Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Much like other aspects of life, different forms of art and entertainment are directly influenced by positive and negative life experiences, including migration and exile. Simultaneously, important topics and ideas — such as migration and exile — are shaped by the representation and language used when such stories are told (Caprio). An example of entertainment depicting a migration story is Disney’s animated movie Lilo & Stitch. In the movie, Experiment 626, later renamed Stitch, is deemed a monstrosity, doomed to wreak havoc on cities, steal “left shoes,” and generally have “no place among [the alien society]” he was born into (1:24–2:53). Yet, after escaping his harsh, seemingly unjust imprisonment, he migrates to Earth only to face further condemnation. His appearance and lifestyle are called into question by most; however, Lilo, a six-year-old girl native to the area, accepts Stitch for who he is, allowing him into her family without question. As a result, the audience witnesses Stitch questioning who he is meant to be and where he belongs. Stitch, from Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, is pulled between three aspects of himself: who he was made to be, who he is believed to be, and who he actually is. These aspects are explored through his exile from his homeland, forced assimilation into a new culture, and eventual acceptance into a found family.
Source: Digital Literature Review
DOI: 10.33043/cyd2d399
Author: Emily King
Institution: Ball State University
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4409487364