Lilo & Stitch (PG)
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Caution: spoilers.

This came out in 2002, but I didn't get to see it until 2013. And I'm glad I finally did, because it was awesome. Um... there have been a few direct-to-video sequels, the only one of which I've seen so far is Lilo & Stitch 2. And there was a TV series, of which I may have seen a very little bit, but which I mostly avoided because of not having seen the movie yet. So, I hope I get to see that someday. Oh, also I should mention there were some "interStitchal" trailers, which start out as scenes from famous Disney movies, but get interrupted by Stitch. I must have seen some of those, back in the day, and I was glad to see them now on the DVD.

The movie begins with an alien evil genius named Jumba (David Ogden Stiers), on trial at Galactic Federation headquarters, charged with illegally creating genetic mutations. The only one we know of is Experiment 626, a little blue creature that is pretty much indestructible and programmed to destroy everything. Jumba is sent to jail, while 626 is to be transported to a barren asteroid by Captain Gantu (Kevin Michael Richardson). However, 626 escapes pretty quickly, steals a police cruiser, and makes a reckless hyperspace jump, ending up on Earth, on the island of Kaua'i. The Federation's Grand Councilwoman sends for an expert on the primitive planet, and what she gets is Pleakley (Kevin McDonald). The Federation would just destroy Earth to get rid of 626, but Pleakley says the planet is an important habitat for the endangered species mosquito. And humans are mosquitoes' favorite food. So... the Councilwoman sends Jumba to capture 626, in exchange for his freedom. And she sends Pleakley to make sure Jumba follows the rules, which basically means no killing humans, and no being seen by humans (who, of course, don't know about aliens).

Meanwhile, there's a little girl named Lilo (Daveigh Chase), who is taking Hula lessons, but we quickly learn that she doesn't follow rules, and fights with everyone, and no one likes her, and she's kinda crazy. (But smart and funny, and underneath all her craziness, she's a sweet but sad and lonely kid who just wants to be liked for who she is.) She also fights with her big sister, Nani (Tia Carrere), who is currently trying her best to raise Lilo, after their parents were killed in a car accident. And there's a social services agent named Bubbles (Ving Rhames), who is investigating their living situation. (The dude... does not look like someone who should be named Bubbles. Nor does he particularly seem like a social worker. He looks more like an MIB agent, actually. A large, intimidating MIB agent. Who probably eats football players.) Anyway, Lilo's troublemaking ways make it almost a certainty that she will be taken away from her sister. And in spite of their fighting, it's clear that neither one of them wants that. They really do love each other, because family- or as they say, 'ohana- is important. And that night, Nani and Lilo see a falling star. Lilo kicks Nani out of her room so she can wish on the star in private, but Nani overhears her wishing for a friend.

The falling star was actually 626's ship crashing. Soon after that, he gets run over by a truck, and taken to a dog pound. The next day, Nani takes Lilo to the pound to adopt a dog. At the same time, 626 is trying to escape, but is immediately shot at by Jumba. So, he goes back into the pound, alters his physical appearance to look slightly less alien (but still not really like a dog), and gets himself adopted by Lilo. Of course, Nani thinks she should find a better dog, but Lilo insists this is the one she wants. (It makes sense, because the movie has taken pains to demonstrate that Lilo and 626 are very much alike. So of course it will turn out they are exactly what one another needs.) Lilo names her new "dog" Stitch, and Stitch remains with her so that his pursuers won't attack him. But they do keep a close eye on him, and wait for a chance to capture him.

Um... so, naturally, Stitch's programming ensures that he causes a great deal of trouble for Lilo and Nani, which only makes the situation with Bubbles more difficult. Especially when Stitch's behavior causes Nani to lose her waitressing job. So she has to look for a new job, and she doesn't have much luck. Again, because Stitch is so troublesome. But at the same time, Lilo is trying to teach Stitch how to behave. Which is interesting, because it kind of means she ends up behaving, herself, which I'm not sure is something that even occurred to her. Eventually, they get some help from Nani's friend David (Jason Scott Lee). (He'd like to be her boyfriend, and it seems Nani would be open to that, if not for her preoccupation with trying to fix her life enough for Bubbles to let her keep her sister.) I... should probably point out that the movie really never makes Bubbles seem like a bad guy (in spite of his imposing appearance, and the fact that he's potentially going to ruin Nani and Lilo's lives). Anyone who gets to see the sisters as much as movie viewers do will realize they belong together, but anyone who only sees what Bubbles sees must believe it would truly be in Lilo's best interests to be taken in by social services. Seriously, you'd have to be insane not to think that. And at one point, there's a very nice, if very brief moment, in which it's clear that Bubbles feels bad about what he has to do.

Anyway, eventually, Jumba and Pleakley's failure to catch 626 causes the Councilwoman to fire them, and send Captain Gantu to finish the job himself. But all being fired means to Jumba is that he can finally start trying to do the job his way, without regard to the rules. All this leads to Lilo and Nani's situation going from bad to catastrophic. And to the revelation that Stitch is actually an alien. But by this point, he's learned the meaning of family, and Lilo and Nani have become the family he never had. Which ultimately leads to a happy ending for everyone. And some fun surprises.

So... the movie is really funny and pretty dark, and sad, and thrilling, and sweet, and crazy, and clever, and awesome. It has some good Hawaiian music, a bunch of good Elvis Presley songs (Lilo is a big fan of his), and some good original scoring. And very nice animation. And... I guess that's all I have to say.