This is because the "angel" that answers Lilo's prayer doesn't seem to be an angel at all. He has no redeeming qualities; his only desire is to destroy everything, and everyone, around him. Yet in less than twenty-four hours this selfish, vile creature will be transformed. A villain will become the hero Lilo needs. What causes this amazing transformation? It begins when Stitch can't do what he was created to do. So he wants (and needs!) to find another purpose. The most likely purpose Stitch would find, being as rotten as he was, would be another negative objective to replace his original evil purpose. However, Lilo doesn't give Stitch a negative option; she only gives him a positive one-'Ohana. Having only this option is what changes Stitch. This is why he struggles to understand the story of the Ugly Duckling, why he tries to please Lilo by acting like Elvis, why he risks his life by going surfing, why he decides to rescue Lilo from Captain Gantu, and why he ultimately becomes the way a broken family is mended.

 

Nothing is more important than loving your family

 

 

So the realism that disturbed me when I first saw Lilo and Stitch is the reason the movie is more than just a cartoon. Lilo and Stitch has a message for a world that no longer understands what is truly important. Lilo is a symbol of all the children who have been abandoned by their parents and in fact by most adults. Adults think that what is important is winning a war or making millions of dollars or making the world a better place. Adults will sacrifice their time, their health, and most importantly their families to accomplish something big. A child knows that what is truly important is something small: loving someone else and being loved in return. This is the gift Lilo gives Stitch, and by giving this gift saves herself. Doing big, important things will never satisfy us. We will only be satisfied and happy with our lives when what we live for is someone else's happiness. This is how we can overcome the disappointment, the tragedy, and the loss that is a part of all of our lives. If we love those around us, our families, so much that we are willing to give our lives for them, our lives will have real, eternal meaning. Loving this way doesn't take talent, beauty, strength, or intelligence, it just takes a decision. Lilo made that decision and she taught Stitch to make it too.

 

If we ever want to be truly happy it a decision we all need to make. 

 

Everyone can decide to become someone who does what's really important 

 

 

Have a Disney Day!