As a a kid I loved it. As an adult I loved it. After living in Hawaii for a few years and having to move away again, I love it in different ways and cry even harder when I watch it. The music, the dance, the colors, the focus on family and the narrative about separation takes on such a different level for me. The song Nani sings to Lilo the night before their planned separation was written by Queen Liliuokalani during her imprisonment when the U.S. was forcibly taking over the islands. I would hope Disney knew that when they selected the song. Is it an acknowledgement of the pain and wrong doing perpetuated on the people of Hawaii? Or just a sad song picked for the reason Disney is known to sometime take: maximum-heartstring- pull for anyone familiar with the song’s origins.
Thanks for this great comment! It's such a good film -- it really does hit on that deep level. We hadn't heard about the historical ties of that song but, given what we've read/watched, it's likely the team knew something about them. Not sure about their intentions with it, but it's definitely intriguing, and powerful, however they meant it.
The emotions in this film only seem to hit harder with time -- it's such a layered story, with so much care and thought put into it. You can feel how much the team believed in it.
Very happy you liked it! And sincere is a good word for this film -- it feels like the team believed deeply in everything about it, in a way that not every Disney film pulls off. Even after decades of merchandising, the film itself still resonates.
Absolutely! I thought the message about the family we build for ourselves was very touching and not pulverized into trite, sterile tropes. Really impacted me, even watching it as a young almost adult.
Given the timing in my life when this movie appeared, I missed it, and my kids by that time had "grown and flown". Watching it last night had me laughing out loud. I really enjoyed the write up on this film, for it was another great exploration of the creative process. That you provided access to the "look book" was great. Some of the guidelines in this guide to the animators were surprisingly subtle.
We're happy that we could send the film your way! Thanks for the very kind words -- and it's awesome to know that you liked the book as well. Disney style guides from the renaissance era tend to be treasure troves, in our experience.
Thanks for writing about this film, especially at this time while Disney is realising a live-action of it, reminding us that it’s not just the idea of the movie that is special it’s also how it was made and told in its very medium, one of my favorites since I was a little.
Really glad you liked the piece! That was exactly what we had in mind while writing it -- so much of Lilo & Stitch is specific to the first film, the people involved and the creative choices they made (and were allowed to make). It's hard to redo something like this, especially when the project's riskiness and originality were two of its defining features.
I love the time you spend appreciating the artistry of these animations. People laugh when I say these "kids'" movies are some of my favorite films—but it's true. There's a special kind of imaginative and pure quality to them.
Thanks very much. There's way, way more depth to animation than those critics realize -- even Disney's animated films for families involve more thought/planning than a lot of live-action movies. When you create everything on screen from scratch like they did in Lilo, it means that *everything* the audience sees is a creative decision that someone made. We're always excited to learn about (and share) that thinking.
This was wonderful to read and admire the sketches and concept art. I've never seen Lilo and Stitch before but was aware of it, perhaps I was at the wrong age for the target audience. I have seen The Wild Robot though, another film with a truly unique artistic style. I'm now curious whether there is a through line from Lilo to Wild Robot, making me want to watch it a lot more now.
Glad you enjoyed! Lilo & Stitch is honestly a great film -- even folks who aren't big Disney fans tend to get a lot out of it. Definitely one of our personal favorites from the studio. We'd say it's worth a shot!
I watched the Lilo & Stitch movie and show a lot as a child. Back then, I was more invested in Lilo's side of the story. Rewatching it over 15 years later as an adult, Nani's arc resonated with me on a level it didn't previously, and I was crying my eyes out throughout.
This film has a ton of layers -- the story really does feel different at different ages. One of Disney's most nuanced scripts of the modern age, for sure. It deserves its reputation.
A rare example of a great film with a great production experience as well - the crew speaks of making this movie so fondly. Not only did the small scale story allow a higher level of artistic experimentation, but also kept the film safely under-budget with a better workload for the crew.
Absolutely. It was a big goal of the team after the nightmare of Mulan, which had a real human cost. Ric Sluiter (who art directed both of them) summed it up well: "Mulan was five years of hell. Lilo & Stitch was two years of bliss." It's so refreshing to read about a production that actually went well.
That's super kind! Really appreciate it. Glad you're enjoying the newsletter (and that you took the chance to rewatch the film -- it holds up incredibly well, in our opinion).
Thanks for sharing this post. I just watched the movie on Disney+ again. I have the DVD with the special edition. Especially the segment about painting in watercolors is very interesting. I need to watch it again. The backgrounds are an integral part of the whole look and feel of the movie, together with the rounded characters of Chris Sanders.
Definitely -- watercolors make such a difference to the look. It's especially interesting that the team favored the old-fashioned style of flat paintings with characters on top, without a ton of layers or 3D environments. Totally different from what the Disney renaissance movies tended to do, but it works so well here.
Thank you so much for this, all these details reinforce why Lilo and Stitch is such an enduring favorite for so many people
Really glad you liked the piece! This is definitely one of our favorites from Disney -- we've wanted to write about its look for a long while.
As a a kid I loved it. As an adult I loved it. After living in Hawaii for a few years and having to move away again, I love it in different ways and cry even harder when I watch it. The music, the dance, the colors, the focus on family and the narrative about separation takes on such a different level for me. The song Nani sings to Lilo the night before their planned separation was written by Queen Liliuokalani during her imprisonment when the U.S. was forcibly taking over the islands. I would hope Disney knew that when they selected the song. Is it an acknowledgement of the pain and wrong doing perpetuated on the people of Hawaii? Or just a sad song picked for the reason Disney is known to sometime take: maximum-heartstring- pull for anyone familiar with the song’s origins.
Thanks for this great comment! It's such a good film -- it really does hit on that deep level. We hadn't heard about the historical ties of that song but, given what we've read/watched, it's likely the team knew something about them. Not sure about their intentions with it, but it's definitely intriguing, and powerful, however they meant it.
I always cry when I watch Lilo and Stich, oh my, this is why.
The emotions in this film only seem to hit harder with time -- it's such a layered story, with so much care and thought put into it. You can feel how much the team believed in it.
Thank you for this post and beautiful illustrations! My favorite one from Disney, somehow felt like their most sincere.
Very happy you liked it! And sincere is a good word for this film -- it feels like the team believed deeply in everything about it, in a way that not every Disney film pulls off. Even after decades of merchandising, the film itself still resonates.
Absolutely! I thought the message about the family we build for ourselves was very touching and not pulverized into trite, sterile tropes. Really impacted me, even watching it as a young almost adult.
Great article! Lilo & Stitch is my favorite Disney movie because of its oddness.
Thanks very much! This film is way up there for us, too.
Given the timing in my life when this movie appeared, I missed it, and my kids by that time had "grown and flown". Watching it last night had me laughing out loud. I really enjoyed the write up on this film, for it was another great exploration of the creative process. That you provided access to the "look book" was great. Some of the guidelines in this guide to the animators were surprisingly subtle.
We're happy that we could send the film your way! Thanks for the very kind words -- and it's awesome to know that you liked the book as well. Disney style guides from the renaissance era tend to be treasure troves, in our experience.
Thanks for writing about this film, especially at this time while Disney is realising a live-action of it, reminding us that it’s not just the idea of the movie that is special it’s also how it was made and told in its very medium, one of my favorites since I was a little.
Really glad you liked the piece! That was exactly what we had in mind while writing it -- so much of Lilo & Stitch is specific to the first film, the people involved and the creative choices they made (and were allowed to make). It's hard to redo something like this, especially when the project's riskiness and originality were two of its defining features.
I love the time you spend appreciating the artistry of these animations. People laugh when I say these "kids'" movies are some of my favorite films—but it's true. There's a special kind of imaginative and pure quality to them.
Thanks very much. There's way, way more depth to animation than those critics realize -- even Disney's animated films for families involve more thought/planning than a lot of live-action movies. When you create everything on screen from scratch like they did in Lilo, it means that *everything* the audience sees is a creative decision that someone made. We're always excited to learn about (and share) that thinking.
Yesss one of my favorite Disney movies! So much love went into this one!
It absolutely did. Glad we had the chance to cover the film -- it's been on our to-do list forever!
This was wonderful to read and admire the sketches and concept art. I've never seen Lilo and Stitch before but was aware of it, perhaps I was at the wrong age for the target audience. I have seen The Wild Robot though, another film with a truly unique artistic style. I'm now curious whether there is a through line from Lilo to Wild Robot, making me want to watch it a lot more now.
Glad you enjoyed! Lilo & Stitch is honestly a great film -- even folks who aren't big Disney fans tend to get a lot out of it. Definitely one of our personal favorites from the studio. We'd say it's worth a shot!
Really enjoyed reading this, thank you! :)
Very glad you liked it!
I watched the Lilo & Stitch movie and show a lot as a child. Back then, I was more invested in Lilo's side of the story. Rewatching it over 15 years later as an adult, Nani's arc resonated with me on a level it didn't previously, and I was crying my eyes out throughout.
This film has a ton of layers -- the story really does feel different at different ages. One of Disney's most nuanced scripts of the modern age, for sure. It deserves its reputation.
A rare example of a great film with a great production experience as well - the crew speaks of making this movie so fondly. Not only did the small scale story allow a higher level of artistic experimentation, but also kept the film safely under-budget with a better workload for the crew.
Absolutely. It was a big goal of the team after the nightmare of Mulan, which had a real human cost. Ric Sluiter (who art directed both of them) summed it up well: "Mulan was five years of hell. Lilo & Stitch was two years of bliss." It's so refreshing to read about a production that actually went well.
This movie is one of my critical texts, thank you for providing this deep dive.
More than happy to -- so glad you liked it!
An insightful look at a gorgeous movie. (par for the course from your team!)
It has inspired me to watch Lilo & Stitch again.
That's super kind! Really appreciate it. Glad you're enjoying the newsletter (and that you took the chance to rewatch the film -- it holds up incredibly well, in our opinion).
Thanks for sharing this post. I just watched the movie on Disney+ again. I have the DVD with the special edition. Especially the segment about painting in watercolors is very interesting. I need to watch it again. The backgrounds are an integral part of the whole look and feel of the movie, together with the rounded characters of Chris Sanders.
Definitely -- watercolors make such a difference to the look. It's especially interesting that the team favored the old-fashioned style of flat paintings with characters on top, without a ton of layers or 3D environments. Totally different from what the Disney renaissance movies tended to do, but it works so well here.