Because unlike many Disney productions it's about a broken family experiencing a shit hand dealt to them and how both the older and younger sister respond to that.

Lilo opens the film desperately trying to feed a peanut butter sandwich to a fish she thinks controls the weather. Why is this important to her? Because her parents died in a car crash caused by a storm and this is the only way her childish mind can cope. When she explains this in the start of the film she mentions how the sisters are out of peanut butter and only have tuna but Lilo can't accept giving tuna/fish to a fish so needs to get more peanut butter first causing her to be more delayed to a dance class. She gets into fights almost constantly because the only girls she knows at school are horrible cunts that taunt her repeatedly and even flatly state how much they hate Lilo. She's poor and has to make up her own fun most of the time due to being socially isolated which ends up taking the form of photography of fat tourists and listening to Elvis.

Meanwhile Nani is desperate to keep her sole remaining family member and unlike many fairy tales is failing hard because she's completely out of her depth. She lacks any form of social life while she tries and fails to raise Lilo alone despite her option of David who not only gets on great with Lilo but could significantly help both of them by providing much needed emotional stability to their lives.

But people fuck up IRL and make bad choices despite good options so the film resonates well with both children and adults for a number of reasons:

• Orphans.

Both Nani and Lilo have lost their only other family members through no fault of their own but don't always accept that, see the comment about Pudge the fish.

• Single parents.

While Nani is Lilo's sister rather than actual mother many siblings IRL have found themselves raising younger siblings either because of neglection or outright abandonment from parents. Coupled with the struggle of having to deal with their own life and problems at the same time it's an unfortunate situation many experience where they desperately try to hold onto what little good remains from their lives at the expense of their own future development. Nani's three main plots are raising Lilo, trying to keep a job to support both herself and Lilo, and dealing with the possible romance involving David. However dealing with Lilo repeatedly hinders her work and results in her turning David down in order to try and focus on Lilo.

• Bullying.

Lilo is tormented by the other girls in school because of both Lilo's behaviour and family/financial status. Lilo is a very young child, she has limited ways to interpret and respond to what happens in life regardless of what others will have told her. She's 6 years old and blames herself for the deaths of her parents. Nani is limited in terms of work having to juggle her own life while raising Lilo meaning the sisters are very poor, hence Lilo's doll looking like one of Frankenstein's monsters. Consequently Lilo is extremely eccentric because she frequently has to come up with her own entertainment while dealing with the deep seated trauma of losing her parents so young. And the other schoolgirls make her life hell because of it.

So unlike many fairy tales where the young protagonist gets isekai'd saved by a handsome prince or father figure riding in and saving the protag from a shit life, Lilo and Stitch instead doesn't do this.

Stitch is literally a weapon. He was made by a mad scientist to destroy and cause chaos. He isn't there to rescue Lilo. He isn't there to make Nani's life better. In fact he ends up making things worse for the sisters almost from the moment they meet.

However as the film goes on the three of them, albeit mostly Lilo and Stitch, learn how to change for the better.

Nani learns to ask for help rather than face her problems alone.

Lilo learns she isn't going to be abandoned again and that her family is more than just her sister.

Stitch learns he is more than he was made to be, that he has a choice in what he gets to do, rather than what he has been told to do.

David learns what it feels like to be crushed like a melon between Nani's thighs.

Is the animation weird? Sure, but it's mostly a cartoon for kids who don't care for that but will remember and understand more of the themes in the film as they grow up, learning the same lessons the characters do as they become relevant.

Because unlike many Disney productions it's about a broken family experiencing a shit hand dealt to them and how both the older and younger sister respond to that.

Lilo opens the film desperately trying to feed a peanut butter sandwich to a fish she thinks controls the weather. Why is this important to her? Because her parents died in a car crash caused by a storm and this is the only way her childish mind can cope. When she explains this in the start of the film she mentions how the sisters are out of peanut butter and only have tuna but Lilo can't accept giving tuna/fish to a fish so needs to get more peanut butter first causing her to be more delayed to a dance class. She gets into fights almost constantly because the only girls she knows at school are horrible cunts that taunt her repeatedly and even flatly state how much they hate Lilo. She's poor and has to make up her own fun most of the time due to being socially isolated which ends up taking the form of photography of fat tourists and listening to Elvis.

Meanwhile Nani is desperate to keep her sole remaining family member and unlike many fairy tales is failing hard because she's completely out of her depth. She lacks any form of social life while she tries and fails to raise Lilo alone despite her option of David who not only gets on great with Lilo but could significantly help both of them by providing much needed emotional stability to their lives.

But people fuck up IRL and make bad choices despite good options so the film resonates well with both children and adults for a number of reasons:

• Orphans.

Both Nani and Lilo have lost their only other family members through no fault of their own but don't always accept that, see the comment about Pudge the fish.

• Single parents.

While Nani is Lilo's sister rather than actual mother many siblings IRL have found themselves raising younger siblings either because of neglection or outright abandonment from parents. Coupled with the struggle of having to deal with their own life and problems at the same time it's an unfortunate situation many experience where they desperately try to hold onto what little good remains from their lives at the expense of their own future development. Nani's three main plots are raising Lilo, trying to keep a job to support both herself and Lilo, and dealing with the possible romance involving David. However dealing with Lilo repeatedly hinders her work and results in her turning David down in order to try and focus on Lilo.

• Bullying.

Lilo is tormented by the other girls in school because of both Lilo's behaviour and family/financial status. Lilo is a very young child, she has limited ways to interpret and respond to what happens in life regardless of what others will have told her. She's 6 years old and blames herself for the deaths of her parents. Nani is limited in terms of work having to juggle her own life while raising Lilo meaning the sisters are very poor, hence Lilo's doll looking like one of Frankenstein's monsters. Consequently Lilo is extremely eccentric because she frequently has to come up with her own entertainment while dealing with the deep seated trauma of losing her parents so young. And the other schoolgirls make her life hell because of it.

So unlike many fairy tales where the young protagonist gets isekai'd saved by a handsome prince or father figure riding in and saving the protag from a shit life, Lilo and Stitch instead doesn't do this.

Stitch is literally a weapon. He was made by a mad scientist to destroy and cause chaos. He isn't there to rescue Lilo. He isn't there to make Nani's life better. In fact he ends up making things worse for the sisters almost from the moment they meet.

However as the film goes on the three of them, albeit mostly Lilo and Stitch, learn how to change for the better.

Nani learns to ask for help rather than face her problems alone.

Lilo learns she isn't going to be abandoned again and that her family is more than just her sister.

Stitch learns he is more than he was made to be, that he has a choice in what he gets to do, rather than what he has been told to do.

~~David learns what or feels like to be crushed like a melon between Nani's thighs. ~~

Is the animation weird? Sure, but it's mostly a cartoon for kids who don't care for that but will remember and understand more of the themes in the film as they grow up, learning the same lessons the characters do as they become relevant.