Lilo and Stitch (2002) was a Disney film released in the early years after the Disney Renaissance ended (Tarzan (1999) is officially held to be the last film of that era). The film takes place in outer space and in Hawaii and follows escaped genetic experiment 626 as he escapes to planet Earth and passes himself off as a dog to the unsuspecting human populace.
While there, he becomes adopted by a young girl named Lilo (who is having her own social problems while being raised by her older sister Nani) who names him “Stitch.” At the same time, Stitch’s creator, Jumba, is trying to recapture him with the help of Agent Pleakley and various escapades ensue. Captain Gantu (Stitch’s original jailer) is also keen to get him back, and very quickly Lilo finds herself in the middle of a really big situation.
The score for this film was created by Alan Silvestri (of Back to the Future fame) and the video above shows clips from several days of scoring sessions. What’s cool about this video is you get to see the big screen with footage from the film playing while the recording process is going on. Most of the footage here appears to be complete, but this is not always the case. Sometimes the composer is given “rough cuts” to work with, perhaps the special effects are missing or the animation is incomplete.
I liked this movie when I went to see it in the theaters, though I admit it’s been a while since the last time I saw it. Unlike previous Disney films, Lilo & Stitch used watercolor backgrounds, which created a very different visual look.
Compared to other Disney films released around this time (like Treasure Planet, Atlantis: The Lost Empire or The Emperor’s New Groove), Lilo & Stitch was relatively well-received by the critics. I hope you enjoy this look at the scoring sessions for Lilo & Stitch!
Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460
See also:
Don’t forget to like Film Music Central on Facebook 🙂
*poster image is the property of Walt Disney Studios
Film Music Central 