After a recent viewing of "Lilo & Stitch," I have learned that it is a lot heavier than most of us remember. (Reference: I cried on four separate occasions.) So thank you, Disney, for reminding us of what's important: being a little less Myrtle and a little more Lilo.
1. Courage.
If there’s anything we know about Lilo, it’s that she was, is, and always will be unapologetically herself. Lilo never once even toned down the attitude no matter how cringeworthy it became for the rest of us. She also stood up to mean girls and fought aliens which are probably equally admirable feats.
2. Humility.
Ok, we can admit it. Lilo made some mistakes. For instance, punching Myrtle in the face may not have been the appropriate reaction no matter how much that little, snot-nosed troll deserved it. That aside, Lilo was the bigger person and apologized. And not even that excuse-filled “sorry” many of us tend to give. Lilo owns up to her mistakes as she continually does throughout the movie like a grown woman even though she’s 6.
3. Loyalty.
Do I even need to tell y'all that “Ohana means family?” Honestly, I can’t name a character Lilo wasn’t loyal to. Except maybe Myrtle, but we hate Myrtle. The girl fed a fish named Pudge peanut butter sandwiches every Thursday. Lilo knew Stitch for roughly thirty seconds before she starts defending him to her sister. She devoted the whole movie (aka three days) to getting his “badness” down to the appropriate level when he did not show the same loyalty for the most part of that. (He eventually got there, and we still love him.)
4. Sacrifice.
The movie’s plot is that Lilo is in danger of being taken away from Nani by child services, and while of course Nani wants to keep Lilo with her, there comes a point where she realizes that maybe what’s best for Lilo is being placed somewhere else. While this did not end up happening, there’s something to be said for her willingness to put her sister’s needs before her own feelings. Bonus: When Lilo messed up Nani’s life (pretty often) and asked her if it was her fault, Nani played it off on something else. Not even the least bit petty.
5. Oddly, enough body positivity.
Ok, wait, hear me out. Pleakley liked the way he looked when no one else did, and he just forgot the haters and wore his wig as he very well pleased. Inspiring. Also, Lilo was obsessed with taking pictures of those with non-stereotypical bodies, completely ignoring beauty standards and, as we said in “Courage,” being herself.
