It sounds kind of brutal to really dig into a Disney movie since so many of them are usually meant to be inspirational or somehow touching and family-oriented, but when one really wants to take the time to think about it, a lot of Disney movies deal with subjects that we simply let go since it’s animation and we don’t want to be too harsh with our criticism. But the truth is that Disney does get away with a lot more than people realize sometimes since in Lilo & Stitch there are a few elements that are lesser in nature than what might be seen in a John Hughes movie, but are still there all the same for people to see. The difference is that the humor and the animation soften these subjects up quite a bit so that we don’t tend to think about them as much and simply enjoy the movie as it is. For instance, the fact that Stitch is supposed to be so insanely dangerous that at one point it sounds as though the planet is going to be gassed to contain him is insane, since this level of mass murder isn’t even practiced in some of the most horror-laden, R-rated movies that have been deemed disturbing and difficult to watch. But again, it’s animation, so we let it slide. And to be honest, we should since a story can be told in a number of ways that can change the context from one scene to the next, and there’s almost always another perspective to consider before making any final judgments.
The fun thing about Honest Trailers when it comes to grilling any movie is that it’s easy to put in one ear and out the other, and then take it as another bit of entertainment that doesn’t need to influence how one thinks about a movie that they might enjoy. Like many other channels, the purpose of Honest Trailers is to point out inconsistencies and plot points that might not make sense, but the manner in which this is done might cause some folks to bristle a bit since some folks can’t handle anyone criticizing anything they like or follow. The trick to enjoying this kind of entertainment is to remember that nothing is personal and it’s all in the name of entertainment. Also, it’s important to remember that just because something is a favorite of many people doesn’t mean it’s going to be the favorite of everyone. It’s not a personal attack on anyone that likes Lilo & Stitch, it’s simply an observation that there are a lot of elements in this movie that, when taken on their own, can be kind of problematic if they’re analyzed from a certain perspective.
Among the many Disney movies, this is one of those that stood out as one of the strangest, but it also felt as though Disney was really trying to push the envelope to do something so different that they ended up tripping over the combination of the real world and science fiction and this is what the result came out as. There are quite a few people that would come out in defense of this movie and that’s all well and good, but simply pointing out what doesn’t work for everyone is easy enough to ignore if one wants to enjoy the movie without worrying about what others think. To be certain, it’s a cute movie that speaks about family quite a bit and shows the difficulties that Lilo and her sister go through, but it’s also a movie that, like many within Disney’s stable, takes on various issues and glosses over them with rounded edges and attitudes that are designed to create that ‘awww’ feeling rather invite anyone to analyze and break down the critical elements within the script. If Disney was in the business of making serious movies then this one would probably be closer to a science fiction/horror flick since the idea that Stitch is supposed to be so inherently dangerous would be a little more terrifying. There is a rumor that this might be made into a live-action movie, and it’s hard to say that it might be just a rumor since now that Disney owns Fox and has done several live-action movies it’s easy to think that the Mouse House might want to make the attempt at creating something that they’ll no doubt think is warm and cuddly but still realistic, but could come off as insanely uncomfortable.
However it happens, IF it happens, one can bet that Disney will do their best to make sure that it has enough humor and family feeling in it to make the movie worthwhile. In the meantime, the animated version is still enjoyed by a lot of people, even if it is kind of an awkward movie at times.
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