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Oh, that is entirely too cute… 
Oh my.
My own Stitch is voicing his approval.
My sis is visiting from Hawaii right now, and she insisted we go see the movie together (she had already seen it). Good move, sis.
Her take on it – she’s a freelance artist in Honolulu, and she was impressed with it visually. She says it looks like Hawaii, as far as the colors and the lighting go. When she first moved there, 20 years ago, she thought all her artwork looked weird; too bright, too vivid, unreal colors. Then she realized that she was just reproducing what she saw. The light and colors of Hawaii are different from the light and colors of New York’s Hudson Valley! She felt Disney had reproduced Hawaii very well.
She felt that more pidgin could have been used, but we discussed it, and I likened it to using Yiddish. Perhaps a non-Jew from New York would understand enough Yiddish to get the gist of what was being said in a film, but folks in Van Meter, Iowa, may not have a clue. So tossing in a few token pidgin words helped flavor it without making haoles like us too muddled. She did feel the pidgin that was used was appropriate, though.
We were also impressed with the character development, particularly of Stitch. At the beginning, you wonder how the heck you’re going to wind up liking this…THING. And by the end, you’re loving him.
I was also extremely impressed with the use of an antagonist who isn’t the “bad guy,” in the character of Cobra Bubbles. He isn’t evil, he is just pursuing his goal in opposition to Nani’s goals. Very mature, for any film.
Gonna snatch up the DVD as soon as it’s available!!!
Disney’s best offering in a while, IMO.
Finally went to see it last night with the boyfriend. Cried like a small heartbroken child for about half of it. . .
Three tear-soaked hankies up!
Regarding “A113,” obfusciatrist,
Brad Bird claims he started this name-dropping. He says it’s his version of Al Hirchfeld’s Ninas. Works he worked on in which it appears are the “Family Dog” episode of Amazing Stories and the “Krusty Gets Busted” episode of The Simpsons. I am unsure if it appears in Bird’s grand work, The Iron Giant. He and John Lasseter actually were in the same class at the same time, which explains why it is also in the Pixar works. I can find no reference to Pixar having an A113 of their own, but if they did, it was probably in honor of the CalArts A113. Also, A113 is not the only classroom of animation in CalArts, I believe.
That is true, but animation was surprisingly not one of CalArts’ first majors! Walt and Roy were kind enough to contribute their money, and CalArts was formed in 1961 with the merger of the L.A. Conservatory of Music and the Chouinard Art Institute. Animation (along with dance, theater, and other forms of filmmaking) were not added to the CalArts curriculum until 1971.
Mobo85, hopeful future CalArts graduate
Yes, the Pixar conference room was so named because of the CalArts connection, I didn’t mean to imply otherwise, just that for Pixar employees it has double significance (though one resulted from the other).
And no, A113 isn’t the only animation classroom, but I believe it is the primary one.
Since neither Brad Bird or John Lasseter were involved in Lilo & Stitch, I wonder who specifically was the person that put A113 into the movie.
“Blue Punch Buggy!”
I can settle the question of when it took place once and for all.
At Wal-Mart I saw a little children’s book based on the show. On one page Lilo shows off her animal adoption certificate from her county. The date is 9/22/01.
I just saw it, and loved it.
The only thing that got to me, though was Lilo’s character progression. The beginning of the movie had me doubled over with laughter, and it was all about the amazing little girl character they had created. She was bizarre, and unique, and oddly realistic; she used little-kid logic to flesh out her strange perspective.
The scene in the dance hall, the Elvis record, the drawing on the fridge (Me. Alone.), the spoons’ punishment; they all added up to a brilliantly drawn portrait of an odd but likeable little kid.
It seemed like, as Stitch became more loveable, Lilo became less interesting, less unique. More the generic Disney little kid. And that disappointed me, because I was looking forward to a movie about such a strange and appealing individual.
That nitpick aside, I loved it. Amazing. Buying on DVD.
Is the rest of the contract readable? When I watched it again today (yeah, we went to see it AGAIN!), I watched the adoption papers more closely, and the paragraph looked like some sort of movie contract, 'cause I could catch in very small capitals the words “LILO & STITCH”.
Must be an inside joke, but I really wanna know what that contract says…
Aaah…I saw it today, and I liked it a lot, much more than I expected.
The frog…saving Stitch for the second time…I found that very funny.
And the alien ecologist encounter with mosquitos…next scene, he’s covered with bandages!
I always thought Cobra was a MIB who knew Stitch was an alien and was just after them…
Oh, yes, I noticed David’s low riding shorts, and Nani had the same muscles… (meaning the muscles pointing downwards)…
I loved it.
I loved that the people looked like real people, and especially that the women didn’t have that terrible barbiedoll shape as in previous Disney movies. I noticed that all of Lilo’s little friends were carrying Barbies at one point, and I choose to believe this is a reference to the change in body styles.
I loved the characters, especially Noni and Lilo, who were loveable but believable.
I loved that it was heartwarming, but not in the annoying way.
And yes, at the point Opalcat mentioned, I was crying like a babywoman, wiping teardrops off my neck.
Dammit OpalCat!! I was just sitting here happily, minding my own business, then you had to go mention that scene and make me all misty-eyed again!
Well, screw this place! I’m off to look at naked ladies…
Well, I’ll be the lone dissenting voice. I was lukewarm on it. I suppose it would have been better seeing it in a full theatre of enthusiastic viewers. We did laugh in parts (we loved it when Lilo was barred in the house, listening to Elvis, depressed) but it fell short of my expectations. I liked the Emperor’s New Groove much, much more.
I may be too harsh a Disney critic. I didn’t think Monsters, Inc was that great, either.
Well, I was kinda lukewarm on it as well. There were a couple of great moments for us which really had nothing to do with the movie itself (two, count 'em, two Boston Terrier cameos!) and some nice laughs, but we didn’t spend a lot of time talking about it afterwards. I liked the L&S trailers better. But I did dig on Stitch trashing San Francisco. “Eek! Help me!” grarrrrgh chomp chomp “Eek!”
I have to disagree, though, Cranky - I thought Monsters Inc. was great, and the ending had me closer to tears than anything in L&S did.
Speak ye not poorly of the Mouse - blasphemers!
I’ll ready the tar and feathers.
Esprix
Oh, please, honey.
[political hijack]
Wally E. learned to draw from a socialist newspaper his dad read regularly - the Appeal to Reason - then he turns around and busts his animators’ strikes. I’ma speak poorly of that goddamn Mouse any time I want to.
[/political hijack]
Esprix, you are looking at a woman who had watched A Bug’s Life no less than 100 times and still will sit down to watch parts of it when my son has it on. So I don’t dislike Disney per se (although maybe I should credit Pixar 100% on this one).
i love that movie! my friend and i are going to see it again tomorrow! half the time i was laughing, half the time i was crying. and the aliens were great, they weren’t conventional aliens, and they were very civilized. and i loved the fat guy that kept losing his ice cream…