[Michael Darling]

I finally got to see Lilo and Stitch tonight. I thought that it was a very good movie, but not a great movie. I'm very concerned though that it will not do as well as expected.

If you remember last summer when Atlantis debuted, it got nothing but good reviews from adults. Personally, I think Atlantis is one of the most awesome animated movies I've ever seen, but it didn't float well with the kiddies because much of it was over their head. I think Lilo and Stitch is the same way. Much of the movie is more adult-like, and kids won't get it.

I enjoyed the movie, but it did seem a bit slow at several points. For instance, the first 5 or 10 minutes or so (before the title screen) just seemed to drag on and on. It was all background on Stitch, but do kids really care? The kids in the audience were more interested with Stitch playing with drool than with where he comes from.

So, in my opinion, Disney has released yet another movie that should save the tail of Disney Animation, but probably won't because it's over the heads of the target audience. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will dig this thread up in 3 months and say "ha! You were wrong!"

I do have to say, though, that I love my "Aloha Stitch" talking plush. He even has voice recognition! :p

[tinkerbell]

we went to see it last night ..the theater was packed .. and I havent heard so much laughing since the Lion King.. I personally LOVED every minute of it .. there were several small children sitting behind us and they seemed to like it ..I dont know.. seemed to me it was great for all ages .. I plan to go see it again ..maybe even tonight :) I just fell totally in love with all the charactors!! I know there were somethings that small children would never get ..like the reference to planet earth being called "area 51" by the aliens ..or the mention of roswell ..but stitch and lilo are loveable !!!!! I loved Atlantis too ..but my granddaughters didnt seem to like it as much as other disney films .. this one ..they loved!

[Goofette]

I really liked Atlantis, but my 8 yr old thought it was ok. There were parts she really liked, but she wasn't glued to the tv like most Disney movies. I'm hoping she'll like Lilo & Stitch, but last night they had the special on tv and she didn't want to watch it...Bad Sign. Actually, when the commercials first came out about it she was really excited to see it. Sometimes I think Disney can overload on advertisements, where it almost turns people off.

Anyway, we plan on seeing it but not right away. Btw, how long is it?

[Michael Darling]

Lilo and Stitch runs about an hour and a half. :)

[LRTJS]

I am a teacher in summer school. One of my students saw it the first night and said he liked it but did not seem too enthusiastic. I know that I really got tired of the commercials. I have been seeing them for over 6 months-especially on Soap Net! Took my grandaughter to see Scooby Doo, the Scooby character was ingenious!

[steamboatwillie]

I think I have to disagree about Atlantis. I think the characters in that film were so ruthlessly underdeveloped and the script was so incredibly poor that its plot holes seemed almost cohesive compared to some of the transitional elements used to tie together the voyage to Atlantis and the actual finding of it. I also think the animation style, while an obvious change from classic Disney, was overstylized to disguise some of the limited animation (á la Flintstones) used in sections of the film.

I'm not trying to bash Atlantis-likers, I just think they took a potentially Lion King-esque story but got lost in their yearning for an animated 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

On the flip side, I found the finesse of Lilo and Stitch very refreshing. It doesn't talk down to its audience and doesn't get caught up in looking or sounding cool (and as a result the supposedly simplistic animation and relaxed backgrounds end up looking much more impressive than Atlantis' forced look).

Please don't take this the wrong way, though. Atlantis definitely had a lot going for it, it just seemed like the story didn't get its second wind at any point throughout the production (like Lion King, Aladdin, Pinocchio, etc.) did.

[Michael Darling]

Folks always talk about Atlantis' plot holes, yet I don't see any. Am I missing something?

I disagree about the over-stylization. While the style of the animation is different, it is intended to be. I don't think it's overdone for the sole reason of being an intended departure from classic Disney. The movie is supposed to have a bit of a comic book feel to it according to the folks in the audio commentary on the DVD.

[craziebabie1]

We can't seem to keep the toys on the shelves in the park either. My 4 year old saw it and loved it. I think this one will do very well. :)