Lilo and Stitch
Released 2002
Directed By Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
Music By Alan Silvestri
Released 2002
Directed By Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
Music By Alan Silvestri
Happy Summer Disney Fans!!
Well … Just like all of my seasons … Summer flew by. I’m sure for many of you that meant
traveling, fun, water parks, swimming, hiking … Well … all the things that make
summer … Summer. As I mentioned in my
last post, this summer has been very busy.
June saw my third production show as Stella Boheme (appropriately titled
“Fun In The Sun”) as we kicked off Pride month here on Columbus. I had the pleasure of riding on a float as
Stella as well for the Pride Parade. It
was a fun month of June. Then July saw a
two weeks of vacation out to Oregon with my family, celebrating my Papa-san’s
70 birthday, spending time with my extended family and cousins (many of whom
I’ve never met until this summer!)
Oregon time also means spending time on the coast and swimming in the
ocean, eating seafood, enjoying the beautiful weather (and it was amazing,
little to no rain and 76 almost every day!)
Though I never got a chance to visit some of my favorite haunts like the
Seaside Aquarium or the Oregon State Hatfield Marine Science Center, I spent
time in new places and more importantly with family. Or as they say in Hawaii … Ohana.
Growing up, family meant a lot to me. You see my dad is pretty much Irish and
German, and my mom is German and Japanese.
The Japanese side of my family is very close; birthdays, holidays,
weddings, funerals … all of them meant gathering together in fellowship,
comfort, and often times accompanied with food.
When I struck out on my own here to the Midwest and pursued my dream and
education, I came with a wave of love and support, knowing that if things don’t
turn out, I can always come back. In a
way, my performing as Stella has also brought me very close to a group of
friends I’m proud to call my ohana … My family.
These reflections on those we choose to call our Ohana
naturally led me to this month’s film Lilo and Stitch. Taking place on the beautiful islands of
Hawaii, we see two stories and two lives converge: Stitch, the genetic creation
of a mad space scientist programmed to do nothing more than destroy is trying
to escape detection and capture from the Outer Galactic Grand Counsel, and
Lilo, a young girl who has lost her parents and now trying to cope with
life. Two odd bodies in existence that
have found each other and re-learn the meaning of family. Adding more strands into this tapestry of
family, Lilo’s older sister Nani is now trying to step up and become legal
guardian and caretaker of her younger sister, including trying to find a job to
support their family (with Stitch as their adopted “puppy”). Add into the mix the two aliens, Jumba and
Pleakley, sent on a mission to recover Stitch, with hilarious mishaps. You can continue to add and add more
characters into the mix, even characters with smaller roles and come to find
this grand tapestry of interaction that creates this story.
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| Hiiiiiiiii!! |
Of course no Disney film with be Disney without immersive music to accompany the story and Alan Silvestri’s score to Lilo and Stitch brings life to the Hawaiian culture. In the commentary to the film, the film’s directors, Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, tell of combining ancient chants from Hawaii and bringing them to a world stage. One can definitely feel the emotional impact of this music in the opening song He Mele No Lilo and in my favorite from the film Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride that plays when after a long day of job searching with no positive results, Lilo, Nani, and David spend a day of surfing, swimming, and playing in the sand. This heartfelt music is made even stronger with the addition of a children’s choir from Hawaii singing as well. I love listening to both songs, as they stir in me a desire to go back to the beach, or to Hawaii, and honestly … remembering the fun times I spent at Disney World swimming and sliding at Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
Even though Lilo and Stitch was not meant to be a
“blockbuster” in the sense of Cinderella or Frozen, that didn’t
stop the Disney studios from getting some great voice talent for the
characters. Nani is voiced by the
beautiful Tia Carrere; Ving Rames as the mysterious social worker Bubbles;
Kevin McDonald of Kids In the Hall voiced the awkward Plunkley; and David Ogden
Stiers voiced the character of Jumba. If
the name sounds familiar well ... it should be as Stiers also voiced Cogsworth
in Beauty and the Beast, Ratcliffe in Pocahontas, the Archdeacon
in Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Kamajii in the Studio Ghibli film Spirited
Away when it was brought to America by John Lasseter. Even for a Disney “B-Movie” still casting the
right talent for the right character shows through in this film.
Lilo and Stitch: Perfect for celebrating the family, chosen or biological, and the magic that fills our lives because of their existence. While on the surface a light-hearted and beautifully colorful view of Hawaiian culture, this is one of those Disney films that truly appeals and speaks to everyone.
Perfect For: Anyone you call Ohana.
Most likely character you’ll see in the parks: The blue,
loveable alien himself Stitch.
Well everyone I’m happy to be back to writing this movie
blog. In some related Disney news, I
have joined the Disney Movie Club (and I encourage each of you Disney fans to
check it out as the sign up offer is awesome!!) I’ll have no shortage of films
coming up to write on! Also for you
readers out there, please check out The Kingdom Keepers series … It’s a
pre-teen series of novels taking place at Walt Disney World resort. Great and quick reads for any Disney fan.
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| My first order from the Disney Movie Club!! |
Enjoy the rest of your summer Disney fans … The fall time is
around the corner and I’ll see you back here for the September’s movie review.
Make it a Magical Day – Pat A
