Lilo & Stitch
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As Stitch, a runaway genetic experiment from a faraway planet, wreaks havoc on the Hawaiian Islands, he becomes the mischievous adopted alien "puppy" of an independent little girl named Lilo and learns about loyalty, friendship, and ʻohana, the Hawaiian tradition of family.
What critics thought
Broadly well-received on release, the film won critics over with its watercolor-background aesthetic, Elvis-scored irreverence, and willingness to engage with genuinely messy family dynamics rather than tidy Disney uplift. The main fault line was whether the Lilo-and-Stitch relationship actually lands emotionally or simply coasts on a borrowed E.T. structure — a few critics found the central bond thin and the early anarchic energy slowly suffocated by feature-film formula.
“It's one of the most charming feature-length cartoons of recent years—funny, sassy, startling, original and with six songs by Elvis. It doesn't get sickeningly sweet at the end, it has as much stuff in it for grown-ups as for kids, and it has a bright offbeat look to it.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“Looser and less obviously formulaic in its fresh approach to our hearts, the brash [film] has an unleashed, subversive sense of humor that's less corporate and more uninhibited than any non-Pixar Disney film has been in time out of mind.”
Kenneth Turan·Los Angeles Times
“the animation in Lilo & Stitch has an engaging retro-simple vivacity, and it's nice to see a movie for tots make use of Elvis Presley, but the story is witless and oddly defanged. Stitch gets discovered by Lilo, a temperamental Hawaiian girl who's the whiniest of whiny brats. These two become friends in theory only: There's so little connection between them that just about the only thing sustaining the movie is its vague E.T. outline.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“the promising anarchy of the first 10 or 15 minutes is suppressed.”
Mick LaSalle·San Francisco Gate
“With its sharp wit and its portrayal of how broken families sometimes fit back together, Lilo would make a fine summer double feature alongside About a Boy, another film that stays funny while dancing around a tiny abyss.”
Keith Phipps·The A.V. Club
Accolades
Genres
Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Cast & Crew
Chris SandersDirector
Dean DeBloisDirector
Daveigh ChaseLilo (voice)
Chris SandersStitch (voice)
Tia CarrereNani (voice)
David Ogden StiersJumba (voice)
Kevin McDonaldPleakley (voice)
Ving RhamesCobra Bubbles (voice)
Zoe CaldwellGrand Councilwoman (voice)
Jason Scott LeeDavid Kawena (voice)
Kevin Michael RichardsonCaptain Gantu (voice)
Amy HillMrs. Hasagawa (voice)
Steve AltermanAdditional Voices (voice)
Alan SilvestriComposerLilo & Stitch
As Stitch, a runaway genetic experiment from a faraway planet, wreaks havoc on the Hawaiian Islands, he becomes the mischievous adopted alien "puppy" of an independent little girl named Lilo and learns about loyalty, friendship, and ʻohana, the Hawaiian tradition of family.
What critics thought
Broadly well-received on release, the film won critics over with its watercolor-background aesthetic, Elvis-scored irreverence, and willingness to engage with genuinely messy family dynamics rather than tidy Disney uplift. The main fault line was whether the Lilo-and-Stitch relationship actually lands emotionally or simply coasts on a borrowed E.T. structure — a few critics found the central bond thin and the early anarchic energy slowly suffocated by feature-film formula.
“It's one of the most charming feature-length cartoons of recent years—funny, sassy, startling, original and with six songs by Elvis. It doesn't get sickeningly sweet at the end, it has as much stuff in it for grown-ups as for kids, and it has a bright offbeat look to it.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“Looser and less obviously formulaic in its fresh approach to our hearts, the brash [film] has an unleashed, subversive sense of humor that's less corporate and more uninhibited than any non-Pixar Disney film has been in time out of mind.”
Kenneth Turan·Los Angeles Times
“the animation in Lilo & Stitch has an engaging retro-simple vivacity, and it's nice to see a movie for tots make use of Elvis Presley, but the story is witless and oddly defanged. Stitch gets discovered by Lilo, a temperamental Hawaiian girl who's the whiniest of whiny brats. These two become friends in theory only: There's so little connection between them that just about the only thing sustaining the movie is its vague E.T. outline.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“the promising anarchy of the first 10 or 15 minutes is suppressed.”
Mick LaSalle·San Francisco Gate
“With its sharp wit and its portrayal of how broken families sometimes fit back together, Lilo would make a fine summer double feature alongside About a Boy, another film that stays funny while dancing around a tiny abyss.”
Keith Phipps·The A.V. Club
Accolades
Genres
Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Cast & Crew
Chris SandersDirectorDean DeBloisDirectorDaveigh ChaseLilo (voice)Chris SandersStitch (voice)Tia CarrereNani (voice)David Ogden StiersJumba (voice)Kevin McDonaldPleakley (voice)Ving RhamesCobra Bubbles (voice)Zoe CaldwellGrand Councilwoman (voice)Jason Scott LeeDavid Kawena (voice)Kevin Michael RichardsonCaptain Gantu (voice)Amy HillMrs. Hasagawa (voice)Steve AltermanAdditional Voices (voice)Alan SilvestriComposerStream
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