Review of 'Lilo & Stitch'
On a distant planet, Dr. Jumba Jookiba (voiced by David Ogden Stiers) is convicted of illegal genetic experimentation with his creation, Experiment 626 (aka “Stitch”; voiced by Chris Sanders), an aggressive and powerful small blue creature…with big teeth, sentenced to exile. 626 escapes during transport and crashes his stollen ship on Earth, specifically, the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Hit by a truck, he is stripped of his clothing and weapons then placed in an animal shelter. Grand Councilwoman (voiced by Zoe Caldwell) offers Jumba an early release if he retrieves 626 with the assistance of the council's Earth expert, Agent Pleakley (voiced by Kevin McDonald). Meanwhile, on the same island, orphan teenager Nani Pelekai (voiced by Tia Carrere) struggles to take care of her lonely, rambunctious and rebellious younger sister, Lilo (pronounced “Lee-Low”; voiced by Daveigh Chase). Lilo struggles to pay attention at school and make friends, preferring to play in the forest. Social worker Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames) is concerned about Lilo, threatening to take her into foster care. Visiting the local animal shelter Lilo adapts 626 who is impersonating a dog then naming him “Stitch”. As the two chaotic misfits become friends the question is whether Lilo will be sent to a foster home or whether Stitch will be captured by Jumba…
This is a frantic piece of animation from Walt Disney that features two fairly dislikeable characters that grow on you despite our rather harsh introduction to them (626 is quite nasty at the start and even Lilo is quite selfish and, frankly, dangerous). As with all good Disney films there is a moral centre that comes through very quickly - Two tragically flawed characters struggling to find their way despite incredible challenges. Thankfully, there is a good amount of outrageous and borderline nasty fun but with the short running length there is not a lot of time for it to be more fully explored. This is a mixture of science fiction and coming of age that actually ends up working quite well…indeed, seeing how successful this franchise has been over the years, it is a great introduction to the characters.
A slightly harsh but fun introduction to two favourites of modern Disney animation…if you can keep up with the pace of it. Quite a bit “grittier” than previous Disney animated films, which makes it all the more interesting.
Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”
Review Date: 2026-08-02
Directed by: Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Year: 2002
Length: 85 minutes
Genre: Animation
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275847/
Other reviewed films by Chris Sanders:
- The Wild Robot (2024)
Other reviewed films by Dean DeBlois:
- How to Train Your Dragon (2025)