On May 16, the live-action film "Lilo & Stitch" produced by Disney Pictures held its Chinese premiere in Beijing. The film will be released in mainland China on May 23, simultaneously with North America.
The story of "Lilo & Stitch" is based on Disney's 2002 classic animated film "Lilo & Stitch", and is reinterpreted in a live-action film: Stitch, an alien "Experiment 626", accidentally lands on the Hawaiian island. In order to avoid being hunted by aliens and humans, he has to "commit himself" to the home of a little girl, Lilo (Maya Kealoha). Stitch gradually restrains his huge destructive power, develops a sincere friendship with Lilo, and heals this originally broken family.
Poster of Lilo & Stitch
"Ohana" means "family"
Maya Kealoha, who plays Lilo in the film, is only 9 years old this year. She is a native Hawaiian girl. From her decent hula dance to her superb surfing skills, she shows her love for local culture.
In order to stand out from hundreds of children who auditioned, the casting team also valued her state in life. "You can always see Maya dancing, singing, doing crafts or hanging out on the beach with 'Ohana.' In Hawaiian colloquialisms, 'Ohana' means 'family', which runs through the entire movie and is the most important theme of 'Lilo & Stitch'. So this role seems to be tailor-made for her, due to her vibrant personality and deep understanding of her roots."
Stills from Lilo & Stitch
For the film's production team, ensuring cultural authenticity and capturing the essence of Hawaiian style was of great importance. "To pay tribute to this story, we not only had to shoot the entire film in Hawaii, but also hired as many locals as possible. Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, one of the screenwriters, is Hawaiian, and he expanded the concept of ohana in the script to include the surrounding community and neighborhood relationships."
For Chinese audiences, the face of Ms. Chikoa, a community service worker in the film, may not be unfamiliar. The actress who played her was Tia Carrere, who played the femme fatale who gave Arnold Schwarzenegger a headache in the Hollywood blockbuster "True Lies" 30 years ago.
Tia Carrere in True Lies
Carell, 58, was born in Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii. Talking about the family theme of "Lilo & Stitch," she said there is really no place like home. "Family means we take care of each other, and family means we work together to make things go smoothly. In this movie, everyone works together to make the best movie and then share it with the world."
Tia Carrere shared a group photo of the cast of "Lilo & Stitch" on her personal social networking site
"Laughter and tears", the 40th anniversary of the birth of Stitch
Chris Sanders, who was born as a storyboard artist, can be said to be the "father of Stitch". In 1985, he first drew this cute little character with blue fur, like a fleece coat, and a koala and a puppy hybrid on a piece of draft paper. This year is the 40th anniversary of the birth of this animated character.
The first Stitch designed by Chris Sanders
Sanders was the screenwriter of Disney's classic animated films "Beauty and the Beast" and "Mulan" in the 1990s. In 2002, he took up the director's chair for the first time and brought his animated characters to the big screen. At that time, this artist, screenwriter, director, and voice actor personally gave Stitch a nasal and magnetic voice. During the production of this live-action film, he returned to voice Stitch and participated in the script adaptation, which shows his true love.
Stills from the animation "Lilo & Stitch"
The 2002 animated film "Lilo & Stitch" was a box office and critical success, and spawned four animated films that premiered on videotape and a two-season television series. In 2018, Disney Pictures decided to remake the animated film into a live-action movie.
Producer Jonathan Eric said: "This is one of the few Disney movies that is set in the real world. It is unique in that it is not a story about princesses, nor is it set in a fairy tale kingdom - it happens in the real world right now, telling the feeling of being out of place and lonely, just like each of us often feels."
Stills from Lilo & Stitch
The production team agreed that finding the right director was crucial to the success of this live-action film. "Dean Fleischer Kemp's previous film, Marcel the Shell in His Shoes, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, and his slogan is simple: 'Laughter and Tears.' This captures the kind of touching and humor we want."
Stills from Lilo & Stitch
Director Dean incorporates all the fascinating things in nature into the character of Stitch. Executive producer Ryan Halprin said: "Everyone's first question is about Stitch's appearance. Dean's approach is to draw on human response to certain animal features. Stitch's design was inspired by deer ears, bulldog noses and koala textures. His eyes are like seal eyes, black from a distance, but more human-like and more emotionally resonant when viewed up close."
At the Chinese premiere, Huang Zihongfan, the singer of the Chinese theme song, took a group photo with the audience
