I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but life is quite busy. However, now, I am all yours (lucky you). Also, I will be posting on Mondays now.
Ooooh. Parallels.
This is Chris Sanders. He wrote and directed Lilo and Stitch in addition to being the voice of Stitch.
Lilo and Stitch
The movie opens at the Galactic Federation Headquarters. I'm only assuming that this is something you would capitalize. Also, I would assume this is something you would make into an abbreviation. The GFH for instance, because that just sounds so much more secretive and awesome. The GFH is located on planet Turo...which is really just a big space ship. Oh, and everything is blue....because all aliens are blue.
Not so original now are you, Mr. Cameron?
So this mad scientist named Jumba is on trial for creating this lil' blue guy named Experiment 626 (spoiler: he's Stitch). Poor guy is only a number. Also, does this mean that Jumba has made 625 other live creations? If so, where are they and why is the government only finding out about it now? Come on, GFH! Get your act together.
The grand councilwoman accuses Jumba of creating a monster.
I'm trembling with fear right now.
So a bunch of excitement happens and this guy...no joke because I'm not creative enough to make this up...vomits metal pieces! I swear it. I couldn't find a picture but if you need proof watch the opening of Lilo and Stitch. You won't be disappointed.
The grand councilwoman (kudos to Turo for promoting women in leadership...even if she does have disgusting cheek bones and is racist against blue guys) declares 626 a product of a deranged mind (sorry Jumba) and sentences 626 to termination and Jumba to prison. So that's a bummer. 626, however, valiantly escapes, kicks some galactic butt, and blows this metaphorical popsicle stand. Who's the product of a deranged mind now, suckers? 626, struggling with an oafish creature named Captain Gantu, manages to steal the smaller ship off of the mother ship because the gaurd, as per movie security guard conduct, is sleeping. Thus begins a space battle that would put Star Wars to shame. 626, being the boss he is, manages to escape the grumpy space people and fly down to our humble little planet Earth.
Grand Councilwoman is not happy. Who knows if she's mad at Stitch or is just upset to be born with those cheekbones.
So 626 plummets down to Earth...more specifically Hawaii. I'd like to take a moment to express how truly unfair this is. Most of us save our whole lives for a trip to Hawaii and still sometimes don't get there. This random alien experiment falls out of the sky and just so happens to land in Hawaii. HAWAII!
Back to the subject...on planet Turo, the grand councilwoman, wallowing in her anger and unrealistic bone structure, consults a scientist named Pleakley who seems to be an expert on Earth. In fact, he confesses that they've been using Earth to rebuild the mosquito population. Thanks for that. Obviously they cannot send a one-eyed goofball to Earth alone to retrieve a "dangerous" product of a deranged mind, so they do the only reasonable thing and decide to send Jumba with him. That's right, the deranged mind himself.
You know how the saying goes: five eyes are better than one.
Then we meet the most adorable little whippersnapper that Disney's ever seen. Unfortunately this whippersnapper happens to be late for a hula recital (no cliche here). This opening should remind you of a certain red-headed mermaid. That's right, only Disney can make allusions to itself. We also have the first appearance of the famous mysterious tan line guy:
I'm actually quite impressed with how his flip flops match his shorts. That's classy.
Let's talk a little about the importance of Lilo for a moment. Disney specializes in teenagers and young adults. Now they are introducing a spirited, independent heroine much younger than usual. Most people forget that it's highly important to have a young, relatable role model for children as children are Disney's main demographic. Children can look up to Cinderella and Mulan but they can't relate. Children understand Lilo and share many of her problems. They understand the feeling of exclusion from the adult world and being underestimated. Lilo is a much-needed, should-be Disney princess that speaks to the younger generations.
Lilo makes it to the hula recital (not on time but better late than never). The other little girls give her some hate for it though, to which she provides the decent excuse of having to buy peanut butter for a weather-controlling fish who rejects cannibalism (once again, not making this up). Lilo's determination to feed Pudge, and to feed him properly, foreshadows one of her greatest qualities: loyalty.
Lilo is called weird by this annoying soulless ginger (please do not take offense if you are indeed of the fire-haired persuasion), and a fight ensues which ends in Lilo sitting alone on the steps waiting for her sister to come pick her up. This ultimately reinforces the idea of how hard it is to be a child. No-one is ever able to see your way of thinking because children think differently. Too many forget what it's like to be young and consequentially don't know how to treat young people.
Lilo, being the little fireball that she is, follows the other girls and makes a genuine apology which they reject because they're stupid. She even shows them her doll that she handmade herself.
I like how there is a literal button where the belly button goes. Genius.
Scrump is made out of all sorts of stuff that Lilo scrounged up, and even though she is flawed and not like other dolls, she is beautiful to Lilo and still just as fun and worthy. In other words, Scrump is a metaphor for Lilo. They are both imperfect but beautiful. They stand out and have a hard time fitting in, but in the end they are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Lilo is upset with the other girls rejection of Scrump so she throws her down but then comes back. The retrieval of Scrump is, once again, reinforcing Lilo's strong sense of loyalty.
Nani, Lilo's older sister, then comes to pick Lilo up and is frustrated to learn that Lilo left. Let's talk about Nani, shall we? Nani is my personal hero. This lady is taking care of her younger sister without any legal obligation to, working, probably struggling financially, and grieving for her deceased parents. This woman is magical, let me tell you. So many would crack under that kind of pressure but this woman stays strong and still rocks the crop top. Which is another point: This movie, in contrast to many other Disney movies, features heroes and heroines who look real. This movie shows men and women who are confident in their average bodies and gives viewers something to relate to.
Back to the plot...please take note that on her hurried way home to find Lilo, Nani does some damage to an anonymous car. She's only human. When she gets home, Lilo has locked her out, because why not. A man appears at the door who is supposedly a social worker named Mr. Bubbles (seriously?).
I think he looks like he just got back from taking a bullet for the president or something like that.
This scene is just nonstop comedy. It's classic sibling rivalry and shenanigans that everyone feels comfortable with and understands. Mr. Bubbles is taking a peek around the house when he finds Lilo with a voodoo book and a pickle jar and such. "My friends need to be punished." The fact that Lilo still refers to the group of girls who ostracized and ridiculed her as friends adds to the confirmation of her loyalty.
After the huge Nani/Lilo fight scene the two inevitably make up. Try and think about how genuinely hard it would be to have to be a sister AND a mother. I don't even know if it's possible. There has to be such a precise balance of authority and friendship; plus you don't want authority to blur your sibling relationship.
Jumba finds 626 who promptly evades him by hiding in an animal shelter. Plot twist! Nani and Lilo decide to get a dog! Now we're getting somewhere. It is interesting, however, to think about how Nani and Lilo already have a dog door, meaning they had a dog, yet since they do not have one now, it must be dead. That means that not only do these two ladies have to mourn their parents but they also have to deal with the death of a pet. This is actually a pretty sad movie if you look at it a certain way.
Lilo looks through the shelter and sees 626 and, thinking he is a dog, wants to buy him.
....seems legit
I think that the major attraction to 626 was his oddities. Lilo is different and weird and so is 626. They are both misfits and both a perfect match. It wouldn't have been right for Lilo to get a normal dog. Lilo declares that she will name him Stitch to which the manager says, "That's not a real name." Can I just say, never, ever, ever devalue a child's creativity, originality, or ideas! They have young minds and are often more complicated than adults, yet so many feel the need to correct them on silly things like what they can and cannot name their pets. To people who do things like that: go sulk in your stupid reality and shut up while the rest of us indulge in perfect silliness.
Stitch is just as important of a character as Lilo. He has a hard time fitting in and is in a completely new place. He was cast aside by his own people and is constantly told he's a monster. I'm going to get to this more later.
Time moves on, Lilo makes an effort to become friends with the idiotic mean girls and learns the hard lesson that some people just suck and there isn't anything you can do about it. Pleakley and Jumba are stalking Stitch in hopes that they can catch him and return him to the GFH. They come up with some really convincing disguises too.
Another question that has been bothering me: HOW THE HECK DO ALL OF THE ORGANS FIT IN PLEAKLEY'S BODY??!! He must have super exclusive space organs that only aliens have.
Then we meet my man, David. David is pretty dang cool. I'll talk about him later.
Lilo is compensating maternally towards Stitch. Her mother is no longer with her so she feels the need to give Stitch a mother and does so by nurturing him. Nani is working hard in this scene but also tells David that she does not have the time to go out with him which highlights the sacrifices she makes for Lilo. Lilo mentions reading Nani's diary. The fact that Nani keeps a diary as a probable adult shows that she is still a child at heart and probably still suffers a lot of the things Lilo does. Nani just has to pretend to be strong for both of their sakes.
Trouble ensues as a result of Stitch and Nani gets fired from her job. Nani entertains Lilo's childhood fantasies by telling her that the manager is a vampire. This is the second time Nani has allowed Lilo to cherish her youthful imagination because we already know from the beginning of the film that Nani was making Lilo peanut butter sandwiches for the weather-manipulating fish every morning. Nani's role as the protector of Lilo's youth is very important because so far everyone has been trying to crush it (which is a fairly realistic don't you think?). She was scolded by the hula instructor for tardiness, told she was too weird for having a decent imagination by her peers, and was even told her naming abilities were not adequate by the pet adoption lady. Nani is the only thing allowing Lilo to have her childhood.
Nani is angry with Stitch (he did get her fired after all) and decides to throw him out. This is where the famous Ohana quote comes into play. "Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten." Grab your hankies, folks. Needless to say, Nani decides to keep Stitch, once again accommodating Lilo's youthfulness.
Meanwhile Pleakley and Jumba are camping outside of their house and stalking them which isn't creepy at all, by the way. Pleakley also learns the truth about mosquitoes the hard way.
Lilo tells Stitch that to be good, all he needs is a purpose. I find this interesting because this is the same predicament with children. They feel purposeless a lot of times which explains why they feel the need to take care of dolls (like Scrump) and help out. They are always trying to participate because society does not make their purpose known. Stitch and Lilo are ultimately perfect companions because they can relate to each other.
Then the Ugly Duckling analogy comes into play. This version is mostly about the duckling being lost and apart from his family, which is true for Stitch. Stitch does not have anyone to call family, and before Lilo he didn't have a single person on his side. Lilo fits the traditional ugly duckling story really well. She is rejected by the other girls for being different and has a hard time fitting in, yet despite the circumstances, she is still beautiful and lovable.
Mr. Bubbles makes another unwelcome appearance, and let's just say he doesn't "get" Stitch. The thing I like most about this movie is it faces real-world struggles as opposed to the normal Disney princess struggles. Jasmine's only struggle was that she didn't want to live in a palace or get married, for goodness sakes! Nani has a hard time getting a job, has to care for her younger sister, is grieving for deceased parents, faces the thought of having her sister taken away to be raised by strangers, tries to impress a jerk-face social worker, has to consistently turn down the greatest guy ever, not to mention having to find a way to afford taking care of herself and her little sister without any known form of experience. Your life doesn't seem so complicated now, does it?
David, in his awesome self, suggests some surfing to take her mind off of her problems. I will now proceed to make a list of reasons why David is the ideal man.
1. He's funny...maybe in a goofy way but isn't any way of making a girl laugh amazing?
2. He's talented. What girl doesn't want a professional fire dancer?
3. He's pragmatic. When Nani is feeling down he checks up on her and finds ways to solve her problems. Even if there's nothing he can do he will find something to take her mind off it.
4. He looks good shirtless. 'Nuff said?
5. He's nice to her little sister. We see this in the surf scene and is there really anything more attractive than a guy who's good with kids?
6. He's responsible. He takes care of Nani and Lilo.
7. He takes initiative. Initiative is what REAL men have. I will get to this later.
8. He sticks around when times get tough. When Nani's life goes up in flames, he is still there for her, regardless of her baggage.
9. He's brave. The dude works with fire for a living.
10. He's selfless. He puts Nani before himself.
11. He's persistent. No matter how much Nani rejects him, he is still platonically there for her while pursuing her romantically. He never gives up because she says no. He sticks with her and has patience.
Bonus picture!
So the surfing scene...
How great of a song is "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride"?
Two orphans, a bachelor, and an alien surfing. Does life get any better? So Stitch goes under as does Lilo. Guess who comes to the rescue? David! Refer to number 9 on the list. Not only does David save his girl's little sister but he even goes in for her "dog". That is true dedication and love. Disney also gives examples of real-life heroes in this movie. Women can't always count on Aladdin and his magic carpet or Prince Charming and his steed, but David will always be there when you need him. This is the most realistic Disney movie if you disregard the whole alien thing.
Mr. Bubbles returns and decides that Nani is not fit to raise Lilo, as he announces that he will pick her up later. There are a number of reasons why this is a bad decision. Even if Nani is financially unstable and inexperienced as a parent, Lilo is suffering so much grief already that being taken away from her sister would be absolutely devastating. That would lower her into a comatose state of depression. Next, Lilo is already having to deal with an unstable life. Turning her entire life upside down would be so psychologically tormenting. And lastly, we already addressed Lilo's lack of purpose. She does find purpose in Nani and Stitch though. Taking that away would be absolutely devastating. It would also rob Nani of her purpose. Let's face it, another family couldn't handle Lilo.
David expresses his devastation to Stitch. It is absolutely beautiful that David is sad when Nani loses Lilo because that would have been his opportunity to score a date with Nani. Her life would be less complicated and she would have an emotional void that he could fill. However, his sadness proves that Nani's happiness is more important to him than his own.
Nani and Lilo share this beautiful scene on a hammock on which Nani implies Lilo's departure. They have these flowers in their hands that they release into the air in a symbolic gesture of resolution with their impending separation.
How's that for Ohana?
Back in Lilo's room Stitch wants to leave and Lilo tells him that he can even though she'd like him to stay. Stitch decides to leave, showing that Lilo did the same for him as Nani did for her. She allowed someone she loved to leave even though she wanted that person there.
David shows up and says he found Nani a job. HOW PERFECT IS THIS MAN?!?! She just needs to pull this poor guy out of the friend-zone and into a relationship where he belongs. So Nani leaves to go get this job and Lilo is home alone. Big mistake.
Stitch is wandering around in the woods all lonely and such and encounters Jumba who basically breaks his heart and the hearts of millions of child audiences across America as he tells Stitch he can never have a family. Stitch obviously doesn't want to go to space prison so he books it for Lilo's house. Now a fight scene in itself is pretty awesome....but a fight scene with Elvis background music is just plain perfect. Stuff happens. Violence, hilarity, a big explosion. Suddenly, there's no house. Bummer, yo. Nani gets to the house and is a little frazzled. Mr. Bubbles also makes an appearance after Lilo calls him. Mr. Bubbles has had enough of Nani's shenanigans and tries to take Lilo away. That smart whippersnapper makes a run for it though while Nani and Bubbles verbally assault each other. Stitch reveals his true alien self to Lilo who is not at all happy. Then Captain Gantu grabs em' both. So that sucks. He sticks them in this little clear tubular thing, hooks it up to the space ship, and leaves. Nani sees and is not at all thrilled. Let's review the pros and cons of her day.
Pro: She has a job
Pro: She has a potential boyfriend
Con: She doesn't have a house
Con: Her sister has just been abducted by aliens.
So it's a pretty close toss up. Stitch escapes the tubular thing and leaves Lilo all alone. Let's talk about the tube-y thing shall we?
Lilo is in this glass tube looking at the world below her. This is a strong representation of how children often feel. She is isolated from the adult word and is looking at everyone else live their mature lives as she is forced into this box of who she should be. Children are always isolated because they "aren't old enough" or "not ready" or "too emotional". I'm not implying that these sayings are false and we should let five year olds drink beer and watch Friday the 13th. That's crazy. I am saying, however, that to younger kids, being labeled and not being able to do everything adults do is hurtful. Necessary, but saddening. Maybe that's how we build our emotional endurance. Also, look who else is seen in a glass tubular structure:
Nani almost goes berserk all over Stitch and demands he coughs up some dang information. So Stitch speaks and long story short they hop in a space ship to save Lilo. So here we have this long, intricate space ship chase which ends with a volcanic eruption. At one point, however, Stitch ends up on the highway next to a frog. This is important because Stitch sees this frog at the beginning of the film and tries to shoot it. In this sequence, however, he protects the amphibian, demonstrating his evolution from primitive space monster to adorable family man.
After the big fight they land in the ocean and are helped to shore by....DAVID! Who would've guessed? He is always there to help! Always! This guy is a keeper. Anyway, back on shore we see grand councilwoman high cheekbones. She apparently decided to take the "if you want something done right you have to do it yourself" motto and go get Stitch herself. Shout-out to strong independent woman who work for what they want. Unfortunately this one is our antagonist. Stitch gives his speech, my personal favorite line of the movie. "This is my family. I found it all by myself. It is little and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good." So basically if you're not crying right now, you are an awful human being.
She's about to escort him off the planet until Lilo hands her a certificate of adoption proving her ownership. Take that! Cheekbone lady's all like "seems legit" and let's Stitch go. She also subtly banishes Pleakely and Jumba. Also there is a mention of Bubbles being in the CIA or something and Roswell and secret stuff. So that's always nice. And they live happily ever after: Lilo, Nani, Stitch, David, Bubbles, Pleakley, and Jumba, proving that even the most unorthodox of families can be absolutely perfect.
Here's one for the road:
This is Chris Sanders. He wrote and directed Lilo and Stitch in addition to being the voice of Stitch.
He also wrote the screenplays for The Croods, How to Train Your Dragon, and Mulan. In addition he worked on the story concepts for Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Basically, this man is Disney. Hats off to you, Chris Sanders.
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