Film Forum

United States, 2002
Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
Approx. 85 min. DCP.

“Lilo is a cute, thoroughly mixed-up Hawaiian orphan constantly at loggerheads with Nani, her twenty-something sister and guardian. Life's been one long round of arguments since the girls' parents died in a car crash, and Lilo, especially, has become lonely and withdrawn. Stitch, on the other hand, is from another planet. A genetic experiment gone wrong, he looks like a cross between a koala, an extra from Gremlins and a computer-game character. The ultimate intergalactic fighter, he has incredible strength; he's also tireless and outrageously destructive. Which is why his creator Jumba has been ordered to dispose of him. Cut to Earth, and a spaceship crashing into Lilo's island: the unwanted Stitch is looking for a family.” – Time Out

Reviews

“One of the most charming feature-length cartoons of recent years — funny, sassy, startling, original and with six songs by Elvis. It doesn't get sickeningly sweet at the end, it has as much stuff in it for grown-ups as for kids, and it has a bright offbeat look to it.”
– Roger Ebert

“The film’s message is as warm and intimate as its color palette and as heart-warming as the smile on Stitch’s face”
 – Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine

“A sweet, charming tale of intergalactic friendship.”
– A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“Remains, to this day, one of Disney’s most beloved films”
– Bilge Ebiri, Vulture