Lilo & Stitch: Explain to me why ya'll like it

[Jack]

First off, the purpose of this post on my part is not to be negative about the film. So you ravid fanboys can back off.

I'd just like to hear why its so great.

I ask because I watched it recently, and was really looking forward to it, but was profoundly dissapointed in the story. I feel it is a direct rip of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. My friends tell me it isn't, but really: aside from the setting and tiny details of the story, what makes the overall plot & message of the movie not a rip-off of E.T.?

Talk to me.

[STASHONE]

im not a fan of current disney releases (pixar excluded) so i never bothered watching it.

[Luke]

It is a kind of rip-off of E.T., which itself isn't the most original story ever. But then so is The Iron Giant.

But I still liked it, and story was only one element of the film. More later, maybe.

[disneyfella]

i feel that the film is a fantastic movie not just for artistic value, but from a storytelling standpoint is exceptional as well. the character of lilo is complete cuteness. the warmth and caring in her is extremely touching. it is not a direct ripoff of ET. it's not about going home or even finding home....it's about finding your family and your place in life. just because it has an alien and a kid doesn't make it ET; and i don't think it was trying to be. the is the first disney animated feature to deal with domestic problems. i feel it was extremely mature subject matter handled with love and tenderness to perfection. it didn't talk down to kids, like some other features i could name, but rather gave itself to the medium to teach children about belonging. the roundedness of the characters (both metaphorically and physically) was an artistic triumph as well. the style of animation was traditional 2D and used the fluid roundedness to its advantage. it wasn't about realism, but about the character and i think a lot of people have forgotten that about the animation industry. it was also a return to water color backgrounds. this was the first time that disney used water color backgrounds for a full feature since Dumbo. it is a beautiful film to look at.


that aside, i'm not saying it doesn't have it's weak points, but it definitely deserves a place among the disney classics (not to mention a 2-disc special edition ).

[Maerj]

It was funny! The characters were genuine, you really felt for lil Lilo, yet she wasn't the perfect little kid. The stuff she came up with was great, like feeding the fish peanut butter sandwiches. She was hardly the typical Disney heroine either, she beat her enemies up! I expected Stitch to be mean, but not the girl! So that was a surprise.

It was just a fun story, it had heart and was kinda wacky. Aliens, Hawaii... Elvis? But somehow it all worked. E.T. was a wonderful movie, but this alien was different. He wasn't a simple botonist forgotten here, he was an evil killing machine on the run. But by meeting up with Lilo, both she and Stitch learned to become better people. Stitch overcame his diabolical genetic programming and Lilo accepted the loss of her parents. It was just a different tone for a Disney movie, it was wacky, fun and unexpected.

[Disneykid]

I don't really consider Lilo and Stitch to be an E.T. ripoff. Lilo and Stitch bonded in a much different way than Elliot and E.T. did. Lilo sees herself in Stitch because he's an outsider like her and expresses his inner feelings physically, even if it's more physical than Lilo's expressive manner. With Elliot and E.T., E.T. was almost a blank canvas that Elliot painted himself into and began to bond with to the point that he and the canvas virtually became one and the same.

What do I like about Lilo and Stitch? I love the diverse range of characters in it, the Hawaiian flavor to it, its music, its animation, its comedic timing...shall I go on? Also, Lilo and Stitch is ripping off E.T. no more than Iron Giant or even Monsters, Inc. is. The whole person/creature/thing from other world comes and main character bonds with it, people misunderstand person/creature/thing, person/creature/thing is chased by people. Heck, that practically sounds like Frankenstein. Get my drift? You say apart from details L&S is like ET, but details are what MAKE a story. Otherwise you can accuse Sleeping Beauty of ripping off Cinderella and Snow White. Harry Potter of ripping off Star Wars. Spirited Away of ripping off Alice in Wonderland. There are basically only like 3 types of linear story structures. The question is how do you make that structure your own? I believe Lilo as well as the other movies I've stated have pulled it off gracefully.

Stashone-Just what is the most recent Disney movie you've seen for you're REALLY depriving yourself of great movies like Lilo and Stitch, The Emperor's New Groove, and Tarzan.

[STASHONE]

Ummm... again Pixar being the exception, I think probably Pocahontas.

I've seen parts of Mulan and though I cant say I remember enough to formulate a valid opinion, I dont remember it holding my interest either. I also watched Treasure Planet on satelite though after the first 15 minutes, if it wouldnt have been for my little sister, the channel would have been changed.

So since '95 (Pocahontas and Goofy Movie), Ive seen both Toy Story's and Finding Nemo. I am anticipating Fantasia 2000 though which I will eventually purchase this month along with the anthology box set and I did hear that Hunchback was really good so I'll eventually get around to seeing that though it's not a huuge priority..

[Disneykid]

Woah woah woah...So you've never even seen Hunchback nor Monsters, Inc?!?!?! You MUST watch them both...NOW!!

[Jack]

So you can get my point, here's some comparisons between the two Films:

1. BROKEN FAMILY - Elliot's mother is divorced. Lilo's parents are dead, she lives with her older sister.

2. OUTCASTS - Elliot isn't popular in school, he gets picked on, he feels very alone, like he needs a friend. Lilo isn't popular in school, she gets picked on, she feels very alone, like she needs a friend.

3. ALIEN FROM OUTER SPACE - E.T. gets stranded, and he needs a freind. Stitch gets stranded and he needs a friend.

4. VILLIANS TRYING TO TEAR THEM APART - Governmental agencies try to tear Elliot and E.T. apart, government agent & aliens try to tear Lilo and Stitch apart

5. MORALS OF THE MOVIES - In Lilo & Stitch, the moral is clearly "Nobody gets left behind" pertaining to family. E.T.'s isn't as clearly stated, but it deals with generally the same concept, with a little more emphasis of the friendship of Elliot and E.T. rather than the entire family.

So yes, they are different, but for me, in the big picture, they are very similar. That's why L&S was a dissapointment to me. I found the animation and characters to be very cool, but the story felt too conceived off of E.T. for me to take seriously.

Some of you are listing reasons like "The characters were so cool! The Hawaii setting the Elvis themes were cool!". I agree, but for the reasons stated above, its hard for me to get into it.

[STASHONE]

Yeah I just went back and edited my post before reading yours... I have ben told that it was really good by a few people and I would like to see it. Im gonna punch it in my Tivo tomorrow and see if it will ever air, otherwise I'll get my sister to rent it one weekend so I can watch it with her...

Btw, is Monsters Inc really that good? How does it compare to Toy Story 1/2 & Nemo?

I might just *gasp* download it... I know, I know.. and if it's really that good, pick up the dvd this week cause I have faith in everything Pixar does.

[Disneykid]

IMO, Monsters, Inc. is the best of the Pixar films. It has the most warmth to me as well as the best animation and score. You said you have TIVO? I believe Monsters, Inc. is playing on Starz these days.

[STASHONE]

haha I guess my editing once again was just missed by your posting, lol..

nope never seen it, is it as good as the other Pixar features? I am contemplating purchasing it but I want to check it out this week first..

[Disneykid]

I edited my, post, too-see above.

[STASHONE]

d'oh! you edited again.. damn this edit button


thanks for the heads up though, im gonna be on the look out for monsters inc. ill have my sister hit record so ill be sure to catch it.

[STASHONE]

and again posted before mine went through... hahahaha

you know.. i was just tempted to read a couple of reviews at rottentomato and i dont even want to see this movie on satelite, im just gonna buy the dvd this week. it sounds really promising..

[Lady]

Well, I haven't seen E.T. so Lilo and Stitch seemed very original to me. There is nothing wrong with rehashing a great formula. Sometimes it is just interesting to see the variation they've made. Throw in a beautiful watercolor palette, Elvis music and a violent little girl, and you have originality.

[STASHONE]

never saw ET?

blasphemy!!!

[indianajdp]

From a story concept I'll admit it wasn't the most original of plotlines.
But for me the enjoyment was two-fold: The animation and the characters

LOVED the animation and the main characters were extremely likeable.
It wasn't my favorite Disney film, but I liked it enough that I held off on the original release hoping it would get the SE treatment it so richly deserves.

[Billy Moon]

Forget about ET and just WATCH Lilo and Stitch.
It is beautiful, simply gorgeous.
Story is never the principal reason I watch a Dsney movie. The art is the most important thing, and with the imaginative watercolor backgrouds and terrificly animated characters, L&S is candy for the eye.

[disneyfella]

wait a minute, wait a minute.......


-if anything ET is a ripoff of starwars-







i would just like to point out the depth of similarity here:


A Broken Family: Luke Skywalker wants to join the rebel forces but his uncle won't let him, and his father and mother were killed (albeit his father is now a cyborg out to destroy him)

Outcasts: Excluding the fact that Luke doesn't fit in at the rebel base or take well to his jedi training, the two droids (R2D2 and C3PO) are outcasts from Princess Lea's Ship.

Alien From Outer Space: Well there's Greedo, Bobba Fett, Jaba the Hut, Chewbaca, the Tusken Raiders (honestly the list of aliens could go on forever)

Villains Trying to Tear Them Apart: Darth Vader wants to kill Luke Skywalker and therefore take him away from his sister Leia. The Emporer wants to bring Luke to the dark side and tear him apart from his friends.

Moral of The Movie: "Nobody Gets Left Behind". We're all in this together and we need to work together to overcome big obstacles.









Honestly this is just one movie that could potentially fit into this mold that you've created for almost any sci-fi film. prior to Star Wars (1977) i believe Escape To Witch Mountain (1975) could feasibly fit this storyline as well. storywise, i believe it is very different from ET. it is its own movie and deserves a place as a classic disney animated feature.


things this movie had that ET didn't

-a main character who's parents had died and was dealing with their loss
-an evil killing machine alien
-a romance for an older sibling of the family
-an intergalactic space police council
-the hawaiian islands
-elvis
-two aliens chasing the escaped killer (one of whom was guilty of creating the thing itself)
-a member of the child protection agency inspecting the family for the upbringing of lilo
-and probably biggest of all....stitch crashed here to hide and ET hid here because he was left behind. totally different motivations for connecting with a child.




the list goes on, but in short: this film is not a ripoff of ET. ET isn't even about the relationship of the characters. Steven Spielberg said it was more the story about a boy growing up with divorced parents. ET does not go through an emotional change, Stitch goes full circle and changes immensely. alright, i'm analyzing these films too much,but the point is similar as these stories may be, it's part of the genre. IT IS NOT A RIPOFF!!!!!!!!