Disney’s Lilo & Stitch (2002) celebrated its 20th anniversary this month, which had led to renewed interest in the popular Walt Disney Animation Studios film.
Lilo & Stitch celebrates sisterhood by exploring the relationship between the orphaned Pelekai siblings, Nani (Tia Carrere) and Lilo (Daveigh Chase). The sisters end up adopting a “dog” who turns out to be Stitch the alien and, of course, chaos ensues.
By the time Frozen — which features the now iconic sisters Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) — released in 2013, however, it seems that many movie fans had forgotten about Disney’s other sisters.
Lilo & Stitch director and co-creator Chris Sanders recently spoke to The New York Times about the animated movie’s 20th anniversary, sharing:
“To be clear, I think Frozen’s great. But it was a little bit frustrating for me because people were like, ‘Finally, a nonromantic relationship with these two girls,’ and I thought, ‘We did that! That has absolutely been done before.'”
Producer Clark Spender went on to note that Lilo & Stitch focused even more on the family dynamic than Frozen, which did feature a romance story arc with Anna and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff).
Stitch, on the other hand, had just a hint of romantic interest between Nani and David (Jason Scott Lee), but primarily focused on Nani and Lilo mending their “broken” family.
“When the film came out, that’s what a lot of critics talked about. Those moments that were based in reality in a way that people could see themselves in, and it didn’t feel like they were cartoon characters.”
You can celebrate Lilo & Stitch turning 20 by streaming the movie on Disney+ anytime.
Fearless optimist Anna teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey to find Anna’s sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, will the trio find Elsa in time to save Arendelle?
Get ready to crash-land on Earth with Stitch, a runaway genetic experiment from a faraway planet. As he wreaks havoc on the Hawaiian Islands, he becomes the mischievous adopted alien “puppy” of an independent little girl named Lilo, and together they learn about loyalty, friendship and ‘ohana, the Hawaiian tradition of family.
Which Disney sisters movie do you prefer, Lilo & Stitch or Frozen?
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Credit: Disney
