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MON-EL Takes An Early Look At LILO & STITCH!!
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I can’t believe how many stories I’ve put together tonight. I can’t believe the sun is up now. I can’t believe I have a meeting in a few hours. Here’s MON-EL, hopefully making more sense than me at this point, to tell you what he thought of Disney’s newest release, LILO & STITCH:
Harry:
Just wanted to let you know that I caught a showing of Disney's latest animation feature, Lilo & Stitch at a preview in Houston.
As a Disney Club member, I had received an email a few weeks ago indicating that there would be sneak previews throughout the country - I replied to the email and a few days later, received an official invitation.
The wife and I are DisneyWorld fanatics, so we thought it was about time to take our almost 2-year old daughter to her first movie - we might as well make it a Disney movie. I vaguely remember my first moviegoing experience - it was Pinocchio. So we were hoping Lilo & Stitch would be a good start for her. Mind you, our kid is addicted to the DVD's of Toy Story (1 & 2) and Shrek, so she has pretty good taste in flicks already.
The pass we had was good for up to 4 people, so we also took our next door neighbor's boy who is 5. The neighbor babysat our 4 month old son while we took her son. Not a bad trade.
Anyway... The Cinemark theatre was already 80% full when we arrived about 10 minutes before show time. We managed to find some seats way down front. Not my favorite place, but hey, it was free. The theatre was a filled predominately with people like us - parents with little kids. The best seats were sectioned off for the "press".
I suppose my expectations were set pretty high for this movie - I had read lot's of hype such as this was the best Disney 'toon since The Lion King, etc. That may be true (except for the Pixar/Disney films).
I'm not going to go into any detail on the story - it's pretty easy to figure that out from the previews. I did enjoy the movie, but it wasn't great. It had a lot of humorous and quirky moments, but only once or twice did I find myself laughing out loud. That goes for the rest of the audience, as well. All the kids in the theatre were surprisingly well-behaved. But there weren't any squeals of joy, or cheers or laughing that I could hear.
The animation was nothing groundbreaking, but it was very well done. It was a mix of traditional illustration and some computer animation (particularly the space ships). I did like the backgrounds of Hawaii - they tended to be
watercolor paintings.
There were also a couple of interesting scenes for an animated Disney movie - Stitch is looking a television, and they are showing actual black and white footage on the TV screen. That was kind of cool. And in another scene, Lilo is teaching Stitch how to act like Elvis, and she shows an actual photo of Elvis. The use of "real" images in an animation is nothing new, but I don't ever recall seeing it used by Disney before. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Everyone seems to be talking about Stitch, but my favorite character has to be Lilo. She's as cute as can be and is voiced perfectly by Daveigh Chase. The opening scene where she explains to her dance teacher that she's late because it was Thursday and she had to feed a certain fish a peanut butter sandwich because "he controls the weather" was really funny. It gives you the first glimpse into this somewhat emotionally troubled child with a very
active imagination and and off-beat look at life.
The question is... Will this be a big hit? Yeah, big but not huge. Our neighbor boy really liked it ("better than Spirit!").
Anyway... I applaud Disney from trying something different than their typical musical. I hope it does well and makes them lots of money.
You can call me Mon-El
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Not only am I first but I can't wait to see Lilo & Stitch this weekend. I feel like I have been waiting for this movie for FOREVER!
Very cool that they are able to show real pictures in the middle of the animation...it will be interesting to see what other little details people pick up.
Only a couple more days... -
I think they just put this up...I couldn't believe it when I was the first to respond.
There is definitely interest in Lilo & Stitch and I have no doubt that it is going to do really well this weekend! -
Is it a masterpiece? No. But I'll tell you one of the many things I love about it.... no skinny white girls!!!!! The main characters were drawn as normal people. Lilo's older sister was a big woman who was also fit. And they weren't beauty queens, either. They were just regular girls. Lilo wasn't portrayed as some misunderstood child prodigy, she was just a little girl. And if Stitch's character arc doesn't bring tears to your eyes than you have absolutely no soul.
Great movie, great characters, and it's refreshing to see tradition animation, especially in this time of CGI everything. It's a reminder that characters are built on writing and acting, NOT special effects (are you listening Lucas? I doubt it).
See this movie! WAY better than Lion King. Of course, I didn't really care that much for Lion King so I may be biased. -
"Lilo & Stitch" is a genuine MASTERPIECE. Mon-El needs to get some soul and figure out where his priorities are. Maybe he was too busy with the kids at the theatre? My two-year-old LOVED this movie and can't quit talking about both Lilo and Stitch. The space scenes are what the new Star Wars pictures should have been like (animate the next one, George!) and the Hawaiian scenes are drop-dead gorgeous.
Disney is finally getting into some relevant character development and drawing the women in a realistic style with some weight to them. Finally! Nani is a knockout and the new reigning queen of Disney babes. I laughed out loud through the entire movie and came close to tears seeing Stitch and his "Ugly Duckling" book in the rain. This movie was left alone by the suits. It SHOWS. Bravo, Disney. You have my attention again. GO SEE THIS MOVIE. -
Mon-El here...
Just a few more comments after having thought about it some more. I agree that some of the moments with Stitch are heart-breaking -- I did get a little choked up a couple of times! The characters are drawn unusual in that they aren't super-model looking or super-cartoony -- they are kind of realistic in that they are "heavy" looking, but not fat (except for the sunburned guy eating ice-cream!). I probably would have liked this movie a lot more if I wasn't having to wrangle my two-year old during the film (I could have paid more attention to it). I definitely recommend everyone go see it. It has humor and depth enough for kids and adults. I was still surprised that the kids in the audience didn't laugh out loud -- the two times I guffawed, I was the only one! -
"Mind you, our kid is addicted to the DVD's of Toy Story (1 & 2) and Shrek, so she has pretty good taste in flicks already."
ick! brainwashing the child into being another shrek follower. Gawd that movie was terrible, what are you people thinking?!?
These children are our future, atleast do the decensy of showing them good movies.
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It's a little disappointing to hear that it's not as funny as the teaser trailers led us to believe. You know, the trailers where they poked fun at other Disney features: "Aladdin", "Beauty & the Beast" and "Lion King". But I'll probably still go see it. It looks like it'll still be kind of twisted. BTW, "Lion King" is an animated classic, you children. I swear to God, sometimes I think the talkbacks have been taken over by 12 year olds with ADD. If a movie stops for 5 minutes for some character development, it's considered too slow or not exciting enough.
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. . .then your kid's taste sucks the big one cause Shrek is nothing but a gilded turd.
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Jun 18, 2002 1:30:04 PM CDT
Hmmm... a guy with two little kids who arrives to a movie showin
by darth buttafuoco
My FAVORITE type of theater-goer. Usually these dicks sit right behind me and talk at full volume to their loud and borderline-retarded kids.
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If you don't want to sit in a theater with little children, why don't you avoid animated movies during a Saturday morning matinee? Stay home with your loser friends and play D&D. You're obviously single with no kids.
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First off, learn to spell (decensy?). Here's another example of someone without kids. I'm sure at 2 years old you were watching "Casablanca", right? No, you were probably picking your nose watching "Sonic The Hedgehog". If people like you are the future, we're really screwed!
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Although most of the humor seemed geared to adults, and a lot of little "inside" jokes (loved the Godzilla ref's) I think this movie will be a hit with kids and adults. I appreciated the old school animation and the watercolor backgrounds of Hawaii were beautiful. Both adults and kids were laughing through most of the movie. And of course, there was one part where I got a little weepy. I guess it wouldnt be a Disney flick without shedding a tear or two.
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Every 2 out of 3 films I go to has some pecker head with LOUD kids who refuses to quiet down. And I hate D&D you douchebag.
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No, I don't have kids. I choose to take some reproductive responsibility in an overpopulated world.
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Hey, Bad Guy: L&S IS as funny as the trailers and more. You will not be disappointed. I hear you about Lion King...if only Disney would be more willing to go out on a limb and develop more stories like LK and L&S and less garbage like the unending supply of DTV "sequels" we've been getting lately, their stock price would be in the stratosphere.
iNeedScissors61: L&S has just enough darkness that it becomes interesting. Kids aren't stupid...they understand good and evil. This movie is a prime example of how some filmmakers treat kids with some respect.
Darth Buttafuoco: I totally agree with you about loud kids in movies but calm down, eh? Sheesh. Maybe it's a good thing that you DON'T breed. -
On behalf of this overpopulated world, we thank YOU for not reproducing.
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Seems to me that your chosen path of "reproductive responsibility" is just another way of saying you can't get laid. Whatever the reason, given the size of that chip on your shoulder, the world will will be a better place without little Buttafuocos running around.
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Jun 18, 2002 3:37:48 PM CDT
regarding no kids, it would appear that others are doing the cho
by hecubus
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I loved aladdin, even WITH the songs, the songs were funny, well animated, and propelled the story foward. It was the first Disney cartoon i liked.
How does Lilo+Stitch compare?
Are the jokes worthy of my money? Or will i be waiting for the scene to end to get to the next scene so the movie could be over?
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I'd rather eat broken glass than
see LILO AND STITCH. My problem
is that the filmmakers really
insulted me with those stupid
commercials.(BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
is my favorite movie.) They
showed that canon is meaningless
to them,so screw their stupid movie. And whoever called SHREK
a gilded turd: THANK YOU. -
Disney had major cost overruns on Tarzan. According to today's Wall Street Journal, it cost $150 million to make. Add in marketing and advertising, and you get a cost near $200 million. Since it only did $171 million in the US (of which Disney got about $94 million), what saved it was the overseas gross of $285 million. But it only made about a 17% return on Disney's capital in the end.
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I can't wait to see this movie. It looks REALLY good. Sorry, but Disney puts out the best animated movies EVER. Nothing can compare to them. Studios could try all they want, but as far as I am concerned, they are all rip-offs of Disney. Shrek was the most overrated, most boring, annoying movie I have ever seen. It sucked! The Lion King is the best animated movie ever made. And the promos of having Stitch interfere with other Disney animated movies was genius.
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Jun 18, 2002 11:41:47 PM CDT
L&S is just another stinker disguise as a original movie
by nuke mayhem
Why is everybody hung up on this piece of garbage? L&S is over-estimated, chlichea, and is made by the sold-out, greedy, heartless, movie corpartion that is Today's Esiner-Disney. The only reason this movie is geeting so much attention is because of those stupid trailers of Stich interfearing with other Disney movie. Those trailers were just to get shock-&-surprized-attention and to plant in the idea that isn't your normal Disney movie and is worth seeing(which infact is a lie). What happen to movies with substance, and a good story, mostly all the movies that are out there now is just made off glitter, CGI effects, and a piece-O-Crap story-lines. I am also proud to say that I will not be wasting my money on that 2D sci-fi garbage (because i'm not the type of person who blindly follows the crowd because they are mesmurised by the glitter and CGI effects). Spirit has more substance and a real story than L&S ever will, and I won't give a damn when you say I'm a no-nothing-nobody, or some other crap just to make you opinion sound superior to mine.
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Jun 19, 2002 1:42:44 AM CDT
"And if Stitch's character arc doesn't bring tears to yo
by silenceoffreedom
You sound like those e-mails that demand you forward it to 30 ppl so that a 1-legged charity case can have 30 cents so he can go see "Lilo and Stitch" or any other piece of sugary disney propaganda. Disney has been about nothing but making money for the last 20+ years. Don't think so ? Then why, after "A Bug's Life" and "Toy Story 2" had been out for a few weeks and had passed 100 mil did they add 5 mins of "outtakes" ? You think they didn't have them donw before the film was released ? Or, shock !, do you think they just added them to syphon another 50 bucks out of you and your family ? It's really sad and pathetic what they have become. When I have children, i vow not to bring them up on current disney films, if any disney films at all. That's not the type of message I'd want my kids learning. And to the person that said "Other studios can try animation, but I just consider them a rip-off of disney". ?!?!!? Isn't that like saying "Other studies can try "Talkies", but I just consider them a rip-off of Warner Brothers". Seriously, get a grip. It IS "okay" for other studios to make a type of film without it being considered a "rip-off".
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Retards, Disney is a company. It needs to make money in order for the company to continue and thrive. It's called a business you dumbasses. Disney is no different than Dreamworks, FOX, or any other movie studio. All these studios make movies to make money. I can't stand you stupid ass people who say that the ONLY reason Disney makes movies is because they are greedy and money-hungry. That doesn't necessarily mean that every picture they put out can't have some quality entertainment value and be a good movie.
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Jun 19, 2002 1:08:04 PM CDT
Hey pgm, I wouldn't mind their money grubbing if they DID pu
by silenceoffreedom
But sadly, they rely on the same exact storyline for every film they make. Don't believe me ? How bout this, this might sound familiar to you. "Funny", likable, outcast character/s pratfalls around for awhile. We are introduced to his/their equally funny "sidekicks", then we meet the beutiful, but unattainable girl figure. Then we meet the vile willain. The general populace shuns the hero/es, but suddenly, some catastrophic event happens, generally orchestrated by the bad guy. The "hero" saves the day, gets the girl and gains everyone's respect. That is the EXACT storyline for EVERY disney movie of the last 20+ years. So yeah, every studio wants to make money, but every OTHER studio trys something different. Chew on that.
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It's that they don't make movies worth seeing anymore. They use to produce timeless classics like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Beauty and the Beast and Dick Tracy, but all we get now is "Max Kiebel's Big Move", Atlantis(wich I heard is a shoot-em up movie), and a ton of crappy sequels that cheapens the integrity of the Disney Classics they are based on.
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That this movie is nothing like that.
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I think all the Disney animated films are different. The characters are different, there is a whole different tone to each of them. I think especially in recent years with The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis, and now Lilo and Stitch, Disney is being very eclectic in its animated films. And the "formula" you mentioned earlier in Disney films is untrue. In Mulan the "beautiful girl-figure" IS the hero. In the Hunchback, the hero doesn't end up with the girl. In Tarzan, Tarzan is not shunned away from any society. I think that Disney does make great animated movies.
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>
Who mostly needed help from who at the final battle? THE MEN, and(correct me if I'm wrong) didn't a man helped her kill the villan?
>
True, but she was still a love intrest, and it does have A hero ending up witht he girl, just not the main one.
> Except from the leader of his gorilla family, Kur..... Kur..., that big mean monkey. -
"Timeless classics like Dick Tracy. " You're kidding, right??
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It is difficult to resist the temptation to become the very thing I loathe on this site and it's talkbacks -- a bunch of screaming, cursing, infantile pin heads who revel in tearing down other's creations and who do not have the will nor the capacity to create something of their own. In fact, you have to REALLY DIG to find some intelligent film commentary on this site. You have not seen Lilo and Stitch, so you are ill equipped to comment on it. You say you don't blindly follow the masses to marvel at the too slick abundance of CGI, yet you're so quick to judge and so ill informed that you don't even realize that the film you are slamming is done in water color and is a thrownback to the techniques evidenced in the very first animated films, Snow White and Bambi.
And while I hate to be the one to break it to you, this is in fact going to be a big hit. The story has heart and the main character is marketable. Kids are going to go nuts for stitch. Why? Because he's one of them. If you've lost your child's heart, then I feel sorry for you dude. And even though a big compamny signs the checks, that doesn't mean that the artist cashing those checks to pay their bills aren't producing something that's worthwhile and has a little bit of soul and emotion. See -- even though it was more challenging, I managed to communicate my point without becoming you. -
I think you just might be reading my mind here...it's a little frightening. PREACH ON, BROTHA...(OR SISTA)
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Thanks Holiwood, I appreciate it. And I am a guy by they way.
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Jun 21, 2002 2:20:56 AM CDT
Not all movies have to deal with the PROBLEMS of the world...
by holiwood98
My pleasure, Mr. Pgm.
Yeah, so when did it become terrible to have great marketing and a large, successful company? Having just graduated from film school, I have heard more than I care to about Disney and how it is "evil" and "owns everything." So, it's a big company. There are lots of those, folks. AOL Time Warner anyone? Talk about huge.
Forgive me for going on my soap box for one more moment...a particularly cheesy moment, but I'm ok with that. In my daily experiences with rude people, monster traffic, and freaky people who like to stare out their windows, God bless Disney for making movies with messages of belief, faith, love, and the good guys.
Stepping down now... -
After waiting and waiting (and being unable to get into a preview screening), my crazy hubby, Capt. John (the pilot) and I just returned from seeing LILO AND STITCH..it was everything we hoped for. Now while I am at it, I also want to voice my opinion on "screaming kids in the theatre..." since movies are not cheap..even bargain matinees, BIG OR LITTLE KIDS MAKING NOISE SHOULD BE EXPELLED! Even though this is PG Disney...and SUPERB with sly humor only adults can relate to, it makes no difference..FLUSH THEM! Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert always spoke of how they tipped the usher $10 when they asked a noisemaker to depart...when I sat in my usual seat at our local giant cinema to see ALIEN in 70mm, a woman with a YOWLING baby came strutting in and sat two rows in back of me. I was ready to go out and complain, when a young usher came in and asked her politely to leave..when she refused, the manager took over and said it was unfair to the not only unfair to the other patrons but it was an R-rated film. (This was said with some chagrin since it was no old enough to do much of anything but eat, poop, and cry.) She left in a huff and EVERYONE applauded!! I handed a $5 to a surprised but delighted young man and thanked him profusely after the film. KEEP THE NOISEBOXES AT HOME UNTIL IT COMES OUT ON DVD...or help American youth by hiring them as a babysitter.
Anyway, to more pleasant topics..LILO AND STITCH...first of all, THE MUSIC..when we heard the soundtrack was by Silvestri, we were both pleased. We have a large collection of soundtracks from hundreds of films..and I mean SCORETRACKS since I do not consider unrelated music stuck on a CD that has nothing to do with the film to be a true soundtrack..thank goodness there is a trend started by HEAVY METAL to have a separate score. Silvestri is one of our favorite composers..we always try to guess who did a score by listening to it. Capt. John comes from a very musically talented family..his grandfather performed the trumpet solo with the RCA Orchestra for VICTORY AT SEA...and can usually hear the signature of each composer in a few bars...Williams, Horner, Goldsmith, Elfman, Bernstein, Howard, Kamen, Shore, Zimmer..they all have them. This score is too short..the music has bits of his other scores, BTTF in particular, but as usual, he does a fine job of it! Effective, stirring and appropriate. We are glad that the Elvis music is woven into the film without being a distraction. The film is magnificently drawn and as has been mentioned before, Lilo, Nani, and their friends look like REAL PEOPLE..not skinny little nothings with a perfect face and not a STITCH (heh heh) of muscle or fat...after a lifetime and surfing and swimming, Nani has the true form of an athlete. I can relate from a lifetime of equitation and SCUBA diving. Stitch..oh gosh, he is everything you could hope for..endearing, crazy, funny, manic..and the OHANA factor..family can be anyone dear to you, even better than blood ties..or planetary ties.
To conclude, I can't wait to see it again on the big screen, and hope the DVD set will be full of special goodies. I do miss the magnificent LASERDISC editions Disney always produced about a year after the video release. They were packed with extras..even books and lithos..and large enough to really enjoy. The smaller size of the DVD allows only for small booklets to be included (A few releases like JURASSIC PARK have come out in a lovely bookcase format. I hope they will have THE ART OF LILO AND STITCH as a coffee-table book. Seeing the creative process enhances the enjoyment of the finished product. But for now, the film is here, and we are delighted to say ALOHA to a new Disney classic! See it and see it often..and you can be OHANA too! Best to all from Capt. John and Lt.Weezie! -
Man I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Its the little things that get me, like when Stitch realises that he's in a toy spaceship or that the pile of sand with a leaf in it just doesn't do it for him. It got me.
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What a film! Beautiful to look at, very enjoyable. It had a couple weaker spots, but nearly as many as some other films mentioned on this site, like, say, Attack of the Clones? I agree with the person who said Disney's been trying new stuff in the past few years. Atlantis didn't succeed, sure, but it was different. Emperor's New Groove SHOULD have succeeded, but after fumbling around with Kingdom of the Sun for so long, Disney gave up on it, so Dindal & Crew's hilarious gem of a picture was ignored by so many (don't believe me? go rent it! No love interests, no sappy musical numbers, no "search for one's self", just a great comic adventure). Lilo & Stitch already has an "art of" book, called "Lilo & Stitch: Collected Stories from the Film's Creators". Because they did this film a different way (ie, without an army of live-action writers hashing a script together out of parts some moronic executive thinks are "cool") they printed those tales, probably sweetened up quite a bit, but still refreshing, AND you get a ton of art in there. I'd love a bigger, hardcover coffee-table book, with even more preliminary stuff, model sheets, etc. But for $20, this'll do nicely. Seen the movie twice already, itching to see it again. Great characters, great animation, great film.
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