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Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea in Books
Sep 20, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and Walker books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I chose this book simply based on the synopsis and the gorgeous cover art. I expected it to be a standard YA read, perhaps edging on middle grade but wow was I wrong! This novel contains all the gritty bits of a Pirate’s life and is as far from Neverland pirates and mermaids as you can get.
The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea centres around the relationship between a high-born, queer, Japanese-inspired noblewoman, Evelyn and a pirate named Florian who is secretly a girl named Flora, disguising themself in order to gain the respect of their crew mates.
Evelyn and Florian instantly capture the heart of the reader. They are such an unlikely match and from completely different worlds but the way that Maggie Tokuda-Hall throws these two characters together and alternates chapters between their perspectives is so compelling. The secret attraction and the pining between Evelyn and Florian can literally be felt through the pages. These two are guaranteed to stay with you long after the book is finished.
In fact, the majority of Tokuda-Hall’s cast of characters are so well developed: we have Rake, the first mate who is a very closed character and keeps his own intentions close to his chest for most of the novel. We have a gender-fluid Pirate Supreme, an imperialist noblewoman who can kick ass and Flora’s brother Alfie, a tortured soul whose traumatic past is alluded to often.
The portrayal of mermaids in the novel is nothing short of inspired: hunted and captured for the properties their blood possesses, mermaids are quite ugly when imprisoned by pirates. These mythical creatures that are renowned for their beauty are only conventionally beautiful in the presence of their loving mother: The Sea. The Sea in turn will do whatever she can to protect her children, and will always reward those who help.
The other pirates are, as you would expect, a group of shady characters but they do not fade into the background at all. Tokuda-Hall reveals right from the beginning the true intentions of this crew and it creates an underlying tension throughout the whole voyage upon The Dove. The twists, secrets and revelations onboard that ship are captivating and create a page-turning first half of the book.
I will say that during the middle of the book, mainly during “The Witch” section, the pace slowed dramatically and it just didn’t flow as much.
I almost wanted more treachery and more suspense from the witch, more struggle by Evelyn and, dare I say, more pining from Evelyn and Florian. Their relationship up to this point had been so intense and slow burning that it almost seemed to cool a little.
I also feel that not quite enough was made of Evelyn’s discovery about the real reason behind her voyage. It was almost a convenient way for that side of her story to be resolved. Similarly, with Florian/Flora; their evolution from Pirate to Witch seemed quite acceptable and tame.
These factors, in my opinion, affected the ending of the novel where everything seemed quite rushed in its efforts to tie up all loose ends. Please don’t misunderstand, I LOVED the ending and how Evelyn and Flora/Florian finished their journey. I even shed a few tears. However, it was the lead up to this that just seemed too convenient and too quick.
Overall this is a wonderfully dark pirate novel that instantly creates a world full of magic and wonder whilst tackling the issues of identity, colonialism, homophobia, poverty and rape. A world where gender-fluid and queer characters fight against injustice alongside endangered mermaids and the Sea is to be respected almost as a deity.
I cannot believe that this is merely Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s debut novel! I cannot wait to see where she takes us next!
I chose this book simply based on the synopsis and the gorgeous cover art. I expected it to be a standard YA read, perhaps edging on middle grade but wow was I wrong! This novel contains all the gritty bits of a Pirate’s life and is as far from Neverland pirates and mermaids as you can get.
The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea centres around the relationship between a high-born, queer, Japanese-inspired noblewoman, Evelyn and a pirate named Florian who is secretly a girl named Flora, disguising themself in order to gain the respect of their crew mates.
Evelyn and Florian instantly capture the heart of the reader. They are such an unlikely match and from completely different worlds but the way that Maggie Tokuda-Hall throws these two characters together and alternates chapters between their perspectives is so compelling. The secret attraction and the pining between Evelyn and Florian can literally be felt through the pages. These two are guaranteed to stay with you long after the book is finished.
In fact, the majority of Tokuda-Hall’s cast of characters are so well developed: we have Rake, the first mate who is a very closed character and keeps his own intentions close to his chest for most of the novel. We have a gender-fluid Pirate Supreme, an imperialist noblewoman who can kick ass and Flora’s brother Alfie, a tortured soul whose traumatic past is alluded to often.
The portrayal of mermaids in the novel is nothing short of inspired: hunted and captured for the properties their blood possesses, mermaids are quite ugly when imprisoned by pirates. These mythical creatures that are renowned for their beauty are only conventionally beautiful in the presence of their loving mother: The Sea. The Sea in turn will do whatever she can to protect her children, and will always reward those who help.
The other pirates are, as you would expect, a group of shady characters but they do not fade into the background at all. Tokuda-Hall reveals right from the beginning the true intentions of this crew and it creates an underlying tension throughout the whole voyage upon The Dove. The twists, secrets and revelations onboard that ship are captivating and create a page-turning first half of the book.
I will say that during the middle of the book, mainly during “The Witch” section, the pace slowed dramatically and it just didn’t flow as much.
I almost wanted more treachery and more suspense from the witch, more struggle by Evelyn and, dare I say, more pining from Evelyn and Florian. Their relationship up to this point had been so intense and slow burning that it almost seemed to cool a little.
I also feel that not quite enough was made of Evelyn’s discovery about the real reason behind her voyage. It was almost a convenient way for that side of her story to be resolved. Similarly, with Florian/Flora; their evolution from Pirate to Witch seemed quite acceptable and tame.
These factors, in my opinion, affected the ending of the novel where everything seemed quite rushed in its efforts to tie up all loose ends. Please don’t misunderstand, I LOVED the ending and how Evelyn and Flora/Florian finished their journey. I even shed a few tears. However, it was the lead up to this that just seemed too convenient and too quick.
Overall this is a wonderfully dark pirate novel that instantly creates a world full of magic and wonder whilst tackling the issues of identity, colonialism, homophobia, poverty and rape. A world where gender-fluid and queer characters fight against injustice alongside endangered mermaids and the Sea is to be respected almost as a deity.
I cannot believe that this is merely Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s debut novel! I cannot wait to see where she takes us next!
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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Blood Shadow (Blood Never Lies 1) in Books
Feb 3, 2020
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2401292193">Blood Shadow</a> - ★★★
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Book-Review-Banner-25.png"/>;
<b><i>Blood Shadow (Blood Never Lies #1) is a companion novel for An Eye of The Storm Series.</i></b>
Blood Shadow can be read without reading the previous books. At the beginning, the author has included a recap of everything you need to know about the main character, before you start reading this book.
Blood Shadow was an interesting read, that is for certain. At the beginning I felt a bit lost in time and it took me awhile to understand what is going on, despite the recap that was provided by the author.
<i>A woman wakes up in a hospital and can't remember anything. Some anonymous person saved her life and gives her the name Jennifer, alongside with a whole new life.
She knows her real name is Selena. She also knows she was a werewolf but is not anymore. It seems she is human now, because her wounds are not healing as they usually would. Selena/Jennifer also remembers all the sexual abuse she went through before. Being tortured and raped and even persuaded to kill her brother. It feels like that was a lifetime ago.
And now, five years after her new life begun, she lives quietly and has a normal job and a boyfriend. The only thing that reminds her of her werewolf days are the sweaty nightmares. And now Jennifer has received a new note - on of those that her anonymous friend leaves for her now and then, advising her when she is in danger. But this time, the note says something different: a Supermoon is coming, and with that, a total lunar eclipse.</i>
This is the moment when things start to get confusing for me. There is an anonymous person, he sends her notes that have saved her life, he is always watching her, and now they need to meet, because she is in big danger and he has a secret to tell her. But he also doesn't want to reveal his true identity yet.
<b><i>[SPOILER ALERT]</i></b>
Long story short, he is one of the people that were there during her sexual abuse period. And he didn't do anything to help save her. Also, it turns out that she is also a mermaid, which is why she is able to do some things, but also doesn't have full powers.
And things keep being more and more confusing. From a werewolf story, we jump onto mermaids. The title also made me think that vampires bight be involved, which isn't the case. And we also might see dragons in the next book. I am not against having all these fantasy creatures into one place, but I felt that it needed to be explained better.
I felt for the girl - it must be extremely hard to live with such past and then to also have to constantly be hiding and never be truly happy. She tried to live a normal life as well, but just ended up hurting the people around her.
I am not sure that I connected enough with this book. The ending wasn't a conclusive one - it seemed as if it only was an opening for yet another book of the many. It didn't feel like any of the characters grew or learned from their past actions, which was slightly disappointing.
<b>It is a nice chill book to read in your spare time, if you like these types of books. But it is nothing out of the ordinary. I don't believe I will remember how it ended or what it was about in a few months.</b>
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#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2401292193">Blood Shadow</a> - ★★★
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Book-Review-Banner-25.png"/>;
<b><i>Blood Shadow (Blood Never Lies #1) is a companion novel for An Eye of The Storm Series.</i></b>
Blood Shadow can be read without reading the previous books. At the beginning, the author has included a recap of everything you need to know about the main character, before you start reading this book.
Blood Shadow was an interesting read, that is for certain. At the beginning I felt a bit lost in time and it took me awhile to understand what is going on, despite the recap that was provided by the author.
<i>A woman wakes up in a hospital and can't remember anything. Some anonymous person saved her life and gives her the name Jennifer, alongside with a whole new life.
She knows her real name is Selena. She also knows she was a werewolf but is not anymore. It seems she is human now, because her wounds are not healing as they usually would. Selena/Jennifer also remembers all the sexual abuse she went through before. Being tortured and raped and even persuaded to kill her brother. It feels like that was a lifetime ago.
And now, five years after her new life begun, she lives quietly and has a normal job and a boyfriend. The only thing that reminds her of her werewolf days are the sweaty nightmares. And now Jennifer has received a new note - on of those that her anonymous friend leaves for her now and then, advising her when she is in danger. But this time, the note says something different: a Supermoon is coming, and with that, a total lunar eclipse.</i>
This is the moment when things start to get confusing for me. There is an anonymous person, he sends her notes that have saved her life, he is always watching her, and now they need to meet, because she is in big danger and he has a secret to tell her. But he also doesn't want to reveal his true identity yet.
<b><i>[SPOILER ALERT]</i></b>
Long story short, he is one of the people that were there during her sexual abuse period. And he didn't do anything to help save her. Also, it turns out that she is also a mermaid, which is why she is able to do some things, but also doesn't have full powers.
And things keep being more and more confusing. From a werewolf story, we jump onto mermaids. The title also made me think that vampires bight be involved, which isn't the case. And we also might see dragons in the next book. I am not against having all these fantasy creatures into one place, but I felt that it needed to be explained better.
I felt for the girl - it must be extremely hard to live with such past and then to also have to constantly be hiding and never be truly happy. She tried to live a normal life as well, but just ended up hurting the people around her.
I am not sure that I connected enough with this book. The ending wasn't a conclusive one - it seemed as if it only was an opening for yet another book of the many. It didn't feel like any of the characters grew or learned from their past actions, which was slightly disappointing.
<b>It is a nice chill book to read in your spare time, if you like these types of books. But it is nothing out of the ordinary. I don't believe I will remember how it ended or what it was about in a few months.</b>
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch (Villains #3) in Books
Sep 7, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
A review by The Disney Bookworm:
The third instalment in Serena Valentino’s villain’s tales is the story of Ursula. I was really looking forward to this: after scaring the beejeeeesus out of me as a kid, Ursula has become my favourite villain as an adult. She definitely projects the body confidence I lack that’s for sure!
Regular readers will know I was left a little disappointed by The Beast Within and so it was with some trepidation that I ventured onto the next novel in the series. However, I was too tempted by the promise of a backstory to my favourite sassy octopus.
Poor Unfortunate Soul starts off really well, as is the case with all Valentino’s books. We meet Ursula as an orphaned human girl, raised by a loving adoptive father but never accepted by the villagers around her. She is acutely aware that she is different and is constantly drawn to the sea. However, when the villagers realise Ursula’s true form and start a literal witch hunt, her father tries to protect her and it ends tragically.
Vengeful and alone, Ursula returns to the sea and discovers her family isn’t lost to her after all: she has a brother, Triton.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Triton and Ursula are not destined for an emotional reunion and a game of happy families. Instead, Triton wants Ursula to conform to his idea of beauty and live in his kingdom as a mermaid. He also refuses to share his throne with Ursula: something their parents aspired to.
The siblings also disagree over the treatment of humans. Although both despise the race, the sea king disapproves of his sister’s vengeful ways and eventually banishes her from his kingdom. This only adds fuel to Ursula’s rage, causing her to plot to destroy her tyrant brother by using his youngest daughter: Ariel.
We all know how that story goes!
I really enjoyed this backstory to Ursula and the twist that her and Triton were related but separated when they were young. In my opinion it gave me what I wanted from the villains series: empathy for the villain.
However, as was the case in The Beast Within, I was willing for this to be fleshed out more. How were Triton and Ursula separated? What was the kingdom like when the siblings attempted to cohabitate? Ariel’s mother is briefly mentioned as a friend to Ursula – was it her death that permanently severed Triton and Ursula’s relationship? In my opinion, Ursula’s brief relationship with her brother is the lynch pin in her demise but the details are glossed over as an almost appendix in the story. I wanted more of this and less of Tulip!
Ah yes, Tulip is back! Although for the life of me I’m not sure why!
Yes, she was in the last book and we know she made a deal with Ursula.
Yes, she links the books together, particularly with the references to Maleficent’s evil doings in a neighbouring kingdom.
Yes, she has a friendship with Circe and Pflanze: allowing the odd sisters to locate their beloved sister.
Yes, she has a weird nanny who feels like she should be someone but I’m not entirely sure whom.
But dear god she takes up too much of these books. She clearly regained her beauty for a reason and I’m sure her royal suitor has a future role but she just doesn’t interest me as a character. She’s an extra: popping up now and again to make some link in the storyline.
I can’t delve much further into this book without completely ruining the story for you so let me just say that I enjoyed the book more than The Beast Within. Poor Unfortunate Soul gave me the backstory of Ursula and allowed me to witness how her hate and thirst for power consumed her, as well as the consequences of this.
The novel was less heavily involved with the Odd Sisters than The Beast Within. It seemed that the villain was the main focus which was in keeping with Fairest of All and greatly appreciated. However, I was still left wanting more: these are thin books and a quick read; I just feel that the opportunities for developing real, complex villains are being missed.
The third instalment in Serena Valentino’s villain’s tales is the story of Ursula. I was really looking forward to this: after scaring the beejeeeesus out of me as a kid, Ursula has become my favourite villain as an adult. She definitely projects the body confidence I lack that’s for sure!
Regular readers will know I was left a little disappointed by The Beast Within and so it was with some trepidation that I ventured onto the next novel in the series. However, I was too tempted by the promise of a backstory to my favourite sassy octopus.
Poor Unfortunate Soul starts off really well, as is the case with all Valentino’s books. We meet Ursula as an orphaned human girl, raised by a loving adoptive father but never accepted by the villagers around her. She is acutely aware that she is different and is constantly drawn to the sea. However, when the villagers realise Ursula’s true form and start a literal witch hunt, her father tries to protect her and it ends tragically.
Vengeful and alone, Ursula returns to the sea and discovers her family isn’t lost to her after all: she has a brother, Triton.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Triton and Ursula are not destined for an emotional reunion and a game of happy families. Instead, Triton wants Ursula to conform to his idea of beauty and live in his kingdom as a mermaid. He also refuses to share his throne with Ursula: something their parents aspired to.
The siblings also disagree over the treatment of humans. Although both despise the race, the sea king disapproves of his sister’s vengeful ways and eventually banishes her from his kingdom. This only adds fuel to Ursula’s rage, causing her to plot to destroy her tyrant brother by using his youngest daughter: Ariel.
We all know how that story goes!
I really enjoyed this backstory to Ursula and the twist that her and Triton were related but separated when they were young. In my opinion it gave me what I wanted from the villains series: empathy for the villain.
However, as was the case in The Beast Within, I was willing for this to be fleshed out more. How were Triton and Ursula separated? What was the kingdom like when the siblings attempted to cohabitate? Ariel’s mother is briefly mentioned as a friend to Ursula – was it her death that permanently severed Triton and Ursula’s relationship? In my opinion, Ursula’s brief relationship with her brother is the lynch pin in her demise but the details are glossed over as an almost appendix in the story. I wanted more of this and less of Tulip!
Ah yes, Tulip is back! Although for the life of me I’m not sure why!
Yes, she was in the last book and we know she made a deal with Ursula.
Yes, she links the books together, particularly with the references to Maleficent’s evil doings in a neighbouring kingdom.
Yes, she has a friendship with Circe and Pflanze: allowing the odd sisters to locate their beloved sister.
Yes, she has a weird nanny who feels like she should be someone but I’m not entirely sure whom.
But dear god she takes up too much of these books. She clearly regained her beauty for a reason and I’m sure her royal suitor has a future role but she just doesn’t interest me as a character. She’s an extra: popping up now and again to make some link in the storyline.
I can’t delve much further into this book without completely ruining the story for you so let me just say that I enjoyed the book more than The Beast Within. Poor Unfortunate Soul gave me the backstory of Ursula and allowed me to witness how her hate and thirst for power consumed her, as well as the consequences of this.
The novel was less heavily involved with the Odd Sisters than The Beast Within. It seemed that the villain was the main focus which was in keeping with Fairest of All and greatly appreciated. However, I was still left wanting more: these are thin books and a quick read; I just feel that the opportunities for developing real, complex villains are being missed.
Beatriz (17 KP) rated Lilo & Stitch (2002) in Movies
Feb 22, 2019
Lilo & Sitch (2002)
Lilo & Stitch is one of my most favourite Disney films.
It was released in 2002 passed in Hawaii. It tells the story about a girl (Lilo) and her sister (Nani) that fight to stay together as Nani is trying to prove to the social worker Cobra Bubbles that she is fit to take care of her younger sister. In the meawhile Lilo is bullied and feels different so Nani takes her to a dog shelter to adopt a dog. There Lilo meets Stitch, a mutated alien (or more specifically, experiment 626) that is hiding, from the Galactic Police, on Earth, and ends up using Lilo as his shield. But with time Lilo and Stitch become Ohana ( "Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten)
Its a fun and emotional film that touched a lot of childrens and adults hearts (including mine)
Here are some interesting facts that i found about the film...
- The original story focused solely on an alien living in a forest, trying to overcome his isolation and find out where he came from.
Lilo didn’t become a part of the film until much later during story development.
- Stitch was not originally supposed to talk, but when the filmmakers realized the story hinged on him being able to express himself at the film’s end,
they began developing his voice. Director Chris Sanders provided Stitch’s voice during test animation, and eventually everyone got so used to it that they
decided to keep it.
- After an early test screening showed that audiences thought Nani was Lilo’s mother, filmmakers reworked some key scenes to make their sisterly relationship clear.
- Lilo & Stitch was the first Disney animated film since Dumbo to use watercolor painted backgrounds.
- While on a tour of Kaua?i, filmmakers noticed that their Hawaiian tour guide seemed to know someone everywhere they went. They were so struck by the guide’s
explanation of the term “‘ohana” as it relates to an extended family, that they made it the central theme of the film.
- In the climax of the movie, Jumba can be seen flying around in a huge red spaceship that looks very similar to an airplane. This is because in the originaL
edit of the film, it WAS an airplane! In the original edit, the writers and animators had Jumba hijacking a Boeing 747 from the Lihue airport and crashing it
into buildings throughout Honolulu.
Unfortunately, the movie came out right after 9/11/2001. The animators felt this was much too close to the attacks that happened on September 11th, so they
remodeled Jumba’s spaceship to look a bit different than a Boeing 747, and also changed the buildings to mountains.
- All of the landscapes in the movie are recognizable locations in Hawaii
- Not only was the setting and plot of the movie unique, Lilo & Stitch was also very unique in the way that Disney promoted the movie. Disney released a set
of trailers in which they inserted the character of Stitch into some of their more “classic” films.
Some examples of the movies they inserted Stitch into, are as follows: The Little Mermaid; Stitch surfs on a wave that crashes down onto Ariel. Beauty and the
Beast; Stitch can be seen loosening the chandelier during the ballroom dance scene and it almost lands on Beast and Belle. Aladdin; he steals Jasmine away
during their magic carpet ride. The Lion King; Stitch is on Pride Rock instead of Simba.
- Did you know that the character of Stitch was actually created way back in 1985? Stitch was created by one of the directors of the film named Chris Sanders
for a children’s book he was writing. The children’s book was never published, and Stitch was made into a movie 17 years later.
Chris Sanders was not only one of the directors of Lilo & Stitch, but he was also a co-screenwriter, a co-character designer, and also provided the voice acting
for Stitch.
- During the animation stage of Lilo & Stitch, the animators made a conscious effort to design the "alien" aspects of the film a certain way.
Since the movie was going to take place on the island of Hawaii, they decided to design all of the alien aspects of the movie to resemble marine animals.
This makes sense, since Hawaii is famous for its diverse marine plant and animal life that resides on the island.
It was released in 2002 passed in Hawaii. It tells the story about a girl (Lilo) and her sister (Nani) that fight to stay together as Nani is trying to prove to the social worker Cobra Bubbles that she is fit to take care of her younger sister. In the meawhile Lilo is bullied and feels different so Nani takes her to a dog shelter to adopt a dog. There Lilo meets Stitch, a mutated alien (or more specifically, experiment 626) that is hiding, from the Galactic Police, on Earth, and ends up using Lilo as his shield. But with time Lilo and Stitch become Ohana ( "Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten)
Its a fun and emotional film that touched a lot of childrens and adults hearts (including mine)
Here are some interesting facts that i found about the film...
- The original story focused solely on an alien living in a forest, trying to overcome his isolation and find out where he came from.
Lilo didn’t become a part of the film until much later during story development.
- Stitch was not originally supposed to talk, but when the filmmakers realized the story hinged on him being able to express himself at the film’s end,
they began developing his voice. Director Chris Sanders provided Stitch’s voice during test animation, and eventually everyone got so used to it that they
decided to keep it.
- After an early test screening showed that audiences thought Nani was Lilo’s mother, filmmakers reworked some key scenes to make their sisterly relationship clear.
- Lilo & Stitch was the first Disney animated film since Dumbo to use watercolor painted backgrounds.
- While on a tour of Kaua?i, filmmakers noticed that their Hawaiian tour guide seemed to know someone everywhere they went. They were so struck by the guide’s
explanation of the term “‘ohana” as it relates to an extended family, that they made it the central theme of the film.
- In the climax of the movie, Jumba can be seen flying around in a huge red spaceship that looks very similar to an airplane. This is because in the originaL
edit of the film, it WAS an airplane! In the original edit, the writers and animators had Jumba hijacking a Boeing 747 from the Lihue airport and crashing it
into buildings throughout Honolulu.
Unfortunately, the movie came out right after 9/11/2001. The animators felt this was much too close to the attacks that happened on September 11th, so they
remodeled Jumba’s spaceship to look a bit different than a Boeing 747, and also changed the buildings to mountains.
- All of the landscapes in the movie are recognizable locations in Hawaii
- Not only was the setting and plot of the movie unique, Lilo & Stitch was also very unique in the way that Disney promoted the movie. Disney released a set
of trailers in which they inserted the character of Stitch into some of their more “classic” films.
Some examples of the movies they inserted Stitch into, are as follows: The Little Mermaid; Stitch surfs on a wave that crashes down onto Ariel. Beauty and the
Beast; Stitch can be seen loosening the chandelier during the ballroom dance scene and it almost lands on Beast and Belle. Aladdin; he steals Jasmine away
during their magic carpet ride. The Lion King; Stitch is on Pride Rock instead of Simba.
- Did you know that the character of Stitch was actually created way back in 1985? Stitch was created by one of the directors of the film named Chris Sanders
for a children’s book he was writing. The children’s book was never published, and Stitch was made into a movie 17 years later.
Chris Sanders was not only one of the directors of Lilo & Stitch, but he was also a co-screenwriter, a co-character designer, and also provided the voice acting
for Stitch.
- During the animation stage of Lilo & Stitch, the animators made a conscious effort to design the "alien" aspects of the film a certain way.
Since the movie was going to take place on the island of Hawaii, they decided to design all of the alien aspects of the movie to resemble marine animals.
This makes sense, since Hawaii is famous for its diverse marine plant and animal life that resides on the island.