Day 11 - What is your favorite film from your childhood?

Answer: Lilo & Stitch (2002)

This one was kind of a tough choice to narrow down. There have been several films from my childhood that I remember watching religiously. I remember watching films like Toy Story and Small Soldiers on VHS every day when I got home from school until the VCR ate the tapes. Aladdin was another one that I hold very near and dear to my heart. However, when I gave it a little more thought, I think it's Lilo & Stitch that ultimately sits on top of my favorite films I watched as a kid. Heck, I still watch animated films despite being 28 years old. I think that animation can still be a valid form of entertainment. This film is no exception. It is simply one of the best films Disney has ever put out.

Lilo & Stitch tells the tale of a science experiment from outer space having escaped imprisonment and makes its way to Earth. That's where we meet Lilo. She is troubled young girl who lives with her sister on the island of Hawaii. Lilo is your typical socially awkward girl. She doesn't have many friends. Other kids pick on her. She does things her own way. Lilo somehow convinces her sister that they need a pet dog and that's when she meets the alien she affectionately calls Stitch. It's sort of an E.T. meets Ugly Duckling kind of story that is fun, heartwarming, and a little bit crazy.

I think I put this one on the top of the list because I kind of identify with both Lilo and Stitch. I understand the whole thing of being an outcast among your peers. I understand Stitch being a fish-out-of-water and just wanting to find a place where he belongs. He starts off wanting to cause chaos and destruction, but ultimately discovers what he really wants in a family. He didn't realize that's what he wanted because all he ever knew was being a science experiment. It's just a great film all around. "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."