In a rare cinematic moment, the island of Kaua’i in the summer of 2002 will play itself for a change. In its rich movie-making past, Kaua’i has been transformed for Hollywood’s sake into Vietnam, Cambodia, Tahiti, Africa, Venezuela, Thailand, other
In a rare cinematic moment, the island of Kaua’i in the summer of 2002 will play itself for a change.
In its rich movie-making past, Kaua’i has been transformed for Hollywood’s sake into Vietnam, Cambodia, Tahiti, Africa, Venezuela, Thailand, other parts of Polynesia, and Costa Rica during prehistoric times. But rarely is the island cast to play itself.
But the master animators at Disney will turn Kaua’i into a cartoon for the June release of “Lilo & Stitch,” with Lilo being a Kaua’i Native Hawaiian girl voiced by Tia Carrerre, and Stitch an alien from another planet whose ship makes an unscheduled landing somewhere on Kaua’i.
While the closest the island gets to being mentioned specifically is when Stitch, voiced by Jason Scott Lee, hovers above the Hawaiian islands before landing on Kaua’i, moviegoers around the world should quickly recognize Na Pali Coast, Kalalau Valley, Kilauea Lighthouse and other scenes that are unmistakably Kaua’i.
Stitch, despite being a visitor from light years instead of time zones away, is immediately welcomed as part of an extended Kaua’i family, imitating life.
Kirk Smith of the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau’s media consultant, Starr Seigle McCombs Advertising in Honolulu, told around 125 people at the bureau’s annual membership meeting and luncheon at the Kaua’i Marriott Resort and Beach Club about the film.
So far, there hasn’t been a word on the film in The Hollywood Reporter, and no requisite Web site has been launched to promote the project. That likely will change next year.
Sue Kanoho, the bureau’s executive director, flew to O’ahu last Wednesday to see a rough cut of the film. She also met with Disney executives looking for promotional angles for Hawai’i and Kaua’i businesses wishing to help promote the movie.
Kanoho said Disney representatives came to Hawai’i for another project, possibly “Pearl Harbor,” and visited and fell in love with Kaua’i. They decided to translate that love for the physical beauty and welcoming hospitality into an animated feature film that will incorporate a softer, subdued, watercolor-style of animation spotlighting Kaua’i, she said.
“When they saw the look of Kaua’i and what it was all about, they felt is was perfect for the theme,” she said. “The recurring theme through the whole movie is ohana (family).
“It sounds like they fell in love with the culture, they fell in love with the islands as a state, and then fell in love with Kaua’i” as the place Lilo lives with her sister and family, Kanoho continued.
Actually, Kaua’i and Disney have a long history, most recently when the island was turned into Tahiti and other environs for the Harrison Ford vehicle “Six Days, Seven Nights,” said Judy Drosd, film commissioner in the Kaua’i County Office of Economic Development.
“Mighty Joe Young” and “George of the Jungle” are other Disney films that were shot at least partly on Kaua’i.
Disney officials were in Hawai’i last week with the producer and marketing director of the film, trying to arrange partnerships to promote the movie.
“Basically, what Disney’s trying to do is obviously invite sponsorships and sweepstakes, and whatever promotions we can do around the movie, because it is clearly Hawaiian, it is clearly (Stitch) landing on Kaua’i,” said Kanoho. “From what I saw, they don’t say (in the movie) ‘the island of Kaua’i.’ But they have Kilauea Lighthouse, they have landmarks in there that we of course would recognize. And they actually did a very good job of trying to get as accurate as possible.”
Smith said millions will be spent to promote “Lilo & Stitch,” and millions were spent to make it.
“Partnering with Disney is a great opportunity for us,” said Kanoho. “It is a great opportunity for some hotels,” and the various movie tours on the island could easily tie into the promotions and final product.
Drosd welcomed the opportunity to work with Disney again, adding that any film activity here generates positive publicity for the island and stimulates economic activity.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
