Lilo & Stitch

This topic contains:

• details about Lilo & Stitch’sclassification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Lilo & Stitch completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 15 September 2002.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Lilo & Stitch contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• nudity, sexual references, substance use, coarse language
• the movie’s message
• overall comments.

A synopsis of the story

Experiment 626 is an alien product of a deranged mind, created with incredible strength and the ability to destroy everything in sight. Galactic Control determine that 626 must be sent into outer space and Jumba, the mad scientist is jailed for creating him. 626 is locked into a spacecraft from which he manages to escape and lands on Earth.

Lilo is a young Hawaiian girl being brought up by her older sister Nani, after the death of their parents in a car crash. Lilo is an Elvis fan with plenty of attitude who likes to sing and dance but is rejected by her peers at school. Nani overhears Lilo praying for a friend, the nicest angel from Heaven and decides she needs a pet. They set out to buy a puppy and find 626 who has transformed himself into a sort of dog with all his claws hidden. Lilo names him Stitch and takes him home where he creates all kinds of havoc. Lilo refuses to return Stitch however as she believes he is her angel.

Meanwhile Jumba is released from prison and sent to Earth with Pleakley to retrieve 626. They follow him everywhere and repeatedly try to grab Stitch but Stitch fights back. At first Stitch uses Lilo as protection from his pursuers but as time goes on he realises he is a lot like her, without friends or a ‘whole’ family. He identifies with the Ugly Duckling in the Story Book.

Galactic Control tire of Jumba’s efforts and send Captain Gantu, a large mean creature to capture 626. He manages to capture both 626 and Lilo and sets back with them but again Stitch escapes. The Grand Councilwoman comes to Earth to solve matters and Stitch manages to convince her that he has found a family “little and broken, but still good”. She sentences Stitch to exile on Earth where he lives happily with Lilo and Nani.

Use of violence

There is quite a lot of violence in this film including:

• 626 is injected with a large syringe
• 626 spits on pilot causing fire in the spacecraft
• pilot shoots at 626
• Lilo punches and bites another girl because she says she’s crazy
• Nani nearly gets hit by a car
• Nani kicks back at the car and yells at the driver calling him “stupid head”
• Nani and Lilo yell and scream at each other—Lilo says it’s a “sisters’ job to yell at each other”
• Jumbo and Pleakley attack and shoot at Stitch with guns
• Stitch totally wrecks house and blows it up
• Jumbo beats Stitch against a tree and crushes him underfoot.

Material that may scare children

In addition to the violence in the film already listed, children under the age of seven may be concerned by:

• 626 being highly aggressive
• Captain Gantu who is a large and aggressive alien
• Stitch getting run over by a truck but survives
• Lilo and Nani being separated from parents who have died in a car crash
• Lilo lying on the floor listening to Elvis singing “I’m so Lonely I could die…” She repeats the words “I wanna die”.
• Lilo reading Practical Voodoo and playing with dolls who “must be punished”.

Nudity, sexual references, substance use, coarse language

There is little sexual reference in this film. Nani has a boyfriend called David and Lilo tells him that Nani likes his ‘butt’. There is no nudity or sexual activity, although some girls are scantily clad on the beach. There is no substance use and no coarse language.

The movie’s message

The Hawaiian term “ohana” for family means “no-one is forgotten or left behind”. This word is repeated quite often. This film’s main message is that family is important whether it is ‘whole’ or ‘broken’ and that everyone needs to belong. Lilo reads the story of the Ugly Duckling to Stitch and this is re-emphasised when Stitch watches a mother duck leading her family along. The importance of being accepted and the consequences of rejection are shown in this film.

Some values that parents may wish to encourage include:

• accepting those who are different
• caring
• responsibility

Some values that parents may wish to discourage include:

• use of violence to solve conflicts
• sisters yelling and shouting at each other
• inability to forgive
• intolerance.

Overall comments

This film is very watchable from an adult’s viewpoint – the animation is very well done as in most Disney movies. The story is different being partly sci-fi and partly a look at a young Hawaiian girl’s unhappy life and how the two mesh together. It has a depth to it that is quite moving. However based on the violence and scary content, it is not really suitable for young children under 5 to whom the film is targeted.