Cast: Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stires, Kevin Macdonald, Ving Rhames, Jason Scott lee, Kevin Michael Richardson, Amy Hill

Written By: Chris sanders

directed By: Dean DeBois and Chris sanders

release Year: 2002

Studio: Disney

Audio description Produced By: Deluxe

Written By:

Narrated By: Laura Post

What is it?: After the death of their parents, Noni and lilo are trying to make it together, with the big sister looking after her little sister. But, life is challenging, and Noni has to grow up fast, get a job, and still somehow be there for her younger sister. Lilo is basically ostracized by her classmates, and wishes she had a friend. lucky for her, Experiment 626 comes crashing down, and Lilo ends up adopting a “dog” that is actually an escaped alien currently being hunted by bounty hunters. But, through the love of a little girl, Stitch learns O’hana, and slowly turns from a destructive force, into the best friend Lilo needed.

Why It Doesn’t Work: Just wanted to start with this, since I don’t really have any problems with the film. I’ve seen it numerous times, and it is probably my favorite Disney animation that can’t be classified as a musical. Sure, some older classics would fall into this category as well, like The Sword In The Stone or 101 Dalmatians, but taking Pixar out of the equation, Lilo and Stitch was an inspired choice at the time, and turned Stitch into one of the most recognizable brand ambassadors of Disney.

If I nitpicked one thing, rewatching this and the live action film, I realize that the core story doesn’t really need the bounty hunters. there’s enough meat in the story to exclude them altogether. I wonder if the live action film had done so, would it have felt different enough to justify its existence?

Why it Works: I’ve seen this film claimed as autism representation, even though Lilo is never mentioned as being on any kind of spectrum here, or in the live action remake. But, she does have a sad history of being an outcast, because apparently Hawaiian children are mean to the little girl who lost her parents. Daveigh Chase was a delightful Lilo (and later Chihiro, as well as Samara). Chris Sanders creates one of those instantly iconic animated voices, like hearing Rocky and Bullwinkle speak for the first time, or yogi Bear. It is so unique, it has many mimicking the Stitch voice.

in the 80’s, after ET started more “a boy and his alien” films like Mac and Me, or Flight Of The Navigator, it seemed like we tabled it for a while. Then, we got a girl and her alien, and with its completely different setting, and totally different vibe, Lilo and Stitch creates just as iconic of a character in stitch as Steven Spielberg did with ET. Yes, really.

ET had his little glowing finger, but Stitch has the ability to morph his body as needed. He loses arms, retracting them into his body, just to pretend to be a dog. ET has Reeses Pieces, but Stitch has this odd connection to Elvis, and also Hawaiian culture, including some hula dancing. Sure, Stitch may not have launched a candy, but the misfit in him certainly started a broad branding that felt like Stitch could be marketed to anyone of any age or gender. Everyone could relate to Stitch. We’ve all not fit in at some point, and had that wrecking ball vibe that Stitch has.

I did note, watching both iterations, that the cartoon puts Elvis more prominently. In 2002, it was easy for Lilo to tell Stitch to use Elvis as an example of being a model citizen. In 2025? Not so much. Elvis couldn’t be completely excised, but the live action version certainly reduced his contribution to the vibe of the film.

The Audio description: It’s basically a classic Disney audio description track, done very well by Deluxe, with Laura Post narrating. If I had to guess, this would have been my guess not knowing or hearing the track. I’m sure the AD track was made a while back, but just how long? I don’t know. Either way, I felt like it matched the tone, and Laura has such a widely accessible tone that helps her do content for both adults and kids.

Why you Might Like it: because it is a classic. It’s just a great film, and it is on the fringe of being a Desert Island film for me. I’m just not sure how many Disney films I can take to that Island.

Why You Might Not Like it: You don’t like animation, or kids films. It isn’t really for little kids, and plays broadly, but I know some older adults without kids might not want to bother with this.

Final Thoughts: If Ohana means family, then Lilo and Stitch leave you feeling like they are a part of your Ohana.

Fresh: Final Grade: 9.0/10