A Look Back At the 2002 Disney Animated Family Favorite “Lilo & Stitch”

With the latest live-action Disney remake “Lilo & Stitch” now playing on the big screen, I felt it was time to give the 2002 animated version another look.

In the Disney animated favorite, a tale of a young girl’s close encounter with the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial. Lilo is a lonely Hawaiian girl who adopts a small ugly “dog,” whom she names Stitch.

Stitch would be the perfect pet if he weren’t in reality a genetic experiment who has escaped from an alien planet and crash landed on Earth. Through her love, faith and unwavering belief in ohana, the Hawaiian concept of family, Lilo helps unlock Stitch’s heart and gives him the ability to care for someone else.

The 2002 animated “Lilo & Stitch” delivers us a fun and charming story while exploring issues of family. The animated movie’s story is generally heart-warming and the animation is simply incredible.

The animated classic has quite a few moments that will really give the whole family a good laugh. One of the funniest moments in this movie is where Lilo attempts to teach Stitch how to be an Elvis impersonator. And speaking of Elvis, if you enjoy Elvis music, you will really enjoy this movie’s soundtrack.

The alien duo, Jumba and Pleakley, who are charged with finding the alien and bringing him back, often find themselves in funny and somehow awkward situations. Their clumsy attempts of capturing Stitch can also give anyone a really good laugh.

This Disney story also has a really touching theme of family, friendship and belonging that can easily resonate with viewers. Another thing I really enjoy about this family favorite is that the movie is a tremendously great combination of humor and emotion. 

While the Lilo and Stitch duo have some very humorous and, sometimes, humorous moments together throughout the movie, a good amount of the emotion comes from the scenes that involve Lilo and her sister, Nani, who is doing all she can to take care of her. 

“Lilo & Stitch” is one Disney animated favorite that the entire family can easily enjoy. This was actually the first time I have seen the animated movie in many years and it’s still just as entertaining as it was then. With a great story, lots of laughs and heartfelt moments, along with some good Elvis tunes, this 2002 animated movie is still a must

see!

Trivia: Disney promoted this movie with a series of trailers inserting Stitch into some of its “classic” titles, such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.” Almost all of the landscape scenes in the movie are recognizable locations in Hawaii. This is essentially true in the movie when Lilo and Stitch ride the bike around the island and in the closing scenes.

The movie’s North American gross of $145 million was Disney’s biggest gross for an animated movie since the 1999 movie “Tarzan.”

MPA: Rated PG for mild sci-fi action   (runtime 85 minutes)

You can stream this animated favorite on Disney Plus!

• Hawaii-born cast members Jason Scott Lee and Tia Carrere helped the writers with dialog and accents.

• Disney promoted this movie with trailers inserting Stitch into some of its "classic" titles. Examples: The Little Mermaid (1989): Stitch surfs a wave that crashes down on Ariel. Beauty and the Beast (1991): Stitch causes the chandelier to fall during the ballroom scene, nearly smashing Belle and the Beast Aladdin (1992): Stitch steals Princess Jasmine from Aladdin during the "A Whole New World" magic carpet ride. The Lion King (1994): Stitch takes Simba's place on Pride Rock during the "Circle of Life" opening.

• One of the most complex aspects of Stitch's characterization is that it can be difficult to discern his emotions, primarily because his eyes lack pupils. The animators addressed this challenge by making Stitch's physical expressions very pronounced.

• Almost all of the landscape scenes in the movie are recognizable locations in Hawaii. This is especially true in the film when Lilo and Stitch ride the bike around the island and in the closing sequence.

• This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animation, but lost to Spirited Away (2001). Daveigh Chase voiced the lead character in both these films (Lilo in Lilo & Stitch (2002) and Chihiro/Sen in the English dub for Spirited Away (2001)).

• After some of the previous animated features like The Emperor's New Groove (2000) and Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) had not been as successful as the films of the Disney Renaissance, then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner decided that the studio should try their hand at a smaller scale and a less-expensive film. The idea was inspired by Dumbo (1941) which was made at the studios for relatively little cost in the wake of the more expensive productions Pinocchio (1940) and Fantasia (1940).