Lilo and Stitch
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Lilo and Stitch
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On this page: Cast Story First Review Interesting Facts Tia Carrere Interview Posters Links
Directed by: Roger Allers, Chris
Sanders and Dean Deblois
Music by: Alan Silvestri (score), Elvis Presley (songs)
Production Started Date: August
5, 1999
Production End Date: pushed back from May 2001 to late Summer/Fall 2001 due to
budget cuts
Release Date: June 21, 2002
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Lilo... Daveigh Chase |
Lilo is a sweet little Hawaiian girl who's a quite peculiar: she has an off-beat take on life, and is a little obsessed about taking care of downtrodden animals. Each day, she collects all the soda cans along the beach in Waikiki. She then takes the cans to the local recycling center, turns them in for cash, then uses that money to buy fish food -she gets in an outrigger canoe, paddles out into the middle of the harbor, then begins feeding the fish in the ocean.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, we meet career criminal Stitch. An incorrigible unrepentant felon, this six-armed alien stands before the galactic tribunal. Just as the judge is about to pronounce sentence, Stitch escapes.
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Zooming through the stars in his cool 1950s-style spaceship (complete with fins), Stitch tries to elude the two bounty hunters who've been sent out to recapture him. (Again, my apologies, but I don't have the names of these two characters handy. I have heard that Disney wanted David Ogden Stiers to voice one bounty hunter and Mark McKinney from The Kids in the Hall to provide vocals for the other.) Hoping to ditch the cops, the six-armed con crash-lands on Earth. |
Where on Earth? Hawaii. To be specific, near the beach on Waikiki.
Stitch's only hope for eluding capture is to blend in with the locals. However -due to his bug eyes and blue fur- there's no way that he'll pass for human. But then Stitch notices that -if he folds up one set of arms under his fur- he can sort of pass for a dog. A really ugly, weird looking dog with blue fur.
At least, that's what the Animal Control Officer thinks when he captures Stitch. So there he is -back behind bars, just days away from being put to sleep- when Lilo comes into the pound and decides to adopt the crazy looking canine.
Stitch initially is looking to escape as soon as Lilo springs him from the pound. But the little girl keeps the still-disguised-as-a-dog extraterrestrial on a pretty short leash.
Lilo, her older sister Nani, and
a handsome surfboard salesman -who is attracted to Nani but he is intimidated by
the fact that she is slightly taller than he is - all get caught up in a crazy
adventure as the two alien bounty hunters land on Earth to retrieve Stitch.
Would you be surprised to learn that through her innocent and trusting and
idiosyncratic treatment of him, Stitch develops a heart?...
From an AICN February 26, 2002
"I went to a screening of Lilo and Stitch last week... the near completed film was in the ABC building on Riverside Drive. There was no talking by anyone before hand... so we were left to our own thoughts and preconceptions, of which I had none. The review below is moderately spoiled... but nothing that will ruin the filmed experience. I encourage anyone to see this film... and go in a clean slate.
It opens to a very unique "Disneyfied" intergalactic environment... where every character is either cute or cool. There's no average looking aliens. We are immediately treated to the trial of Stitch, a seemingly adorable little blue fuzz ball just begging to be stuffed and sold by Hasbro. An exciting verdict, and ingenious escape and the movie is off and running. All this before the opening credits. And what a beautiful opening credit sequence. Set to a beautiful Hawaiian hula lesson, we are introduced to Lilo... and may I say... THANK YOU DISNEY FOR MAKING A REAL CHARACTER! This girl has issues. The film makers had no fears about showing the effects of parental loss on a 6 year old. She punches little girls, she bites, she yells horrible things at her desperately paranoid sister. And it's adorable. You are immediately affected by her pathos and heartbreak... and you understand why she is an unholy terror. This little girl needs a good hug, and someone to love her. Disney could have been really heavy handed with this... but it was subtle. Sweet, and delicate... relying instead on her eccentricities to allow the audience to understand her alienation. The genius film makers allow you to understand both Lilo and the girls who make fun of her. Lilo is a very odd girl. She feeds a fish Sandwiches because she believes that he controls the weather, she imagines her handmade doll has a head full of bug eggs, and this little girl can lip sync Heartbreak Hotel like no body's business. I can't rave about this fully realized character any more... she is the best and most heartfelt character Disney has created in recent years.
Crash, Bam, Alakazam- Stitch crashes on the Island of Kauaii. Because the little guy's molecular structure is so dense, he can't swim- he'll sink... so in essence he's trapped. On his trail are the mad scientist who created him (bargained by a government pardon) and his little worm-like earth expert. Trying to recapture the little mutant, they try to remain unseen by humans. Stitch has one involuntary instinct... destroy cities. However... his instinct for survival is just as strong and he eludes his captors by sucking in his extra arms, antennae and spines, and poses as a puppy. A Weird blue puppy.
Lilo's older sister Nani (voiced by Tia Careera) tries to understand her sister's loneliness and thinks about getting her a puppy. Lilo of course being the eccentric that she is... finds the odd little alien the most appealing pup there. And against everyone's advice... agrees to adopt this one. Now from this point on... the film relies on many familiar plot devices: Fish out of water, the chase and elude, and the emotional changing of two people despite the world against them... however it does these things better than any film in recent history.
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This film has so many good things going for it, that to list them all would be 3 pages worth of text. I'll sum it up like this... CREATIVELY: This film is incredibly original, yet familiar and comforting. There are many clever jokes (that don't play to the lowest level). Gorgeous visuals (All of the backgrounds in Hawaii are hand painted in WATER COLORS!). |
Real Characters! This is the first time since Lion King that Disney Characters have had issues... one of my biggest gripes is that Disney has been turning out cookie cutter characters with no growth... well these people suffer... and engage you from the get go. Even the design is a departure for Disney... These girls got girth! They are not the anorexic waifs that Disney tells us are attractive... They are full figured, healthy Hawaiian girls with shape and tone. God Bless them! Whoever thought to combine Aliens, Surfing, Elvis Music and Animation must be on some good prescriptions... but guess what... IT WORKS! On every level where it could have been ridiculous and inane it achieves every blessed goal it attempted. And the Elvis soundtrack is Awesome... including the cover of Burning Love by Wynona (no, the other Wynona - she paid for the rights to the song!) over the great end credits. We left the theater beaming. I was with skeptic critic types, and hard nosed Disney haters... and we couldn't stop smiling. We all kept saying... "Finally... something worthy of the legacy!" TECHNICALLY: This is a very satisfying film for all the tech heads that plan to pick it apart. I honestly couldn't notice any CG, though I assume they used it for the space chase. The amazing lip sync and animation is so honest, sincere, and accurate that you almost forget these characters are 2 dimensional. I was completely in awe of the blending of Elvis music and Hawaiian songs. There's no "Disney" music. It's all traditional Hawaiian standards that will open some of our youth to the Polynesian culture. And Let's hope it turns some people on to the King. The comedy isn't forced or juvenile. It's great set up and pay-off. A few good one liners and hilarious awkward scenarios. I can't praise the script enough.
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Over all, this movie will re-establish Disney as the leader and inventor of Film Animation. Once in a while another studio will come along with a hit... but Disney is the staple. They had a dark period there from Pocahontas till now... but They are back... and let's hope they stay there. I hope Treasure Planet maintains the momentum that Lilo will start. |
And if successful (or should I say "when") maybe Disney will take a note that a successful film can be an original idea, it doesn't need catchy new songs, it doesn't need big effects and big boobs... all it needs is a great story. Spend a little time Disney... get the script perfect before a pencil hits paper. And only give us one film per year... or one every other year. We'll wait... and when they arrive... we go in droves. Ever think that Lion Kings big return was due to the 2 years between that and Aladdin??? Ok.. I'm bitching now... just enjoy it folks... it's one of those rare masterpieces that has something for everyone, and leaves you feeling great."
Some production was done in Honolulu, Hawaii, but Lilo and Stitch was shot
mainly at the Orlando Studios. Therefore, drawings could be seen very
early on at Disneyworld's animation studio, through MGM Studios' guided tour. A
visitor revealed on September 20, 2000 that they include room furniture (coffee
pots, bags), Tiki torches, and two sections labeled "David's
surfboard" and "Guargu's (space) Ship".
The film's director Chris Sanders is also providing the voice for Stitch.
According to Andreas Deja (the animator of Gaston, Triton, Hercules, Scar and
Jafar amongst other Disney characters), the film is going to be in a cartoony
style, similar to the animation style of an old Disney animator named Freddie
Moore. Andreas called it the best story he's seen since he's been at
Disney!
Lilo and Stitch is not a musical, though Disney has bought the rights to six
Elvis songs, because Lilo likes to hula dance on the beach to Elvis music:
"Hound Dog", "Devil in Disguise", "Burning Love",
"I'm Coming Home", "Stuck on You" and "Heartbreak
Hotel". A traditional Hawaiian song that was written by Queen Liliuokalani,
the last Hawaiian monarch, and entitled "Aloha O'e", will be performed
by Tia Carrere. Alan Silvestri completed the recording of the score in late
November 2001.
The story was cooked up by one of Disney's top story guys, Chris Sanders (The
Lion King, Mulan), who created an illustrated story outline that everyone fell
in love with. If you want a sense of what Sanders can do, check out his work in
"The Art of the Lion King" book.
Rodger Allers (who wrote the stories of Oliver & Company, The Little
Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, then directed The Lion King, before
leaving the troubled The Emperor's New Groove for this project) was originally
set to direct Lilo and Stitch. It now seems that Chris Sanders, who
created the original story, will helm the project along newcomer Dean Deblois
(layout artist for 1990's The Nutcracker Prince starring Peter O'Toole).
Disney has supposedly VERY high hopes for this movie. It has been the
praise of Disney animators for a while, and they're saying this is the film
that's going to bring back the animated feature in a BIG way.
Art from Lilo and Stitch was unveiled in the Disney Animation building of the
new Disney's California Adventure in January 2001. Stitch is said to look
like a cute baby panda bear with fangs. One scene displayed shows a female
alien with tentacles for hair and an alien with one eye and a gumdrop-shaped
head talking about how to get Stitch back. They apparently are police agents.
Someone asks why they can't blow up the Earth and the gumdrop alien replies that
they can't because it is a nature preserve for the endangered mosquito (they are
breeding them here). The scene continues with the two discussing who to send to
get Stitch back before they decide on this big looking alien who we see in
shadow behind bars.
Animators have devised a new type of walk cycle for the alien ambassador who
hires the alien bounty hunters because he has three legs.
Stitch doesn't speak for most of the movie -the film is not told through snappy
dialogue but rather through cleverly staged visual set pieces.
Production on this project was supposed to wrap in May 2001, but due to budget
cuts will now only be completed in late summer/fall 2001, which will delay its
original release date.
Lilo & Stitch is the first animated feature in years from Walt Disney
Studios that's based on an original story. The tale was crafted by noted
storyboard artist Chris Sanders. He's the genius who came up with the staging
for many of your favorite moments in Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion
King. Chris is making his directorial debut with Lilo & Stitch.
The workspace of animators working on this project in Orlando has been decorated
in an island motif for inspiration. A big "Aloha" banner was
placed at the entrance of the animation area, with tropical themed party
decorations like paper pineapples and leis in every cubicle. Some genuine
Hawaiian artifacts like tiki totems and lamps were also scattered around the
place.
To open the movie, the Disney symbol comes up in a different way -the Walt
Disney Pictures at the bottom is in Alien decoding and the line that goes around
the castle blinks "Beep Beep".
A first trailer was made available in early July 2001.
The movie was bumped up considerably from its previous summer, 2003 slot, when
it was supposed to open after Treasure Planet, which has been pushed back to a
Christmas 2002 release due to production problems; Disney is adjusting its
projects around Lilo And Stitch, and this got the biggest boost towards release.
Art Director Ric Sluiter gave a presentation about the style of the film at the
Official Disneyana Convention in September 2001. After spending a week in
Hawaii, getting to know the locals and painting in both oil and water color, the
production team discovered a few things they wanted to bring to the film: namely
a bright color palette and the feeling of light. They chose to work in
watercolor, since they wanted the film to have a softness, without hard edges or
straight lines. Watercolor also does an interesting thing when laid down on
white paper; it is a clear stain that lays on top of the paper so the white of
the paper acts as a light source, giving the animators that push of color and
light they observed in Hawaii. The trouble with watercolor though, is that it is
very difficult to work with. And Feature Animation had not used the medium since
Dumbo in 1940. According to Ric, watercolor is pretty scary to work with. You
can literally paint and entire scene, then blow it with that one last brush
stroke. Not having worked with watercolor for so long, they weren’t quite sure
what paper to use. They researched Snow White only to discover the Windsor-
Newton paper used on that film was long gone. Ric explained that there were a
lot of trials and tribulations along the way. Once the style of the film was
locked down, workshops began. A year was spent in acquainting the background
artists with the watercolor style so as to keep the feeling of light and color
they saw in Hawaii. The production team interviewed Maurice Noble, one of the
original watercolor painters on Snow White and went into the “morgue,”
pulling out paintings from the 1930s from such film shorts as Hawaiian Holiday
and Through The Mirror.
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(Again, my apologies, but I don't have the names of these two characters handy. I have heard that Disney wanted David Ogden Stiers to voice one bounty hunter and Mark McKinney from The Kids in the Hall to provide vocals for the other.) Hoping to ditch the cops, the six-armed con crash-lands on Earth. |
Several
inside jokes are hidden in the movie: for example, a poster of Mulan is on the
wall of Lilo's bedroom, and a picture of the Magic Kingdom can be seen when Lilo
and Stitch look at postcards in the street.
Following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentago, the
Orlando Weekly reported on September 20, 2001 that "Disney's
extraterrestrial animated feature, Lilo & Stitch, also may get a makeover.
After all, the climax of this feature-length 'toon, produced entirely at the
backstage animation facility at Disney/MGM Studios, was built around the
then-comical notion that a cute little alien would sneak on board a 747, then
take the jumbo jet for a joy ride through the towers of Honolulu. That sequence,
which had gone over great with test audiences, now may be sacrificed."
Disney supposedly asked screenwriters to rewrite the last scenes and find a
twist that would affect neither the movie's continuity nor the designer's work.
Nevertheless, it was confirmed in November 2001 that "the climax with the
airplane has not been removed from the film... they replaced the airplane with a
spaceship which Stitch takes for a joyride."
"If there is a Disney neighborhood, this film can be found somewhere
between Bambi and Dumbo," said co-director Chris Sanders in December 2001.
Dean DeBlois adds: "The characters are very cute and very roundish,"
echoing Disney's classic '30s and early '40s style. That softer, retro look is
enhanced by watercolor backgrounds, which Disney abandoned after Dumbo in 1941.
"[Stitch] is rotten, and the entire galaxy is after him," DeBlois
commented.
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Q: You are providing a voice for Disney's Lilo & Stitch, what can you tell us about it?
It's so cute! It's set in Hawaii and I play the guardian of my little sister. I've been working on it for two years. It's a much heavier film than you have ever seen from Disney, in that the girl's parents aren't present. You just sort of infer that it's the older sister taking care of the younger sister. I'm working hard, trying to get jobs, and there is a social services worker checking on the welfare of the child. I'm constantly trying to keep my head above water, so that Social Services doesn't take my sister away!
Q: Social Services? That's a bit different than your average Disney film.
It's very modern, and it's also very charming, and very poignant.
Q: So how does it feel to be a Disney character?
It's great! I've always wanted to be a Disney cartoon character. I was really upset when Mulan when slipped through there.
Q: Did you hope to get that?
I had heard about Mulan and thought it would be great. It has the same casting director as Lilo & Stitch and apparently she tried to get in touch with me, but I was in Slovakia shooting a film. When I walked in for the first session of Lilo & Stitch, she told me that she had tried to get in touch with me for Mulan. In the end, it all came around for a great project. Anyway, I'm more from Hawaii than I am for Mainland China. Besides, I get to sing in it too! I get to sing a Hawaiian song to my little sister.
Q: What do you sing?
I get to sing Aloha O`e, which is a traditional Hawaiian song that was written by Queen Liliuokalani, the last Hawaiian monarch.
Q: With all your travels, where are you recording Lilo & Stitch?
While I'm working on Relic Hunter, they'll pop in and say, "we've just got to get a line, or two." I was working out at rock quarry, an hour-and-a-half outside Toronto and there was huge machinery passing by. Now, my trailer's wonderful, but it's not exactly soundproof. We had this whole recording set-up in the trailer and we were waiting for the rock quarry trucks to pass, so we can get one clean line.
Q: They actually use that line and it's not redubbed later?
No, no, they are amazing. They piece it all together. Jason Scott Lee was in London, so the directors and producers flew to London to record him there. When I was in Paris, they needed a line, so they could show the animation to their hire-ups at Disney, so I was in Paris, so they had to come to Paris.
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Q: Do they use your physical movements at all? Although the character girl doesn't look like me, they videotape me as I am speaking, so they can see how my face moves, how my mouth moves. |
Q: How is working for Disney?
It's a wonderful atmosphere, very relaxed. They crack a joke, I crack a joke.
Q: Have you had any input into your character?.
I really get to inject a lot
into it. I've felt very free to inject some Hawaiianisms into the film. In
Hawaii, there is a dialect we speak called Pidgin. It's a bit like broken
English, but it's not that you are saying different words, it's just the way
that you say them. It has a different intonation. I asked them if they wanted
Pidgin, since this was supposed to be Hawaiian, and they said "sure, as
long as we can understand it." So, I started improvising some dialog. I
gave them some local Hawaiianisms that would still hold up to the general
public, but that local Hawaiians would get a chuckle because it is so "on
the money" for local people.
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