Before Moana sang and sailed into the spotlight, there was Lilo — a misfit 6-year-old Hawaiian girl with a camera, a ragtag doll Scrump, and a whole lot of feelings.
I remember when “Lilo & Stitch” was released in the early 2000s: For a 7-year-old, it was so exciting to see a fresh Disney film with a new take on aliens and in a new setting like Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi. It’s a place I had never been to; and although the islands are a well-known tourist spot, it is a place that many Americans and Asian Americans do not get the privilege and honor of visiting.
To see Lilo — this little girl who is only 6 years old — struggle with social relations, her new family dynamic, and loneliness was really relatable to a homeschooled girl like me who didn’t seem to fit in and didn’t really feel like her parents understood her. Given that growing up, most Disney movies weren’t allowed in my house because they were about princesses and my mom didn’t like that, “Lilo & Stitch” was a great alternative (in addition to “Hercules” from 1997 — yeah, my mom really didn’t like Disney).
For those who haven’t seen the original (come on now, where have you been?), the film follows Lilo who lives with her 18-year-old sister Nani after the loss of their parents. Understanding Lilo’s loneliness, Nani brings Lilo to a pet shelter to adopt a dog, not knowing that the new pet they have taken home is not a canine but actually an evil space genius’ Experiment 626, a genetically engineered alien life-form. Chaos ensues.
As an adult rewatching the animated film, I love the artistic style that feels very much on brand for Disney’s hand drawn 2D worlds, but just a bit more colorful with the watercolor backgrounds incorporated. As a single mother to a 6-year-old, I see the struggle of Nani, who is suddenly thrust into the role of caregiver, doing her best to keep her family together under the scrutiny of…
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