Customer Reviews

Lilo & Stitch: Collected Stories From the Film's Creators

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a "making-of" book, but just like the movie Lilo & Stitch was a simpler, more elegant, more personal movie than most of Disney's recent efforts, this book is a more personal, more elegant making-of book than any other making-of book I've ever seen.

The book is comprised of a bunch of concept art, and art-in-progress from the development of the movie, as well as personal stories of the concept and movie's creation, told by the people who went through the process. There's a genuine sense of love for the characters that's prevalent throughout the book, and the theme of simplicity, and a personal connection with the audience pervades the entire structure of this book.

From Chris Sanders' first drawing of Stitch, to some really zany sketches for products based on the likeness of Dean deBlois, there's lots of stuff that's both interesting because of its relation to the movie, and interesting because it's so ... off the wall.

If you loved the movie, as I did, there's almost no chance that you won't find this book insightful, and entertaining.

I started collecting Disney's making-of books with Lion King but soon realized that with each succeeding film I was basically reading the same information over and over again and stopped getting them after A Bug's Life.

So I was skeptical about getting this one but I eventually caved in after I read a bit of it in a bookstore. This isn't a typical making-of book where the author tells you step by step how the fim was created. Instead we get many short essays from the creators of the film themselves telling their experiences on making Lilo & Stitch. It's a terrific idea that reminds us of the human element in creating a film. Even better, the essays seem genuine and give us little insights into the mind of the individual creator as well as the Disney corporation. Generous amouns of pre-production art is sprinkled throughout the book and I'm going to buy a second copy to frame a few of them.

If you have any interest in Disney, animation in general or Lilo & Stitch you will definitely get something worthwile out of this book. I'm actually axiously looking forward to the next making-of book from Disney again! Life is good.

This book acts as The Art of Lilo & Stitch. And it does fulfill the art aspect of the book, but it goes way beyond for a richer print. As it is actually called: Collected stories from the creators; it makes it so fun. Is like the book breakes the ice and stops being just a gallery of beautiful watercolor progress works, but one undertands and meets the people that created such illustrations. Of course, it works better as a support of the movie, but it also works on its own, as its own piece of literature, telling the story of people working hard to make an animated work of art.

I've been buying "The art of..." Disney books sense they first started coming out and I must say, this is one of my all time favorites! My only concern is that most people WILL be fooled by the title, heck, I was! ; )

This is just a WONDERFUL book! The illustrations are absolutely beautiful! As always, it's fun to see the progression of the characters and the story! I can't recommend this enough! It's worth every penny!!

At first, one may be a bit reluctant to purchase a book about the making of a movie. Oftentimes "making of" books can be bland and impersonal, reading more like a textbook with pictures than anything else.

But not this book. I purchased this book because I'm one of the biggest fans of the movie Lilo and Stitch, which In my opinion is the best movie Disney has made for a long time. And Stitch is by far my favourite animated character, of any film, ever. Just thinking about him brings a smile to my face. I wanted this book to see the development of Stitch over the years, and ended up getting more than I bargained for.

The very first page of this book opens you up to stunningly beautiful watercolour backgrounds, some from the movie, some entirely new. And as you read along, text is interwoven with the backgrounds like it is truly part of the picture, making for a beautiful book. But it's the content that counts, and here this book excells. This book is a collection of stories by people who were involved with the creation of the film. And every story hits a very personal note. You peer inside the very lives of the people who helped to make Lilo & Stitch a reality, and indeed get to know their very thoughts and feelings. Chris Sanders, in describing how Stitch came to life, is especially humourous, sometimes going on to tell about childhood embarassments that may or may not be related to the movie, but provide for some very good entertainment, again on a very personal level.

All the creators of this film seem to carry an undeniable love for the characters they have created, and a respect and love for the Hawaiian culture and environment as well. They all were movitated people who had a clear goal in mind: to make the most out of Lilo and Stitch, and bring some nostalgia back as well. The storyline of the film is very believable, the characters almost as real as you or me, and very personal. And this book shows you how that all came to be.

In reading this book I felt very close to the creators, and gained an even larger understanding and appreciation of all the work that went into Lilo and Stitch. And that's saying something because I truly didn't think it was possible to love the movie any more than I already did, but it happened. ;)

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who has seen Lilo and Stitch and love that film. Even if you only like that film, you'll love it after reading this book. It's been years since I've enjoyed reading a book so much, and of course the absolutely stunning backgrounds make it even better. Most interesting, is of course the early pictures of Stitch (who just happened to be born in the same year that I was), and how this cute little alien became what he is today. The book is very detailed, even showing the bone structure and anatomy of Stitch. One must wonder...why did they go to that length when he's only an animated character?

The answer: Because they love him, and all the other characters they created. That becomes more and more evident as you read further along. And of course the various products of Dean DeBlois will have you rolling with laughter.

If I could give this 10 stars I would. The best book made for a long time, and if I do say so, just as enjoyable as the movie itself! :D

Please buy this book if you can, it's worth every penny, and you'll be glad you have it. A turn of the first page will convince you right away, there is more to this book than meets the eye. :)

A charming, lovely book, a great compliment to the movie, and the perfect gift for any fan of Lilo & Stitch. If you count this gem among your favorite films (as I do), this book is a must-have for you, as it's filled with gorgeous sketches and watercolors, showcasing the development of the characters and setting. (I'm gushing, yes, but I can't help it.) And it's filled with little stories from all the key members who worked behind the scenes, reminding you of how very human animated films are. Personally, I think this is the best of the Disney "Art of..." books, but I'm biased, as Lilo & Stitch is my favorite Disney film. It's not hardcover, but it hardly matters. The book is unique, just like the film.

This is the official "Making of" book that Disney puts out for their yearly Summer Animation flicks. This is not Hardcover but a very thick durable softcover. So don't expect the large hardcover tomes, but this doesn't degrade the book in any way. It's a fairly light read, and it gives individual stories of how the creators painted in Hawaii, how Stitch was created, that Nani was created from a real Hawaiian dancer, and many more facts about how Lilo & Stitch came to be. This book is funny and very inspiring, its not boring or long. The book has lots of beautiful paintings of the backgrounds, scenes, concept art, and character profiles of Lilo & Stitch. You will not be disappointed!! This book has a great assortment of Stitch images, so if you love the little blue alien you will be glad you got this book.

Length:: 1:19 Mins

Before I ordered this book, I was aware that it wasn't really an 'art of' book, which is what I'm usually interested in. Lilo & Stitch: Colelcted Stories From the Film's Creators shares 15 short personal stories from people who worked on the film (obviously), and includes a lot of beautiful artwork. From storyboards to huge watercolor backgrounds to pencil drawings, this book is a giant tease for anyone who wants a full sized Art of Lilo & Stitch...but it's still good.

Most of the stories are fun to read, while others are very informative about the movie making process, such as how hard it was to work with watercolors after Disney animators hadn't used the technique in a very long time. We learn that the creators, Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, basically got to make the movie that they wanted- not using the usual Disney methods of doing things, such as having meetings to go over the story at Dean's house, rather than setting up official meetings through the various departments at Disney's studio, which sounds like it's very time consuming to even find out if the people you want to get together are allowed to meet. It was nice reading that the creators felt that with the couple of films prior to Lilo & Stitch, they felt that the features were getting too complicated for their own good, and wanted to make things more simple, and as a result took inspiration from classics like Lady & the Tramp and Dumbo. All of the stories are worth reading, and you can see that these 15 people genuinely care about animation and storytelling.

As for the artwork, every single piece here had my attention for minutes at a time. I loved seeing the small poster Chris made regarding the right look for Nani- how thin was no good and he wanted a fuller figure. Other favorite pieces were the drawings of Stitch's skeleton, and the huge two page pencil drawing of Lilo and Stitch in a huge drain pipe by Marcelo Vignali. As an added bonus, there's a small photo of the very first design of Stitch, done years before the movie was even in the works. I'm glad they went with Stitch's final design, but the original is definitely original, to say the least.

My only con is that, while everything here's good and makes me want a bigger book with more, the stories take up a big portion of the drawings on a lot of the pages. You can see that in my video I've included, and it was a little irritating to have a gorgeous background or drawing covered up by a block of text (especially that drain pipe one). But as it is, this book is worth your money, though I wouldn't spend much more than retail for it unless it's in flawless condition. If you love Lilo & Stitch, you'll love this book too.

This book is as beautiful as the background watercolors of the original movie The book takes a personal look at the stories behind the movie. Not necessarily linear in presentation, the chapters are broken into narrations by different creators of the film and either how they came to be involved or how they added to the film. The art that is scattered throughout each chapter is often beautiful.

I personally have two favorite images from the film, one a watercolor of a drainage in Hawaii, overgrown with native plants and the second is drawings of how the alien creature, experiment 626, would work showing his skeleton and structure.

This book is listed as for ages 4-8, total mistake. this is not a kids book but would be appropriate for early teens through adult. It is an excellent book for those interested in animation, or as myself, a fan of Lilo and Stitch.

this is a must have for any fan of the "art of" series books. it is as beautiful as the movie itself. it is splashed with all the beautiful rough drawings and amazing watercolor paintings that take your breath away. i wouldnt have asked for any more!!!!!!!!