Daveigh Chase: Lilo	Jason Scott Lee: David Kawena
Tia Carrere: Nani	Kevin McDonald: Pleakley
Ving Rhames: Cobra Bubbles	Chris Sanders: Stitch
David Ogden Stiers: Jumba	Directed by: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois

30 Second Bottom Line: A lonely Hawaiian girl adopts a stranded pet, which turns out to be an extraterrestrial experiment on the lam from his creators. An animated feature.

Story Line: A car crash has left little Lilo and her adult sister Nani orphaned. Lilo, a plucky youngster who feeds peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the fish and reveres Elvis Presley, is an outsider with the kids at school and longs for a playmate. Meanwhile, her sibling is struggling to find a job, fending off the steady inquiries of the Social Services rep (voiced with hitman seriousness by usual tough guy Ving Rhames) and trying to placate the smitten beach boy David.

Zoom millions of light years to the planet Turo, where an "illegal genetic experimentation," pegged 626, is being banished to a desert asteroid by the Galactic Federation. This ugly little species-waterproof, fireproof and 3,000 times stronger than his size-was created to reek havoc and destruction. Not surprisingly this wrecking ball creature manages-via spit and strength-to escape his capsule and plummets to earth.

When the unsuspecting Lilo finds 626, she immediately claims him as her pet and names him "Stitch." Of course, Stitch doesn't resemble any earthly dog, cat or hamster and Lilo-always sensitive to anybody who doesn't fit in-quickly explains that Stitch "…used to be a collie before he was run over by a truck." Neither Lilo nor Stitch knows that a Turo search party has been deployed to find and capture 626.

Stitch is still programmed to mangle his surroundings ("Built to destroy, you can never belong," his creator states) and goes pretty crazy at any gathering. But Lilo's unwavering loyalty and belief in "ohana"-a Hawaiian word meaning that "nobody gets left behind or forgotten"-eventually changes the monstrous alien into a loving member of the family.

Tell Me More About It: This Disney feature wins the prize for the most unusual juxtaposition of settings. Hawaii's lush tropical island of Kauai and the sterile, stream-lined planet of Turo. Go figure that combination; an odd mix for sure but somehow it works. The classic animation style-minus any computer generated imagery-is a welcome throwback to early Disney, though its images are not as complex. The backgrounds in the Hawaii setting are truly breathtaking, a style akin to a watercolor painting filled with soft, blended pastel tones.

The characters in this hilarious story from Chris Sanders, who also voiced Stitch and co-directed with Dean Deblois, are refreshingly unique. Lilo is a squat of a girl, black-haired and wide-nosed. Her photography hobby reaps a bulletin board filled with pics of the thick thighs and bulky buttocks' of the streaming tourists. She's plucky, unafraid and a huge Elvis fan. The Elvis angle in "Lilo and Stitch" is

one of many strokes of genius. Several Elvis songs pepper the action and Lilo's photo of the King is a sidesplitting addition. When Stitch entertains the tourist crowd costumed in a white jumpsuit and guitar, it is clear the filmmakers had adults in mind when they conjured up this story line. There's even an homage to Godzilla.

And Nani is a terrific antithesis of the Barbie-like body of Pocahonas, whose unattainable proportions drew criticism. Nani's curvy, muscled frame is a welcome dose of reality. Her job search is hilarious and poignant as she changes her line to suit each potential employer ("I'm all about coffee.") Nani's encounters with the ominous social worker Cobra Bubbles (voiced perfectly by Ving Rhames) provide the conflict, as his visits seem to always make her look like a negligent parent. "You are adrift in the harbored shelter of my patience," he calmly warns Nani.

The additional plot line involving Turo bounty hunters out to capture Stitch, are really unimportant. The bumbling characters do add some laughs; Pleakley's explanation that earth is a protected environment that is rebuilding the mosquito population is inspired.

The real story here is the relationship between Nani, Lilo and Stitch. This is a charming, heartfelt story that emphasizes, without sappiness, the value of family and belonging. The film's final sequence, which scans a host of photos each showing the characters happily interacting-even the black-suited scary Cobra Bubbles-is the icing on the cake of this delectable film that espouses the belief that families come in all shapes and sizes.

Note: Volcanoes National Park pictured, as part of the island of Kauai is incorrect. That majestic park is located on the big island of Hawaii. Disney people: Do your pre-production homework! Our ignorance of U.S. geography is bad enough.

* Also a note to parents: The death of Lilo and Nani's parents is not depicted. It is mentioned once in reference to a family photo.

Daveigh Chase: "Donnie Darko"	Jason Scott Lee: "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story"
Tia Carrere: "Wayne's World"	Kevin McDonald: "Brain Candy" Ving Rhames: "Mission Impossible II"
David Ogden Stiers: "Beauty and the Beast"	Chris Sanders: "Mulan" (writer)
Dean DeBlois: "Nutcracker Prince" (layout artist)