i am now watching lilo & stitch, continuing this sudden interest in Disney Films I Saw Once As A Child. will update you on whether it's better than the PS1 licensed game. don't worry, that's a very low bar to clear.
again, not hard, screw that game i hated it sldkfj.
it's also a decent film, mostly. fitting that it's called Lilo & Stitch because you can divide the movie into two halves, one much stronger than the other, starting off really well with a dysfunctional family dynamic disney rarely touches. i like that Lilo is a (traditionally speaking) "problem" child who struggles with socializing, along with a focus on the rocky relationship with her big sister and sole caregiver. sure, scenes are played for laughs but im shocked that their situation isn't sanitized. there's a social worker inspection involved, by disney standards that's a surprisingly raw depiction.
nice to relate to a character in these movies for once. i was worse!
it's almost too good a setup sadly, since the film's solution to this complexity is a.. well, a cartoony cute alien creature who solves everything with good ol' love and found family. the second half goes full adventure flick, which is fine given the age bracket but man, talk about potential; there's a great, mature but still broadly understandable bit of storytelling buried underneath all the action and one-liners that i wish got more development.
there's also hawaii as a setting, which is handled... okay, if reticent on the tourism aspects throughout. it's an idealized version with handpicked elements meant to entertain, cleaned up for kids who don't know better and adults who hopefully should - usual disney. im whiter than moby dick so i can't say much more.
considering its target audience and the expected softened approach, L&S is a good film. i just vastly preferred its first 40 minutes.