Film Reviews

Lilo and Stitch

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Daveigh Chase
• Details: US / 95 mins / (G).

Although Lilo and Stitch may represent a reversion to the more traditional stylistics of animated films, the theme of this charming film is one unaffected by technological advancement; the Disney favourites of friendship and acceptance. In the early scenes of the movie, on a faraway planet, a disgraced scientist has been convicted of conducting an illegal genetic experiment. The product of his experiment is a vicious blue creature that seems to be driven by its destructive tendencies. This creature, Experiment 626, is banished, but before the sentence can be carried out, the little critter escapes and somehow lands in Hawaii. It's there that he encounters the deeply unhappy Lilo, a quick tempered young girl who is being raised by her older sister, Nani (voiced by Tia Carrere). Trouble is not far behind as the creature's creator and his sidekick are hot on his trail, while Nani and Lilo have problems of their own.
To call Lilo and Stitch 'old fashioned' would be doing it a major disservice but there is a familiar feel to this gloriously and gorgeously rendered film. More interested in establishing a mood and characters than engaging in any pointless action sequences, Lilo and Stitch is an intelligent and worthwhile animated that despite not packing the instant thrill of the likes of Shrek is still a major, albeit subtle, success.

Review by Garreth Murphy