My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analyses: "Lilo & Stitch" - The Alien and Hawaiian Heartfelt Comedy That Was the Only Hit in the Post-Reneissance Dark Age

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.

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I`m going to sing you a lullaby about the boogeyman :)

Yes, I know this looks strange
to ya for being a human thing.
But humans creates strange
things, anyways :)

Every bad period has it`s Diamond in the Rough. During Disney`s Dark Age that followed the Renaisssance there`s was only one odd film that truly stood out. And that is Lilo & Stitch. This oddly titled film (no offense) who`s now over 20 years old, is truly an oddity among the Post-Renaissance. Not only for it`s odd elements, but because it turned out to be the only Hit among this dark period. In fact, it`s success is nothing but a sheer irony, due to how the movie was made on a smaller Budget than it`s counterparts (especially compared to it`s follower, Treasure Planet). But in that regard, Lilo & Stitch turned out to be something of a last of it`s kind.

We`re doing a blend of
Macarena, The Ketchup Song
and Gangnam Style :) It will
be huge :)

Released in a time where it was evident that CGI animation was meant to stay, Stitch happened to be the very last Hand Drawn Animated Feature from Disney to bring in a huge profit ($145,794,338 Domestically and $273,144,151 Worldwide. And Disney had very high hopes for it). But Lilo happened to be a beloved property, nonetheless. Getting good reviews and having an overall big fanbase and ratings. So it`s position is simply a good one. Despite how Lilo was among the experimental phase after the Renaissance and didn`t exactly felt like a Disney movie (just like The Emperor`s New Groove and Atlantis The Lost Empire), it still happens to be an oddity in Disney Animation for more reasons than one.

Lilo & Stitch`s Trademarks and Components

I`m proud of my child,
because I didn`t gave birth to
him :) So I didn`t had to make
the hard work :)

Released June 21th 2002, Lilo & Stitch happened to be the first of two major releases in 2002 (preceeding Treasure Planet for five months). But to this date, it happens to be the last Summer release for an animated feature from Disney (due to how Disney became profitable again during the Revival era, it`s noteworthy that they`ve never had a Summer release in 20 years). But just like Planet, Lilo happens to share a similar setting which Disney hadn`t tapped on before: Aliens in space. Lilo is also about an child who bonds with a pet (and yes, some people have compared it to E.T. for that lone reason). Something that Disney had done before, but rarely something that centered around the main characters. Lilo also happened to be set in a contemporary time (the first film since The Rescuers Down Under). But still not as deliberately timely to date the film as it could`ve done.

Guess who`s the commoner
among us? :)

It was also Disney`s first foray into Polynesian culture (and yes, preceeding 2016`s Moana). But what makes the picture more strange is the music. To have none other than Elvis Presley for their soundtrack (which was chosen due to Sanders` own interest in the King. Despite that he took it out, until the crew urged him to put it on again). While the choice is questionable indeed, we`ll have to remember that the King is linked to the Islands (the first time where Elvis songs were used on a RCA soundtrack.

The tear from your eye made
me swoon :)

And the movie used every rule about Elvis that you need license for. As changing the lyrics, talking about him and imitating him). And having Wynonna Judd and A-Teens covering the end credit songs. With the exception of two Native Hawaiian songs by Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu (He Mele No Lilo was a hybrid used from two ancient chants) Alan Silvestri was the composer and was chosen because of his sense of whimsy, sensibility and sincerity.

Don`t get used to it, the sand
will melt someday :)

What also differiantes Lilo & Stitch is (as aforementioned) the low budget (the lowest since The Lion King). And that it`s rendered in watercolor for the first time since Dumbo. Both were deliberate choices, in order to mirror Dumbo. And make a smaller picture in the same vein. While it was a challenge for the crew, cause they thought it would cost too much and be too time-consuming, it happened to be the opposite. Lilo was the second of three films made by the Florida studio between Mulan and Brother Bear (who oddly enough made pictures featuring non-White characters). Who were chosen for their flexibility and dedication.

Yes, I wanted to show that
even aliens likes the King :)

While Lilo has it`s fair share of sentiment, it`s labeled as a comedy, first and foremost. Even though it`s technically pretty much both (despite how the humor is dark and twisted). The film was also screened in Cannes Film Festival and premiered in Hollywood Boulevard, Honolulu and Graceland. Lilo was also the first Disney feature since Pocahontas to have opening credits as well (which was a deliberate choice).

The Origins of Lilo & Stitch

Yeah, even a doglike
creature can be an agent :)

The origins for Lilo & Stitch began in 1984 from writer/director Chris Sanders (who worked as a story guy on the Disney Renaissance). And from Stitch himself, who was created way before Lilo. The project was going to be a childrens book. But the idea was finally hatched in the fall of 1997 as a project meant to take risks. And to be fresh, unpredictable and odd. And Sanders wanted to direct. There wasn`t originally so much a story around Stitch, besides that he was an outcast and orphaned alien animal (for his looks) in the forest. Who`s oblivious of where he came from and could make sounds from the weather (thunder when he was happy, rain when he was worried). But Stitch didn`t even have a name back then.

They loved the story so
much that they wanted
to invade me like the
birds did with Beast :)

The project was a secret kept from the rest of the studio, as Sanders thought it could benefit from it. Thomas Schumaker suggested to place Stitch among humans in a small place (which sparked the idea of Lilo, who was going to mirror an earlier, criminal version of Stitch). Originally the setting wasn`t going to be Hawaii, but Kansas. But Hawaii was chosen since Sanders had been there on vacation. Lilo was also the directorial debut of layout/storyguy, Dean DeBlois, who Sanders approached (despite some rumors about The Lion King`s Roger Allers directing). Lilo was also Clark Spencer`s debut as a producer. And Chris Williams was also among the storyguys.

I know that I look
huggable, but I`m not :)

Originally Stitch was among a gang of criminals, but they never worked. So to sympathize with Stitch, he became a creation. Jumba (voiced by late Disney veteran David Ogden Stiers, who was a challenge to cast for the comedic timing of the Russian accent) originally started as a bounty hunter for Stitch and was a member of his gang who were looking for him at Earth. Originally Stitch wasn`t going to speak, to see if he would work in pantomime. But due to his naughty nature, he needed to make sounds. The crew wanted a sound guy for the voice, but when Sanders did the voice to annoy his collegaes, DeBlois suggested Sanders.

The elephants from the
parade of Dumbo
painted me :)

The team couldn`t really pronounce the title, as Roy Disney asked "what the heck is a Stitch?". He was first repulsed by it, because it sounded generic and trite, but then charmed. The directors found the writing process too personal, so therefore they didn`t hire writers. The team was overall small. The drawing style came from Sanders himself, which was the reason that Schumaker fell in love with the pitch. The characters were designed to look like his drawings, but made it difficult for the others to draw. Since they were too soft and rounded. Andreas Deja revealed early on that the film was going to be in a cartoony style.

Behind the Scenes Information

Don`t get fooled by this
picture, Stitch is actually
crying behind me :)

Stitch himself was supervised by Alex Kupersmidth, making his first lead character. Who thought that his lack of pupils would be difficult, it made him more intrigued for making it more difficult to the audience that he`s thinking. So it was pretty challenging. Kupersmidth even made an anatomy drawing of his skelleton. And his words were was deliberately meant to be broken English, in order to make it sincere. DeBlois' Boston terrier, Theodore, made his slurps and snorts.

Yes, I know that he looks like
he wants to eat me. But he`s
actually singing :)

Andreas Deja (Triton, Gaston, Jafar, Scar) was the first animator on board and loved that it was so different. He felt a connection to Lilo. And while he did some concept art of all the characters, the directors proposed Lilo to him. To keep her chubby was how kids likes round characters. To make the audience wanting to pinch her. But Lilo was the most difficult character Deja had to supervise, due to her complex emotions. And he had trouble with her eyes, since they were far from each chin. Daveigh Chase was chosen as Lilo for her haunted quality of her voice. And nailed the dark side of Lilo, without any coaching on her first audition (her last lines were recorded first due to how a child grows).

We were trying to do the
Wingapo :)

The production of Lilo took four years. The crew worked on three or four paintings at once. And had to learn to paint watercolor in seven months (they had to paint outside a lot to get the feeling). And yes, actual watercolor paintings was better than those who tried to replicate the look. Still, the crew wanted to have lives besides their job as well, so they worked less. The crew spent two weeks in Hawaii (in April/May 1999). And since the budget was small, they had cut back the music from other areas. And pull money to the music from other sources. The songs were originally about Hawaiian history, but rewritten to celebrate the culture (and Hawaiians thanked Disney for treating their culture respectfully). Mark choreographed the dance in He Mele No Lilo, where the animators weren`t allowed to make mistakes due to the cultural significance.

Yes, this will be a new ride at
Disney World :)

Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride was originally going to be cut, as it followed a previous montage. But was warranted to stay since test audience loved it. And it was originally only going to be in Hawaiian, but also had English, since certain terms are difficult to translate. And to make the juggling between the languages fun for the kids. Lilo was influenced by Hayao Miyazaki for creating genuine relationships in fantasy. However, the climax with the spaceship in downtown was changed due to 9/11 right away. Without even discussing the costs. Both directors loves wackiness and the macabre.The crew wanted the running time to be at 75 minutes.

Ignore the koala behind us :)

Lilo was

planned for Spring 2002. But because of the Hawaiian setting, Disney thought it'd be a great summer movie. And pushed Treasure Planet to Thanksgiving 2002, since it was experiencing production delays. But as for the reaction of the executives, Michael Eisner said it was weird in a good way. Even Thomas Schumaker called the movie "the best movie the studios ever done".

The Plot & The Human Aspects of the Characters

Yeah, my frog doesn`t
look bad. But he has a
weapon bigger than
any laser :)

As for the plot of Lilo & Stitch, there`s no denial that it`s both radical and offbeat (no offense to the screenwriters). But still Lilo has been praised to make it work. The human side of the story was to balance the wacky sci-fi elements, cause it was pretty tongue-in-cheek and silly. Despite being radically different in many ways, Lilo does pretty much recycle what has been the most overused Disney trademark from the Renaissance: An outcast, orphaned hero. Which is truly the case of Lilo. What makes it more remarkable is how Lilo`s situation is essentially more modern. Her guardian is her sister Nani (Tia Carrere) and their family is threatened by a social worker to split them apart (Cobra Bubbles, who was going to be a straight character. But changed into a terminator type to make him funnier and original. Which also was the reason for his name. And Ving Rhames was in mind from the get-go). Their broken situation does give the story some pathos and poignancy.

Ain`t I cute when I`m
showing my sexy
football knee? :)

But what truly differentiates Lilo is the flawed aspect of the characters. While animated characters are usually more flawed and relatable than people give them credit for (if you really think about it), they`re mostly labeled as archetypes who embodies only evil or goodness. But with Lilo there was a delibarate attempt to make the characters flawed and relatable. Which certainly could be said about Lilo, who`s callous and spiteful girl at the beginning. Which certainly makes her a more well-rounded and real character. The same with Nani, a sister who`s apparently much older (which made the audience confused at first, as they thought she was her mother. While the crew were hesitant if the arguing was appropriate to an audience, they wanted it to be real and relatable).

At least it`s better
than School-Book
Yearbook
pictures :)

However, there was a deliberate attempt to not have a specific villain to this picture and have a non-villain policy, in order to begin the story where the usual Disney film ends. Despite that there are some antagonists (Gantu and the Councilwoman), they don`t become straight villains. Which is something that could be said about Stitch. Who is selfish and callous at the beginning, but eventually goes through an arc. Since Nani is essentially the closest Lilo has to an adult Disney heroine, she`s logically given a love interest, David (Jason Scott Lee). But it`s insubstantial enough to not overshadow the main story. Both David and Cobra were beyond the original outlines. But both have different, deliberate functions, as David is about expanding the family. And yes, Lilo was essentially the first Disney animated feature to show a deliberate dynamic between sisters, which made it comparable to a certain movie about an Ice Queen (which frustrated Sanders for the praise Frozen received).

The Flaws of the Situations of the Characters

Forgive me, I`m only a baby.
I can`t help it :)

However, one of the biggest flaws in Lilo & Stitch (in my opinion) is essentially the delination between the stakes of the main characters. And how clunkily the situations are played after our duo meets. The story juggles between the different tensions of their situations. But truth to be told, it`s Lilo`s situation who`s essentially the most compelling one. She`s the one of the duo who`s suffered an actual trauma, is going to be taken away by some Agency and therefore her situation is more investable. Which frankly makes Stitch`s situation much less satisfying, as his dilemma frankly pales to Lilo`s. As yes, while it may seem superflous to even have this comparison, there`s little reason to sympathize with him, opposed to her. But the movie clearly wants the audience to sympathize with him, nonetheless.

This is what`s 3D will look
like in our cartoon world :)

Besides, if I`m going to be dare to be truly outspoken, Stitch`s arc is suprisingly sparse and not satisfying. He does nothing but causing trouble for Lilo and Nani. And when finally realizes his flaws and decides to leave the family, he makes the same mistake when Jumba finds him in the woods and runs to Lilo when Jumba follows him to the house. And puts Lilo`s life in jeopardy right after his epiphany! But the saddest part is how Stitch never truly earns Lilo`s affection until the very end. Cause Lilo places an unearned faith in him through the majority of the first movie (which makes the brief moment where Lilo confronts Stitch after he reveals his true identity very satisfying).

I was planning to eat ya, but
you were too cute to eat :)

Which makes the dynamic between them just as sparse as Stitch`s arc. As Lilo is the heart of the relationship for being the catalyst and believer, but the mutual affection is rarely shown by Stitch. In fact, after both of them gets captured by Gantu, Stitch frees himself first. And when he decides to rescue Lilo, it seems like he`s doing it at first and foremost for Nani. While it is an arc for Stitch, it is sparse, since it should`ve been for Lilo. Who believed in him and was at his side the whole time. Besides, when he finally warms up to Lilo after failing at rescuing first, it`s essentially too late for him to warm up to her at that point. Which makes Stitch`s arc less satisfying, as he should`ve warmed up to Lilo longer before that. And yes, I know this theory of mine will probably piss some fans off and I apologize for it. But I`ll still stand by my statement.

The Reasons for Lilo & Stitch`s Success

Don`t worry, I wasn`t going to
eat ya :)

But of course a relevant question with Lilo & Stitch is why it was such a success as opposed to it`s counterparts. While there has been various theories for that, some thought it was the marketing. That the ingenious trailers of the Fabulous Four from the Renaissance made people excited for it.

I thought this was a ride :)

The crew didn`t knew how to market it at first (they planned to make microfilms of our duo at the grocery store), but the directors came up with the final idea. In fact, the trailers were so popular that they were constantly screened at Disney Channel (to invade The Little Mermaid was a bigger challenge, since it wasn`t made in CAPS. It was hard for the voice actresses of Ariel and Belle to be mad at Stitch And yes, they were considering having Stitch invade Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty). And yes, one of the trailers were named the 21 of 50 Greatest Trailers of All Time.

Lilo was playing hide and
seek from this banner :)

But another reason is how Lilo was simply perceived as being better than it`s counterparts. And how it was made on it`s own terms. And that is was weird in a cute and approachable way. Sanders thinks one reason is that Stitch`s the villain of the film. And how the story reasonated. The cuteness and marketability of Stitch also helped. As to date, Stitch is among the bestselling Disney characters. And Stitch Day, June 26, is a big deal in Japan. But one of the sad issues is despite how Lilo was a last triumph for hand drawn animation, it still wasn`t able to revive it completely. Which is truly sad to think about.

Franchise

At least it`s
something else than
pixie dust :)

The creative setting of Lilo & Stitch truly made it appliable for a franchise. Despite how it was not unexpected. First up was Stitch! The Movie, released in August 26, 2003. As a pilot to the inevitable Lilo & Stitch The Series, released the following month. And lasting two seasons and ending on July 29, 2006 after airing 65 episodes in two seasons. Frankly, I`ve always have a soft spot for the series, as it was enjoyable, genuinely funny and made a better dynamic between our two titular leads. And not to mention it`s catchy opening song. Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch was another direct-to-video movie released in 2005, taking place between the first film and Stitch! The Movie (where Lilo is replaced by Dakota Fanning). Leroy & Stitch was released in 2006 and was the final sequel.

This is going to be
good :)

In Asia, however, Stitch had two own anime shows with Stitch! (2008-2015). Featuring a new Japanese girl named Yuna Kamihara in place of Lilo. And set on a fictional island near Okinawa. And set years after the events of Leroy & Stitch. The second series, Stitch & Ai, took place in Huangshan in Anhui. The 13-episode Chinese show starred Stitch and a local girl Wang Ai Ling. It was also set after Leroy & Stitch but on a separate timeline from the Stitch! anime.

Epilogue

Don`t play anything that`s not
appropriate, please :)

So at the end, Lilo & Stitch is an odd, but worthy addition to Disney`s ongoing Pantheon. It truly stands out of being both a brief success for the Dark Age and (until now) the last hand drawn animated feature who truly made a profit and became a sensation of it`s own. Still, for my personal opinion, did it deserved it`s success? While I personally liked the movie, I was still also resistent by it`s aforementioned flaws (how Lilo`s situation is more dramatically compelling and how Stitch`s arc is rather sparse). And truth to be told, I found the movie rather mawkish and heavy at various points. Still however, there are many things that I do genuinely like about Lilo & Stitch.

Please tell that it`s Ice Cream
that you`re offering us :)

It`s animation, the song sequences (He Mele No Lilo is essentially one of the strongest and emotionally satisfying opening credit numbers made by Disney), comedy and Lilo`s character. So Lilo is essentially a mixed bag for me, as frankly I find the TV Series to be way superior. But due to how it was made in a time where CGI was beginning to stay, at least it`s nice that one hand drawn picture made a profit. But despite this, I`m not slamming Lilo completely. But now that it`s reached it`s 20th Anniversary, there`s nothing left to wish it Happy Past 20th Anniversary and may you continue to have many more.