Lilo & Stitch --- 2002's Disney Release Was Also One of It's Funniest

With Lilo & Stitch, Disney took a departure from their typical fairytale approach to feature film cartoons, and instead took in a realistic situation. Well not entirely realistic I guess, because there are plenty of space aliens involved in this story, but at the heart is something genuine and original. Without parents in the picture, a little girl named Lilo is being taken care of by her big sister. It is often a struggle Nani to do the right thing for her sibling, but she has sacrificed a lot to be there for her. This relationship anchors the film in a really good place, and really sets the tone to be both heartwarming and intriguing at the same time. But for some that might make the story a little boring if there were not an exciting element entered into the mix: cue Stitch.

On a distant planet, a mad scientist has been creating a host of experiments, only to find that one has escaped: Experiment 527. This experiment is an extremely mischievous animal, who has a very high level of strength and intelligence, but which has many tendencies that get him into trouble with authority figures. When he figures out a way to escape, the chase is on, as bounty hunters from around the galaxy are sent out to track him down and return him to a prison. This adds another sub-plot to the story as the experiment finds his way all the way to Hawaii with a crash-landing of his ship. Trapped on the island he is in a brand new environment that puts him in some very funny situations, and of course gives him many new avenues with which to cause trouble and destruction.

As the story gets started, Lilo believes him to be a puppy, and officially adopts him to take him. He is not your normal "puppy", even though his curiosity and loyalty to Lilo immediately mirrors the tendencies of one. With everyone convinced that Stitch is just a lovable dog that doesn't look quite as cute as one, it comes as a surprise when the main bounty hunter finds his way to the island. Now Lilo and her sister are caught between a mad scientist trying to re-acquire his experiment, a bounty hunter who will stop at nothing to find this "menace", and an employee from child support services that wants to investigate the state of the household where Lilo is being raised. In my opinion this all really sets the stage for a great story that is like none other that Disney has presented, but also which lends an extreme amount of humor to the story.

Some of the voices are famous, including Tia Carrere as Nani, and Ving Rhames as Cobra Rubbles (The CSS employee), but it is Daveigh Chase as Lilo that really brings it home. Her great ability to turn a phrase put her in the sequel, as well as the television show that Disney has going right now. Lilo & Stitch uses the tried and true animation that really made Disney successful in the first place, and does so in a beautiful setting on the beaches of Hawaii. All of the characters are very likeable, and one of the funniest parts of the story is Stitch's infatuation with Elvis music. With a running time of only 85 minutes it is short enough to maintain the attention span of anyone, and it works well as a film for the whole family. Stitch is one of the funniest characters that Disney has come up with in recent years, and this action-packed story really became a winner in my book.