LILO & STITCH (2002):
Written by: Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois

-This is a funny one, as it’s an original story, and has a completely unique art style (that of a long-time Disney Animator Chris Sanders, who always drew his stuff that way- one wonders if the others got annoyed at always having to shift his stuff into the “Mainline” style). I have to agree with The Nostalgia Critic over it- the relationship between the sisters (bratty, weird Lilo and basket-case, angry Nani who has to deal with raising the crazy little girl alone) is much more interesting than the “blah” alien backstory, which is of course what drew in all the kids. Stitch is a runaway alien that makes a mess of everything, and gets adopted as a “dog” while Nani is in danger of losing Lilo to social services (especially once Stitch costs her her job). Everyone kind of… just makes cool with each other by the end, of course (after many discussions about “Ohana”- family groups that never leave anyone behind). Like in a lot of Disney movies, he just kind of… appreciates them after a point, largely after feeling listless without his mission of destruction to go back to.

I didn’t find it overly funny, but it’s a neat character piece, and has some very interesting alien designs. And Nani is HAAAAAA (checks Disney Wikia to confirm that she’s nineteen) AAAAAWWWT. The rounded art style gives everyone weird faces and potato noses, but the animators share my liking for gigantic thighs, that’s for sure, and the noses are no bigger a distraction than say, Adam Warren’s “Fish Lips” look on HIS characters. And Nani HAS to be the nakedest Disney woman ever- she is in either a Hawaiian-style sarong (with bikini top) or a skimpy bikini for 60% of her scenes. Like, they were gifting the dads who got dragged there something fierce.

The alien designs are REALLY cool, too, with even background aliens looking very cool and interesting.

Reception & Cultural Impact:
The movie did well enough to earn TWO sequel movies (Straight To DVD, of course) and a 65-episode TV series, one of the latest Disney Movies to franchise out that way. All of the sequels dealt with finding the other experiments (since Stitch was Experiment 626). Stitch is also HUGE in Japan (I know- an annoying cute critter popular in Japan- will wonders never cease?), and spawned an anime series. Sanders, who would become kind of a hero at Disney for this film, would leave the company over issues with John Lasseter surrounding changes made to Bolt. He moved to DreamWorks, where he now helms the How To Train Your Dragon movies, as well as The Croods.

For the Parks, Stitch has become a big meet & greet act, usually engaging in offbeat shenanigans with guests. Disney World also changes their terrifying Alien Encounter attraction to feature a mostly unseen Stitch… which still scares the living bejeezus out of time of people. The attraction simulates observing an alien that escapes and jumps around on your chairs… but you’re completely trapped and your imagination has to fill in everything. In seconds, I saw someone’s screaming child have to get taken out of there. They finally put the mostly-mothballed attraction out of its misery earlier this year.

The movie has attained a solid fandom of Disneyphiles, largely owing to the sweet bits (“Ohana means… no one gets left behind”), and how bratty Lilo is (“And I’m sorry I punched you in the face”).

STITCH (Experiment 626)

-Stitch is actually remarkably powerful for a Disney character, being a pint-sized powerhouse able to lift open giant sliding doors, avoid laser fire, shoot like a maniac, and tear apart entire structures with ease. He’s good with technology despite being a bit thick-headed about things, and he eventually does show that he can speak.

About the Performer: Chris Sanders is the aforementioned director of the film, who has continued to voice him later, even after leaving the studio.