'Lilo & Stitch': Disney's pleasant surprise
LE MONDE'S VERDICT – WORTH SEEING
Just a few months ago, Disney left audiences with a sour taste in their mouths: After numerous controversies and a wave of widely followed boycotts, Snow White, released in theaters in March, proved to be the biggest financial failure in the company's history and one of the most trying live-action Disney films to watch. Released without controversy or excessive hype, Lilo & Stitch – the live-action adaptation of the 2002 animated film – may well be the first step toward reconciling with the public.
Heavily inspired by E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982), the film recounts the daily life of Lilo, a rambunctious 6-year-old orphan raised by her older sister, who is herself closely monitored by social services threatening to take away her custody. At the moment when Lilo must be on her best behavior, she adopts Stitch, a strange pet as hyperactive as she is. What she does not know is that Stitch is an extraterrestrial creature being pursued by his creators, who want to bring him back to their spaceship.
The film's relative success rests on a simple point: Lilo & Stitch is not a fairy tale, but a story rooted in a real place: a small Hawaiian island where real people live, with everyday routines, customs and struggles that drive the plot. In other words, for once, live actors actually seem to be interacting with more than just green screens. Far from being – as is often the case – the main attraction, special effects are kept to a minimum here, used mainly to bring Stitch, the living plush toy (and a dream merchandising product), and the fantasy creatures at the edge of the story to life.
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