On June 21, the film “Lilo & Stitch” celebrated its 20th anniversary after its premiere in 2002. With viewers who remember the funny plot, Chris Sanders, the director of the film, spoke with The New York Times regarding its production, but above all its plot.
Sanders, who wrote and directed the film with Dean DeBloisshared that the objective of his production went beyond entertaining a child audience, but that he sought to include in his thematic scenes with which the audience could identify.
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“’Lilo & Stitch’ touched on real-world themes: Nani is forced to become Lilo’s legal guardian after her parents’ death, while also facing difficulties as a ‘new mother.’ The girl doesn’t have it easy, as a social worker shows up at the sisters’ worst time,” she shared.
Although, over the years, the film has become the favorite of thousands of fans, at the time the critics did not like it. By choosing not to present a romance as the central axis of the filmbut the love and fellowship of sisters, the filmmakers received negative feedback at test screenings.
In the talk with The New York Times, Chris Sanders compared what happened with “Frozen”, a story that shows the relationship between Elza and Ana. Unlike “Lilo & Stitch”, specialized media immediately highlighted this plot and placed it as ‘ new’.
“I liked it, but it was a bit frustrating for me to premiere ‘Frozen.’ People were saying, ‘Finally, a non-romantic movie with two sisters as leads.’ And I thought, ‘We did it! Absolutely, we did it before, in 2002,’” she added.
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The scene of “Lilo & Stitch” that did not like the public
At another point, the filmmaker said that the production team did not want to edit the film after a test group saw one of the first versions of “Lilo & Stitch”. “They didn’t like how much Nani and Lilo were yelling at each other in the house,” he said.
“At the answer, Dean and I said: ‘But that’s real, that’s what happens,'” he said. “This is a time when Nani feels pressure, so her response, like anyone else, is to scream,” she added.
“Lilo & Stitch” proved to be a commercial success earning more than $500,000 on its opening day alone. Ultimately, it grossed a total of $273 million worldwide.
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