Ohana Means Family

"Ohana, means family. Family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten."

We've heard it, we've said it, we still whisper it under our breaths whenever it's mentioned. And it will forever be one of my favorite sayings, from one of my favorite movies of all time. This is a movie I hold close to my heart. It was one of the first things I'd seen that inspired me to be an artist. What I would've given to be able to work behind-the-scenes on this brilliant story. It's what made me fall in love with Disney for the first time. For its scenery, for its fluid animation, for its upbeat music, and most of all for its characters:

Lilo

Growing up, Lilo was someone I could relate to. She was quirky and weird with all the right intentions. Yet she was so carefree and passionate with everything that she loved: hula, surfing, even Elvis Presley. Let's not forget her wall of "candid" photos:

If anything, this was the most endearing thing about her. She never took these photos with any malicious intent (innocent or not). She took them because these people legitimately fascinated her. They were interesting and unique in her eyes. This was what "beauty" was to her. She loved humanity (extraterrestrials just as well), and it was sadly her biggest flaw.

Everyone was her friend, but hardly anyone held mutual feelings. She's called a freak and a weirdo. No one wants to hang out with her, and her "friends" take the first opportunity to run from her when she's distracted. It's heartbreaking and stomach-twisting to watch. But then she meets Stitch.

Stitch

Short, evil, and fluffy. Stitch is a little ball of six-legged trouble, right from the start. He's the friend I always wanted. He's loud, rude, and in your face. But he's curious, gentle, and just as lonely (if not more) than Lilo. The title is strangely fitting because I can never think of one separately, it's always "Lilo and Stitch." They just fit.

He's crazy, and she's kind. She's trusting, and he's agressive. Together they make each other better. They give each other a family.

Most of us can recall being told the story of the ugly duckling,  who felt alone for not looking like his fellow ducks but grew up to learn he was a beautiful swan. I hated that story. Don't get me wrong, it's a great moral but I always thought it was the worst thing to teach children. Why be a swan later? Why couldn't the "ugly duckling" just be accepted despite how he looked or acted in the now? Why did he have to grow up and find people who looked like him, to fit in? I thought, he always got the short end of that stick.

And here's where Disney stepped in, and took my heart again. There's a scene, where Stitch encounters the same dilemma: where he just can't fit in, no matter what he does, and he stumbles across that exact story. Suddenly, it becomes clear to him. He's lost. For a majority of the movie, he's trying to find a place to call home. While Lilo, is trying to find people to call family.

Here's where their dynamic works so well for me. They were what each other was looking for. Stitch was that friend that would never leave Lilo's side and Lilo was that person that told Stitch he fit in: right there, right then.

Nani

How do I start? Where do I start? There are no amount of words that could do her justice. She will always be the strongest and most realistic woman I've ever looked (and still look) up to. A woman who looked like the people I knew, finally. A woman who wasn't your standard Disney-girl, but your standard human-being (and more).
It's hard to remember, with all the plasma canons and inter-stellar aliens wrecking havoc, but Nani is not Lilo's mom. She's someone who's barely even an "adult" herself. Despite that, she knows Lilo better than anyone else and that's the thing about Nani. She's a great sister, but she's not a mother:

But despite having to grow up quickly, she accepts and is more than willing to take on the responsibility of being that parental figure for Lilo. Why? Because she loves her. She loves Lilo more than anyone else in the entire world, and she's given up so much to protect her. 

David

David is my one and only Disney prince, even without a crown to make it official.  He's someone who is so loyal and dedicated to such a "broken" family, that he is willing to do whatever it takes to get them back together.

I remember a scene where, due to other's trying to capture Stitch, Lilo almost ends up drowning during a surf session. I remember that after all is through and Bubbles ("the social worker") tells Nani that she is no longer fit to raise her sister, David had said something along the lines of "they were fine before you came along." And in that moment, with the camera angle from Stitch's POV, I believed that David was talking to Stitch. It had always bothered me. I had formed a warm attachment to David, but those words always made me second-guess his character.

Until I learned that maybe they weren't meant for Stitch. Because David was never aware Stitch was anything but a dog. Never really acknowledged him before then. I realized, those words were for himself (as he looks at the retreating siblings). He blamed himself for making Nani take a break in her job-hunt. He was the one who made them go surfing. He was the one who suggested Lilo and Stitch join. 

He's the one he blamed, who ruined their lives. And after that, we hardly see him. Because the story wasn't about just him. It was about everyone. An alien that found a home, sisters who found a family, and a guy who found people to protect and love. 

This movie is about family, and finding yourself. And learning it's okay to be different. This movie made me laugh, made me angry, made me dance, and made me cry. It was equal parts sad and joyous. It was a celebration of family. Not just by blood, but with the people you come to love. 

That family is something earned and respected. Something that will stay strong through everything.

This movie touches on topics I never could understand to empathize with as a child: the fear of losing a family member, the pain of losing a friend, the crippling self-doubt of loneliness. I know we don't think about it, but it often slips our minds to appreciate the people we have. If there's any part that I'd recommend people go watch (or re-watch) it's all the scenes Lilo has about family.

That it is something precious to her because she knows all too well what it means to loose someone you don't think is going away anytime soon. And looking back, that's something that's vastly understated in the movie.

Yet there is so much triumph.

So thank you Disney for giving me a girl like Lilo, a woman like Nani, a guy like David, and an alien like Stitch. They taught me so much as a child and they're still teaching me a lot eleven years later. Thanks for giving me someone who reminded me "Ohana" is something that can be found, even if it's broken.