Lilo & Stitch

By EWAN McDONALD

(Herald Rating: * * * * )

It's the answer to the question, "Does Disney still make nice, clean, funny cartoon movies with cute animals that are okay for the kids to watch and not too much of a drag for the adults?"

The great animators were caught on the hop by the explosion in computer-generated movie-making and characters like Buzz Lightyear and Shrek (not to mention the merchandising spinoffs. Anyone seen Antz 2?) and generally resorted to remaking old stories, like The Emperor's New Clothes.

Here are new characters. Stitch (voice, Chris Sanders) is the result of an illegal genetic experiment on Planet Turo. The planet's rulers believe he is too violent so he's locked up.

Our soon-to-be hero escapes to Earth, a place that the good folk of Turo think is inhabited by extremely simple creatures and is no more than a breeding-ground for mosquitoes.

Stitch crash-lands in Hawaii, where he is adopted by young Lilo (Daveigh Chase). She doesn't seem to realise that everyone else is scared of her new friend and goes about house-training her cute little blue pet.

Cue a good ol' Disney theme here: Lilo and Stitch might be very different on the outside but it's what they have in common that bonds them. Neither has parents; Lilo is looked after by her older sister, Nani (Tia Carrere), who's doing her best to convince an interfering social worker, Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames), that she's able to mind her little sister.

Nani has a fire-eater boyfriend, David (Jason Scott Lee). When the teens and the little guys get together to do fun things like surfing, it fills Lilo and Stitch with the spirit of family that they have been seeking.

Very funny, with fast-paced and knowing one-liners that have been the studio's trademark for many years, and just on the right side of not being too cute. Favourite scenes: Stitch spoofing Godzilla and wrecking a model San Francisco; Stitch, in white jumpsuit, taking off the King.

DVD features: movie (85min); A-Teens music video; Create Your Own Alien Experiment game; deleted scenes; trailers; Burning Love - behind the scenes with Wynonna; A Stitch in Time; Disneypedia: Hawaii; The look of Lilo & Stitch; Animating the hula dance; Young Voices of Hawaii feature; on location with the directors.