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Review: ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Is Disney’s Best Live Action Remake Yet
But it is still frustrating and, arguably, entirely pointless
Despite what I believe is a reputation (if any, that is) as a cynical critic mainly enchanted by realistic, bleak, gritty cinema, I have absolutely adored Stitch as a character for years now. The original Lilo & Stitch is a miraculous film for a number of reasons — not only is its animation terrific, its characters memorable, its story and themes deeply touching and beautifully communicated, the film was also never expected to do particularly well to begin with. Made towards the end of Disney’s Renaissance era, when they would focus massively on creating more serious, major works that pushed the boundaries of what animation could do at the time (the era that birthed Beauty & the Beast, The Lion King, Mulan and so on), Lilo & Stitch was in fact seen as a minor production because of some of the risks involved in its production (namely its focus on Hawaiian characters and culture back in 2002).
Given a lower budget and more constraints (smaller crew, shorter deadline, etc.) than many of the Disney films made around the same time, Lilo & Stitch was set up by Disney to be a more ‘experimental’ flop. And yet, by backing away from the project and allowing its producers more creative control, Disney ironically allowed…