Deep Dive Disney: Wes Looks at Lilo & Stitch

Welcome friends, to Deep Dive Disney. Today, we’ll be covering one of the most beloved Disney classics of all time. I speak of course of Lilo & Stitch. I absolutely love this movie. It’s an absolutely adorable and incredibly deep film that has earned the cultural impact it’s made. Disney put a lot into promoting this sucker, even putting some Lilo & Stitch comics into Disney Adventures magazine long before the movie was even announced. They even showed Stitch’s creation and introduced us to the character of 625 long before he’d be introduced in later onscreen media. The movie also had a pretty ballsy add campaign, inserting Stitch into many iconic scenes from Disney movies, including my favorite where Stitch seemingly kidnaps Princess Jasmine during the Whole New World segment. And, it looks like all the hype was warranted since this film turned out to be a smash hit, not only being an excellent and engaging film in its own right but also spawning a grand total of three sequels plus an animated series that lasted for two seasons. So, what is the story that warrants all this. Well, experiment 626, later to be renamed Stitch, is an adorable yet destructive monster created by mad alien scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba (who, judging by his accent, must be from planet Russia) and given one singular purpose, to destroy. The galactic federation captures Jumba and his experiment, imprisoning the doctor and sentencing Stitch to death for the safety of the entire galaxy. However, Stitch manages to escape and hijack a space cruiser, landing on a primitive planet that we humans know as Earth, Hawaii to be exact. Meanwhile, two sisters named Lilo and Nani are having a tough time. Following the death of their parents in a tragic car accident, Nani now has to act as Lilo’s guardian and prove that she’s capable before she’s taken away and put in the foster system. Due to grief, Lilo often lashes out and makes trouble, making things hell for her big sister. Seeing that Lilo could really use a friend, Nani decides to get her a dog. Lilo ends up choosing Stitch, whose hiding out as a dog to avoid being recaptured. While the destructive alien initially causes more harm than good, after a while, the two title characters bond and seem to have a positive influence on one another, giving them both the sense of family that was missing in their lives. The word of the day for this one is “Real.” This is a very real movie. Sure there’s aliens and spaceships and all other manner of fantastical elements, but the story of two sisters going through grief and trying desperately to pick up the pieces of their broken family after a tragedy, that’s as real as it gets. It’s a cute movie, but also a movie that doesn’t shy away from the occasional emotional gut punch. Let’s get into, Lilo & Stitch.

Main Character:

Naturally, the role of main character is split between our two title characters. Let’s start with Lilo. I honestly believe that Lilo is one of the greatest and most complicated little kid characters Disney has ever created. Let’s compare her to Boo from our last film, Monster’s Inc. Now, I loved Boo, but Boo’s only real purpose was to be cute. Lilo is likewise a cute kid, but she’s also a kid, a kid who’s experienced a devastating tragedy no less. Remember, the word of the day is “Real.” Lilo feels very much like a real little girl. Sure, Lilo has a good heart. She is shown to be very kind, clearly wants to belong despite having a difficult fitting in and demonstrates great talent and creativity. There’s actually a theory floating around out there that Lilo is autistic which I can certainly see. While I can never be sure if this was the filmmaker’s intent, as someone on the autism spectrum myself, I appreciate the representation nonetheless. However, Lilo still has a tough time with things following the loss of her parents. She lashes out in grief, she can be a brat sometimes, she has a weird and sometimes morbid imagination, she makes life hell for her big sister, she even gets into fights at school. This is clearly someone who’s having a difficult time adjusting to her new circumstances and really misses her mother and father. There’s this great bit near at the very beginning of the movie where Lilo goes out of her way to feed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to fish named Pudge, even though doing so makes her late for school. Why does she do this? Because Pudge controls the weather of course! When one of Lilo’s peers calls her crazy for believing this, she gets violent with her. Now, this may seem absurd, and in fairness, in many ways, it is, but when you realize that Lilo’s parents’ car accident was caused by a rainstorm, suddenly, when viewed from the logic of a grieving child, going out of one’s way to appease a creature believed to control the weather starts to make a certain kind of sense. Maybe, if Lilo makes this fish happy enough, one day, Mom and Dad will be waiting for her when she gets home. When someone calls Lilo crazy, they’re basically saying that her family is never coming back. While I don’t condone Lilo’s actions, I understand why this caused her to lash out. Clearly, this is someone who is feeling very lost and needs a friend.

That friend ends up being experiment 626, whom Lilo renames Stitch, a likely reference to how she hopes his presence will “Stitch” together her broken family. While Stitch is cute and fluffy, he is still an abomination of science with unlimited destructive power and a directive to cause chaos and mayhem. While obviously Stitch’s violent tendencies show themselves as the alien creature adjusts to his new environment. However, when Stitch realizes he has nothing to destroy and is unable to leave the island due to being unable to swim, Stitch begins realizes that he now has no purpose. This foreign concept of family seems to sadden him as Stitch never had a family to call his own. In essence, while Lilo mourns the family she lost, Stitch mourns the family he never had. Stitch’s story is often compared to that of The Ugly Duckling, an outcast lost in a world where he doesn’t belong. However, there’s no family of swans coming for him, Stitch is the only one of his kind (at least until the series reveals that he has six hundred and twenty-five cousins out there, but that’s a discussion for another time). Through Lilo, Stitch finds the family he never knew he wanted and discovers the goodness inside of himself. Both Lilo and Stitch, despite being deeply flawed characters, form an adorable bond with one another that I truly appreciate. Their dynamic is one of the main things that makes this movie so memorable.

Villain:

While you can argue that Jumba and Pleakley are the main antagonists, given how neither one is shown to be truly evil and the fact that they turn face before the climax and remain so for the rest of the franchise, I cannot in good conscience given them the villain slot so we’ll discuss them in the next section.

That leaves us with Captain Gantu who’s kind of a strange case as far as Disney villains go. See, Gantu doesn’t really have much of a presence in the film. He just shows up at the end to serve as the final boss. And even with all that, Gantu’s not really evil either, just duty driven with little personal regard for others. That makes him a jerk, but not necessarily evil. What’s interesting about this is that the rest of the franchise does a much better job making Gantu an antagonistic force. There, now no longer employed by the galactic federation, Gantu teams up with a new villain named Hamsterviel and together they try to capture Jumba’s other experiments. However, since none of that stuff happens in this movie, I don’t feel right talking about it here. While none of the other Lilo & Stitch material is on the Deep Dive Disney schedule at the moment, I’d still be open to talking about it in the future. However, all that aside, I still think Gantu is a pretty cool antagonist. His half elephant half shark design is pretty intimidating and damn does the voice of Kevin Michael Richardson fit perfectly. He may not be the greatest or most interesting Disney villain, but he left an impression nonetheless.

Side Characters:

There are quite a few side characters to discuss here. Let’s start with Nani, Lilo’s big sister. Like Lilo, she is having a hard time adjusting to her new situation, however, for Nani, it’s much more stressful since now she has to become a parent to her very young sister long before she’s ready. She loves her sister and knows that she’ll be better off with her than in the foster system, but still struggles to help her. There’s this one moment from Nani I found oddly profound. During a fight, Nani asks Lilo if she prefers her as a sister than as a mother. While Nani loves her sister and would do anything for her, the fact that she now has to become an authority figure in her life, a replacement for their lost parents, it drives a wedge between the two. David is Nani’s friendly and supportive surfer dude boyfriend. There’s not much to the character, but he is shown to be a positive influence in the lives of both Nani and Lilo and he does what he can to spread positivity when the two are feeling down.

Now we talk about the strangest character in the film. Keep in mind, this is a movie that prominently features a four-armed koala-dog creature, cyclops with two tongues, a overweight alien walrus man with a Russian accent and a giant elephant-shark, and yet, the strangest character in the movie is a seemingly normal human. I speak of course of the social worker handling Nani and Lilo’s named Cobra Bubbles. Yes, that is his actual name. Cobra… Bubbles. This man’s parents must have hated his guts. No wonder he became a social worker. Cobra Bubbles is described as the guy they call “when things go wrong” implying that Lilo and Nani have been through many social workers in the past. Voiced by the always awesome Ving Rhames of Pulp Fiction and Mission Impossible fame, Cobra is tough as nails, something he likely picked up during his time with the CIA. However, despite his tough exterior, underneath it all, Cobra is actually a deeply caring individual who just wants what’s best for Lilo. He seems to deeply regret having to separate the sisters and he is shown to have a lot of humanity hidden behind those sunglasses. I also appreciate that he’s the one who helps Lilo save Stitch from being taken away by the aliens at the end and agrees to the grand councilwoman’s proclamation that Lilo and Nani remain together as the guardians of Stitch.

Pleakley is a supposed expert on planet Earth who accompanies Jumba when he heads to the planet to capture Stitch. He also seems to be under the impression that mosquitos are an endangered species, something we later learn was a ruse by Cobra Bubbles during his CIA days in order to save the planet. Personally, I am very not okay with any scenario in which the the human race owes its continued existence to something that my great aunt, the kindest and most loving person you’d ever be lucky enough to meet, refers to as “God’s Mistake.” I also appreciate that Pleakley is shown to enjoy cross-dressing giving us some nice representation of queer culture in a world where it can be very hard to find.

Finally, there’s my favorite character, Jumba. Jumba is voiced by David Ogden Stiers, whom you all may remember as Cogsworth from Beauty & The Beast as well at Ratcliffe from Pocahontas. He also had a minor role in Atlantis but I didn’t feel it was important enough to mention. Jumba is great in this movie. He’s a mad scientist through and through, but he’s not necessarily evil. Sure, he created a destructive monster but I always believed that this was only to prove that he could, and considering he programmed Stitch to steal people’s shoes and reverse street signs, it’s almost as if Jumba is less interested in using Stitch to conquer the galaxy and more interested in trolling people. There’s just something about the comedic timing of Stiers and the animation on Jumba that makes him a really fun character to have around. I really like that he barely needs any convincing before he agrees to help save Lilo from Gantu, showing that he really isn’t such a bad guy.

Songs:

Since Lilo is shown to be a huge admirer of the King himself, Elvis Presley, the film’s soundtrack features several of Elvis’s songs throughout. I actually think it’s cool that Lilo’s a fan of the classics. As they say “Never Fuck With the King.” Okay, nobody says that, I just really wanted to make a Bubba Hot-tep reference and the opportunity rarely presents itself.

In addition, the film features two original numbers, both of which are performed in Hawaiian. He Mele No Lilo is a nice, soothing number that introduces us to Lilo and Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride plays while Nani and Lilo go surfing with David to forget their troubles for a moment. Both are great songs and definitely need more attention. I actually really enjoy it when Disney plays songs in foreign languages, hence why I’m so excited for when we finally get to Moana.

Memorable Scenes:

This is a memorable and powerful film is loaded to the brim with equally memorable and powerful scenes. If we were to analyze them all, we’d be here all week. Instead, we’ll just settle for discussing my personal favorite. The scene in question comes to us right after the climax. After an intense battle with Gantu, our main characters wash up on the beach where the Grand Councilwoman of the Galactic Federation is waiting for them with an entire squadron of ground troops waiting to take Stitch away. Cobra Bubbles is also there, which will be important later. The Grand Councilwoman is furious that it’s taken this long to bring experiment 626 into custody but when she hears the creature refer to itself as Stitch and politely request that it be allowed to say goodbye to its family, it catches her off completely off guard and she’s not quite sure how to react. This, “Stitch” is clearly not the same mindless destroyer that escaped her ship and fled to Earth. Something has clearly changed. Unfortunately, the laws of the Galactic federation are absolute, and Stitch must go. Cobra Bubbles gently reminds Lilo that she bought Stitch at the animal shelter, therefore making him her legal property and if the alien lady takes him away, she’s breaking the law. It’s also here where the Grand Councilwoman recognizes Bubbles from his CIA days when they met at Roswell in 1973. Since the receipt from the animal shelter is good enough to convince the Grand Councilwoman, she decides that Stitch’s sentence shall not be swift and immediate death, but rather, life in exile served on Earth with Lilo and Nani acting as Stitch’s caretakers. Because of this, Lilo and Nani may never be separated. This is enough to convince Cobra Bubbles and the family is made whole again. We even end on an amusing note with the Grand Councilwoman politely waving to Jumba and Pleakley while quietly telling her subordinate not to let them on her ship. I think the reason I enjoy this scene is because, after seeing all hardship this family has endured, it’s heartwarming to see them finally catch a break.

Story:

Something often discussed throughout the film is the concept of “Ohana.” Ohana is the Hawaiian word for family but from what I understand, it has a deeper meaning that essentially says that family is more than just blood but also extends to those you feel close to. Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. Anyone you let into your heart is family, regardless of biology. I have a friend whom I’m very close with to the point where I think of her as my little sister. Even though we haven’t even known each other all that long, she’s someone I’ve grown to feel very close to. Not long ago, she became very sick and I realized that I wasn’t ready to face life without her. I guess that makes her my Ohana. While Lilo and Nani have lost one family, with Stitch, David and even Jumba and Pleakley, they are able to form a new one. Is it unorthodox? Sure, but it’s theirs. Ohana means family and family mean’s no one, not even aliens, get left behind.

The Dark Disney Factor:

While this movie deals with a lot of mature issues, there’s nothing where that’s especially frightening or disturbing. Like a said, the name of the game with this one is “real.” Where this movie draws it’s dark edge is by not sugar coating the very real issues of a family having to recoup after the death of a loved one. It’s painful, it’s scary, it’s even hard to watch at times, but it’s real, and it’s powerful.

Final Thoughts: Lilo & Stitch is one of Disney's most beloved films and it's honestly not difficult to see why. This is a cute movie with a lot of heart that doesn't pull its punched when it comes to showcasing harsh realities that some people need to deal with. It's a film about the bonds of family and friendship and how they can endure hardships. If you are interesting in seeing more of Lilo & Stitch, I would recommend checking out Lilo & Stitch the series. While it tones down some of the more mature themes that the film deals with, it does still expand on the themes of Ohana and showcase a lot of cool Alien designs. It's streaming on Disney+ if you're curious. Well, with Lilo & Stitch, we reach the end of an era. See, when this movie came out, I was twelve going on thirteen, right at that age where you grow out of Disney movies and start getting into more mature things. As such, this would be the last Disney film I'd see in theaters until Big Hero Six in 2014. Because of this, there's a good portion of movies coming up that we're going to be flying blind for, including our next movie, Treasure Planet.