8 Reasons Lilo and Stitch Rocks!

Aloha from Oahu!


200px-23920e88bff9fd7588af92a10ab9129df13005d1Yep, the McKay’s are wrapping up our first vacation in Hawaii. And in honor of our amazing trip, I’ve written a tribute to one of my favorite Disney movies–one that I think is  very underrated. Plus, Lilo and Stitch is set in Hawaii! So here are just a few of the reason’s I love Lilo and Stitch.



The women have real curves. Lilo isn’t some delicate flower and neither is her sister, Nani. Unlike a lot of animated girls, the females in Lilo and Stitch look like humans. No, “OMG, my wrist is smaller than my eyeball!” here, thank you very much.
Not everyone in the story is white. In fact, most of the characters aren’t. Which is a pretty refreshing, actually. Yes, when it comes to heroines of color, we’ve got a few other options—Tiana most recently—but Lilo is still the only modern American of color who’s a major character. Go, Lilo!
The general wackiness of the plot. Okay, the complicated plot (which involves a genetically engineered killing machine masquerading as a family dog who befriends an orphaned girl is … well, just waskadoodle. But it’s also delightful. The themes of family, acceptance and redemption will always resonate.
It’s real portrayal of grief. A lot of Disney characters lose their parents. I mean, a lot. Like, hardly anyone actually has parents. That said, Lilo’s grief feels more ugly, more tangible, more real, than any other character’s grief in the entire Disney pantheon. Most Disney movies, gloss over the tough business of loosing a loved one (Frozen) or force the character to cope and move on for plotting purposes (The Lion King). But Lilo and her sister are mired in their grief. They’re drowning in it. The small signs of Lilo’s grief (lying on the floor listening to Elvis, her anger, the voodoo dolls she’s making for her friends who no longer know how to treat her), feel so real they are heartbreaking, but they never overwhelm the story.
It’s funny. Despite Lilo’s depression and sorrow, the movie is a blast. Even her grief is funny. Come on, a Disney heroine who makes voodoo dolls? She’s my kind girl!
The mosquitoes! All my life, I’ve been mosquito bait. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve looked down at my legs and seen them covered in mosquitoes when whoever is next to me is completely mosquito-free. So the fact that mosquitoes are vital to saving our world from alien destruction? Love it!
Lilo-Stitch-Screencap-lilo-and-stitch-1727198-960-536 It’s set in Kauai! And the setting is awesome! Trust me, I was there last week and they nailed Kauai.
David—Nani’s tangential love interest—is such a great Strong Male Character. I’ve been reading a lot on-line recently about the pit-falls of the “Strong Female Character” and the “Trinity Syndrome”—i.e. female characters who are ostensibly strong, but are either only two dimensional or don’t have any real role in the story. And that’s David’s role in Lilo and Stitch. He’s a fun character. He’s a good love interest. But he doesn’t really do much. He certainly doesn’t sweep in and save the day. I love that the writer’s were comfortable giving him a backseat.

So what Disney movies do you think are underrated? What’s your favorite?


 


Emily McKay loves to read, shop, and geek out about movies. When she’s not writing, she reads on-line gossip and bakes luscious deserts. She pretends that her weekly yoga practice balances out both of those things. She lives in central Texas with her family and her crazy pets.


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Published on June 24, 2014 23:12
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