head and burping in my face, and whatever else went on during that ride.  Yeah, I may have been in tears a little bit cause that freaked me out.  So needless to say, I haven't been a huge Stitch fan since then.

As it turns out, though, the movie is pretty cute.  I mean, I do have a few issues with it.  Lilo does not come off as a likable character in the beginning for me - but that may be because I'm sick of dealing with annoying young children after spending a year subbing in elementary schools.  And even though Stitch comes around in the end, I never would have let that monster terrorize my house!  No matter how cute he turned out to be!

But on to the good stuff.  The plot was fun, and the movie was never slow.  They definitely kept it interesting. And the characters were unique, especially compared to other Disney movies.  It wasn't the same type of predictable story line (for the most part) that we see with children's movies.  There were also some good characters, especially the government social worker, who seems so scary at first but then turns out to be hilarious.

One other fun thing with this movie: the trailers were awesome.  There were a few of them, and they started with a typical scene from a Disney movie, such as Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin.  But then Stitch comes crashing in to wreak havoc.  It's really cute.  You can see them on the DVD or watch them on youtube.

Jason says:  "I like the dynamic of the characters.  I was intrigued by who the bad guys were in that movie, and how it wasn't always clear."

The Music
The soundtrack for this movie fits it very well.  There is a good amount of Hawaiian music, which makes sense.  Elvis also has a very large presence, and it works.  I don't normally pay too much attention to soundtracks when the songs aren't sung by the characters and really incorporated into the movie, but this one was really good.

The Villain
Jason hinted at this above, but the movie kind of tricks you in terms of determining who the villain is.  At first it would seem to be Jumba or Stitch, because they have endangered their race due to Stitch's destructive existence.  In Hawaii, Cobra Bubbles, the social worker, at first seems to be the bad guy.  But once we realize that Stitch is actually quite lovable, it's Gantu and the intergalactic federation that are the bad guys by trying to take him away!  BUT - when the federation realizes that he's harmless, they allow him to remain there!  So really, everyone seems like a bad guy but then turns out to be pretty okay in the end.  Except for Gantu, so I guess he would be the "real" villain in all of this.  A very interesting way of treating the "evil" in the film, and more realistic than the typical wicked witch.

The WDW Connection
People must like Stitch a lot, because he's certainly got a presence in WDW.  For one, there is that ride I mentioned earlier, Stitch's Great Escape.  At the Polynesian resort there is a restaurant called Ohana, which serves Hawaiian food family style, themed around the idea of Ohana and family in Lilo and Stitch.  In addition, if you do breakfast there you can meet Lilo and Stitch.

Becky's rating:  7.5 out of 10
Jason's rating:  8.5 out of 10