Lilo & Stitch

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

A celebration of movie-studio ohana that should warm the hearts of moviegoers everywhere.

Chicago Reader Ted Shen

Smart, poignant, and utterly beguiling.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

This screwball comedy about a scrappy Hawaiian kid and the rabidly destructive little alien she mistakes for a dog is powered by ferocious joy. And, remarkably, it manages to incorporate traditional Disney values, such as the sanctity of the family, in a visually bold, subversively witty package that's as far from corporate as mainstream movies get.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

The animation, rendered in good old-fashioned watercolors, is appealing. It's easy, rather than flashy, on the eyes. But the best thing about the movie is the humor.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Drawing inspiration from anime and vintage Looney Toons, this beautifully drafted, offbeat charmer is hip, funny - and a bona fide heart tugger for the whole family.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The movie doesn't get all soppy at the end and is surprisingly unsentimental for a Disney animated feature. It keeps its edge and its comic zest all the way through, and although it arrives relatively unheralded, it's a jewel.

Boston Globe Renee Graham

A quirky, welcome addition to Disney's cavalcade of animated stars.

New Times (L.A.) Gregory Weinkauf

Very charming and funny movie.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Looser and less obviously formulaic in its fresh approach to our hearts, the brash Lilo & Stitch has an unleashed, subversive sense of humor that's less corporate and more uninhibited than any non-Pixar Disney film.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

Hardly a work of state-of-the-art virtuosity, but rather an example of quiet, confident craftsmanship that tells a sweet, charming tale of intergalactic friendship.

Time Richard Corliss

It's a bright, engaging bauble with half a dozen Elvis Presley songs for Mom and Dad, and just enough sass -- Stitch sticks his tongue into his nose and eats his snot -- to keep the tweeners giggling.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

With its sharp wit and its portrayal of how broken families sometimes fit back together, Lilo would make a fine summer double feature alongside "About A Boy," another film that stays funny while dancing around a tiny abyss.

Washington Post Jane Horwitz

Fresh and rainbowy as a midday Hawaiian sun shower.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

By turns endearing and hilarious, Lilo & Stitch is proof the folks at Disney should break their own rules more often.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Simple, sweet family fare, and a picture that extols the virtues of comradeship and community in a spunky, spirited fashion.

USA Today Claudia Puig

The soundtrack is mostly Elvis tunes, and Stitch even does an adorable impersonation of the King. As Elvis might put it, you can't help falling in love with Lilo & Stitch.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

Although the start of the movie is a little fragmented, and the last quarter turns predictably rote, the middle is heartfelt, wonderfully diverse and empowering.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The most original and amusing animation in recent memory. Kids will love its fantasy and adventure, and grownups should appreciate its whimsical humor.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

The whole movie is a blast, thanks to a whip-smart script clearly written for kids and grownups alike.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Tuned in to the anarchic wisecracks and slapstick humour of traditional Warner Bros. cartoons. In contrast to the computer-generated characters and slick script of a movie like "Shrek," Lilo and Stitch still feels like a cartoon aimed at kids, not their parents.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Has a casual, freewheeling nature in contrast to the creeping grandiosity of some of Disney's A-list animated titles.

Film Threat Michael Dequina

Sublimely silly and genuinely sweet film.

New York Magazine Peter Rainer

Disney's Lilo & Stitch, which is animated in the traditional way, with watercolor backgrounds, is lovely, and funny, too. It owes a great deal to Japanese anime, but there's also a "Looney Tunes" friskiness to it that's distinctively homegrown.

Austin Chronicle Russell Smith

This movie is by no means a classic in absolute artistic terms, but as a reaffirmation of all but forgotten verities it's an unqualified success.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

In terms of storytelling, voice characterization, and visual appeal, Lilo & Stitch seems more like a wannabe production than an actual Disney effort.

Chicago Tribune Loren King

Despite its charms, and the refreshingly non-traditional characters, Lilo & Stitch seems diluted and too derivative to be as effective as one wants it to be.

TV Guide Ken Fox

It's quite an achievement and makes a strong argument in favor of traditional animation — this is the first Disney feature since "Dumbo" (1941) to feature watercolor backgrounds, and they're beautiful. But beautiful illustrations and a funny premise can't save this well-meaning kid flick from its dully plotted story.

Village Voice Ed Park

But mostly the film is just hectic and homiletic: two parts exhausting "Men in Black" mayhem to one part family values.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The animation in Lilo & Stitch has an engaging retro-simple vivacity, and it's nice to see a movie for tots make use of Elvis Presley, but the story is witless and oddly defanged.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Here's a tiresome feature that could be made into a wonderful 20-minute film -- or, with a few adjustments, into two or three 10-minute shorts.