The Cultural Mosaic in Lilo and Stitch
by Aidan Gordley
What has Norman Rockwell’s famous painting “Freedom from Want ” got to do with Disney-Pixar’s Lilo and Stitch? Painted in celebration of President Franklin Roosevelt’s America, “Freedom From Want” attempts to portray a prosperous America.
Rockwell Video Minute: Freedom from Want
While Rockwell imagines the ideal America as uniform and white in this painting, Lilo and Stitch offers a colorful counter argument.
The dinner table is heterogenous and vibrant where Rockwell’s is muted. Lilo and Stitch’s Hawaii is a mixture of bright colors, animated by indigeneous traditions and partly by tokens of mainland culture, such as the music of Elvis Presley. This use of color also emphasizes the often-overlooked beauty and tradition of indigenous Hawaiin culture. Where Rockwell’s painting forgets to include cultural variety, Lilo and Stitch illuminates it and proves that differences in color and background do not prevent family and unity.
In Disney’s Lilo and Stitch, an escaped alien outlaw finds a family in the form of a bereaved Hawaiin family consisting of two sisters. The sisters, Lilo and Nani, try to teach their new alien pet, named Stitch, the ways of American life as Nani attempts to prove to a social worker (Mr. Bubbles) that she is a suitable guardian for Lilo. When the alien government tries to take Stitch back to prison, Lilo and Mr. Bubbles are able to convince the aliens that Stitch can stay on Earth with his new family.
Elvis Presley as the “Model Citizen”
Elvis Presley is an American Rock icon. Beyond his influence on American culture, Elvis has interacted frequently with Hawaiin culture throughout his career. Using Elvis to represent the ideal American, Lilo and Stitch adds a gorgeous Hawaiin background to highlight how American and Indigenous culture, despite their glaring differences, can work and exist together.
In this sequence, Stitch evades two aliens tasked with returning him to prison. While there is little emphasis on the music in this sequence, the inclusion of the Elvis song “Stuck on You” reveals Stitch’s reluctance to accept his role in the family.
Stuck On You (Elvis Presley) – Lilo & Stitch Movie Clip (HD)
After Mr. Bubbles’ threat to Nani, she attempts to find a job and Lilo starts to teach Stitch how to behave like a proper American. Lilo uses Elvis Presley as her example to show Stitch the model American way of life. Elvis’ “Devil in Disguise” plays through Lilo’s record player as Stitch learns how to dance and play guitar and Nani tries to find employment.
Lilo and Stitch – Elvis – Devil in Disguise
This scene marks Stitch’s first attempts to become a functioning member of his new family. To be a proper family member necessitates being a model American. However, Stitch stands out from every other being in Hawaii, let alone America. In order to be a model citizen, Stitch has to learn how to be like Elvis, including dancing and playing guitar like a rockstar. This is all done not with the goal of eliminating cultural differences, but rather to help Stitch learn what it means to be successful in this society that is so foreign to him. We also get insights into the mind of Lilo, who sees music as a main indicator of American-ness.
Hawaiian Culture Education
A rough day leads to the Hawaiin version of therapy: going to the beach and riding waves. In this sequence, Stitch learns to surf and begins to understand that his destructive tendencies have hurt his new family.
Lilo & Stitch – Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride (lyrics) [HD]
Surfing is an activity that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of color. Stitch, naturally afraid of water, sees his family having fun and longs to join them. Even though the activity makes him uncomfortable, Stitch recognizes the importance of camaraderie in a moment like this.
The song itself is a mixture of English and Hawaiian language. The languages work together smoothly to communicate the indigenous Hawaiian message that there is no better place to be than the ocean. To people like Stitch who don’t realize what makes the beach so special, the song reveals the appeal of surfing. The title of the song, Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride, is also revelatory. Nearly everyone in America has experienced what it is like to ride a roller coaster. Comparing surfing to riding a roller coaster is one of the ways that the film attempts to make Hawaiian culture accessible to people who are unfamiliar with it.
Beauty of Indigeneity
[HD] He Mele No Lilo – Lilo and Stitch
In this sequence, Lilo arrives late to dance practice during a traditional Hawaiian routine. Soaking wet and more interested in her exploration of the beach, she makes the dance floor slippery and ruins the rehearsal. A similar scene occurs in Disney’s Moana, a film that also showcases Hawaiian culture.
Moana Best Funny | Movie Dance – cartoon movies | 2017
When Moana teaches a traditional dance to children, one of the kids goes rogue and performs modern, less traditional moves. The context of the performance is much different. While Moana places an emphasis on indigenous mythology, Lilo and Stitch more boldly attempts to portray Hawaiian culture in a modern context.
From Lilo & Stitch He Mele No Lilo (Dance)
This is a mash-up of the opening dance scene from Lilo and Stitch and a short that shows Stitch and Lilo (with the help of Nani, David, and two alien scientists) performing the dance. Compared to the first scene, the performance that includes the aliens is way more relaxed and lighthearted. However, the sense of unity across both performances remains the same. The color varies, yet the product (a performance of a beautiful, traditional Hawaiian routine) is of the same quality.
Identity and Family
Lilo & Stitch – Part 13/13 | Can Stitch say ‘Goodbye’? (HD)
When Stitch is located by the alien authorities, different aliens and humans work together to keep him on Earth with his family. This heartwarming scene is the product of the whole film’s establishment of a family blind to color. At first he was reluctant to adapt to not be a force of destruction and chaos. Eventually, Stitch understood what it means to be both an American and a brother. By the end of the film, every character, alien and human alike, understands the importance of relationships.
Lilo and Stitch supports the perception of America as a ‘cultural mosaic’. Individuals from different backgrounds, places, and ethnicities maintain their cultural autonomy and live in community (not in competition) with each other. They combine the best parts of their identities, origins, and passions to create a loving community. Indigenous art and culture is put on full display. Looking back on the dinner table, the uniformity of Rockwell’s painting “Freedom from Want” suggests an inclination toward the imagination of America, a country of immigrants, as a ‘melting pot’ combining worldwide cultures into one ‘white,’ American culture. The family at the dinner table is happy, but uncomfortably washed out. There is an obvious emphasis on family and bonding, but no nod to the plethora of diverse cultures that together form ‘America.’ The whiteness of it is almost blinding. In contrast, the bright watercolor of Lilo and Stitch pops out in every stroke. There is a combination of indigenous Hawaiian, African American, and alien representation. The ideal America is not a blend of culture. Rather, it is a heterogeneous mixture. Lilo and Stitch defines the ideal America as a place where diversity and identity are celebrated and where model U.S. citizens are the people who are proud of their unique identities.