DIRECTOR'S CUT: Therapist Reacts to LILO & STITCH with guest Rebecca Parham

I love that you guys addressed how much culture was integrated into this movie. I watched this in theaters, and immediately fell in love with the idea of Hawaii. So, when I had the luck of Oahu being my first duty station, I was extremely excited. I haven't been back since I left there 9 years ago, but I miss it dearly. Thank you for covering this movie on multiple levels!

SaucyJTD

Same!

Zara Hoffman

One thing I love with Stephen King (she said about a Disney movie) is his invention "Ka-tet". I means chosen family. Literally "tethered by fate/the universe/the Force ("Ka" means a lot of things) " but it's more a bond that you enforce ON the universe, with specific magical bonding rituals that give a group pseudo-telepathic powers and stuff. It's mainly a part of the Dark Tower books. But anyway, the great thing is recognizing the specific, deliberate work involved in making a found family, and then doing it again to "re"make the family in a new form after they take some losses. It might not be ideal if it ends up giving members constricting formalized roles in this family, but a little bit of formality can go a long way in long term relationships I think.

All mankind

Watching this movie in the theatre is where we got the most iconic phrase from some random dude that we still use today in my family 😂 for a little context, I have always been a hummer/singer without realizing I'm doing it and I was literally only 1 years old when we were in the theatre watching this and I guess I was singing along in baby babble and some guy a few rows ahead yelled out "would you shut that kid up" and it has been a total meme in our house since 🤣

Amelia Hansen

Up.

just me

Thank you so much for doing my favorite Disney movie! "Pudge controls the weather" hits differently when you realize that their parents died in an accident on a bad rainy night.

Sarah Parsons

So glad to see something on neurodivergence. Living in a neurodivergent family myself, this episode hit right in the feels. I hope you guys do more episodes on all the various ways neurodivergence manifests itself.

Ruth Popkin

Love this!

Cinema Therapy

LOL.

Cinema Therapy

You're so welcome!

Cinema Therapy

Amazing era!

Cinema Therapy

I never thought about Lilo being neurodivergent, and now I can't unsee it!

taylor garrett

when Rebecca started talking about Disney's 'experimental era,' it dawned on me that most of those films are my favorite Disney movies

Peppercheeni

As someone with autism, I related a lot to lilo too! Even the co-director going as far to say it was intentional but happy people make that connection reminds me of my graphic design teacher told me and what with my own built morality is "Sometimes the unintentional is unintentionally intentional" in more character work, design story writing. My teacher says to act like it was purposeful, but I don't know why I found it a more warming reaction to be told it wasn't intentional but the co-director liked that people has a positive connection to Lilo in that sense of "they are alike to me". I do agree now I'm more developed and aware of my autism since I didn't find out until I was a high school freshman that Lilo is autistic and just why I love her so much.

_forestzy

I don't think I've cried this much since the inside out episode 😭

Dresden Valareo

As a recently self diagnosed autistic person, this episode broke me. I did not see this movie until recently but I feel so seen by your analysis. I've always felt like an alien on Earth, and I wish I could go back to my younger self and tell her "you're not broken, you have a purpose". Thank you for this.

Chelsea Seachord

Alan: have you ever worked with a family in a similar situation? My brain: adopt a sentient alien dog experiment??? Jono: taking on parental roles brain: oooohhhhh

Neurotic Cow

I had never been a huge fan of Lilo and Stitch despite being in love with Stich and Scrump lol. Thank you for helping me see this film in a new light, I am so excited to go watch this again and see new depth and growth in Lilo's character <3

Madison Aradine

So glad you did this movie. I love Lilo & Stitch so much. It's one of those movies you don't expect to be so emotional when you first try to watch it, but is really well done.

David W (d20dave) (d_dave)

I sure am!

Sean Goettsche

So, I'm guessing you're also a fan of The Iron Giant? (That one makes me cry every time!!)

Cinema Therapy

I'm so happy you did this episode specifically talking about neurodivergence and autism. Watching this movie again as an autistic person and seeing myself in Lilo is so healing especially seeing Nani act so empathetic and caring towards her is so beautiful.

Aether

This movie means so much to me, I was the weird kid in school and it was always hard to make friends. I see myself in Lilo and now as an older sister as Nani. After watching this video with my sisters they both agreed that i reminded them of Nani and I almost cried ❤️😭

Evs

Thank you so much for finally posting about Autism and neurodivergence!!! Represent! Also: Armadoggo, missed dad joke opportunity besides every family DOES need an armadoggo!

Jeff Newsome

Agree

Gryff

Woooohooooooo!!!!! One of my all time favourite movies ❤️

Ayelet Seeman

I ended up going to watch the movie after I watched this

😭👏🏽💙

Omen the Black Cat

Can you do a part 2 with the other lilo and stitch movies

megan

My stepmom is very mean I don’t consider her family

megan

I never knew lilo was supposed to be autistic

megan

I was six years old when this movie came out and it’s always been one of my favorites. As a kid I’d sing all the songs - even learning the Hawaiian parts - and as an adult I have such a hard time singing them because I get so emotional, especially the song that Nani sings to Lilo before she gets taken away. Thanks for doing this one.

Karina Florez

Yes!! This episode was so fantastic you guys. Thank you so much for choosing it. Lilo & Stitch is an underrated tear jerker of a Disney film and so, so important to many people even decades later. Nani & Lilo are so perfect for CinemaTherapy. My dad and I really attached to the Ohana saying as I grew up, and though he’s passed now I still think of it really fondly. Loved the discussion about family phrases for this reason. Not weird at all- it’s a great thing for family bonding/closeness!

Emily Snell-Salvaggio

I'm crying so hard because it feels so amazing to be seen as an autistic person by you guys in this episode. I love you guys so much! Thank you for this. ❤️

Smeeson

It's SO good!

Cinema Therapy

Something about a movie about an alien/giant robot meeting a child of a broken family always brings me to tears! 😭

Sean Goettsche

Ahh! 😄 Native Hawaiian here! I love that you guys did Lilo and Stitch! It's one of my favorite movies (mostly because this movie was the first I saw that didn't butcher our culture and Hollywoodize it), and I can identify with Lilo and the way she sees things. I've been treated the same way growing up, it's not fun, it's not pretty, it can get REALLY messy, but the friends who come to know you and care about you on a deeper level and accept you really do become hanai (adopted/chosen) family. In my case, my coworkers are as much family as my family... (Though because of the way things work in Hawai'i, I found they actually ARE family either by blood or marriage, so yeah. Ohana! All good! 😆)

Lady Lost

So much to love about this movie! I also feel like Treasure Planet is a grossly under appreciated/overlooked movie. It's one of my absolute favorites

Panko213

This movie was my sister's absolute favorite. We still use the line "still good. Yeah! Still good." Use it on anything that's still good.

Ayesha Ali

I’ve always been a Nani/Lilo hybrid who just happens to have Stitch tattoos ❤️ my found family has become more Ohana over the years because they’ve saved me so many times in so many ways.

Jennifer Redmond

We're so appreciative to have her on as a guest!

Cinema Therapy

BECCA!!!! Also a wonderful episode as always. This was one of my favorite movies as a kid cuz I saw so much of myself in Lilo.

Sarukana

YO! Rebecca is the one who told me about your guys' channel! So excited your collabing on one of the best movies ever!

Michael Emerson

YES!!! I saw this when it first came out and it was cute. Watched it again last year and now, middle-aged, it hits completely differently. It’s a great film.

Lauren Wagstaff