she's touching me.

declaring something a favorite is no easy task. i remember failing to explain why fargo tops my list of favorite movies. and i'm still searching for the words to the pitter-patter in my heart that makes juno a close second on the list. stories that transform my hope and viewpoints. that place me somewhere i want to be. or, sometimes, perfectly tap into the emotions of my heart.

i struggled to explain one movie when i applied to the newly-minted brandcenter almost two years ago. i had to justify a cartoon. in the past two weeks, as i've made my boyfriend watch all of the lilo and stitch entries, i'm thinking about their meaning again. about hope and the search for a friend soul mate. about the meaning of family. and finding our right place in the world. to do, audaciously enough, what we're best at doing. it's oddly optimistic, but strangely familiar from the company the dares you to dream. so many animated tales rely on enchanting our dreams of what, honestly, never can be. isn't that why we call it a fairy tale? this one, though, is just plain human. told through the eyes of a little girl and her alien experiment. and as i've learned from my nephews, kids and lilo - they are the best strategic thinkers around.

from the application: list your three favorite movies and why.
2] lilo and stitch
after one piece of garbage after another, lilo and stitch restored my hope in disney to tell meaningful stories. little human lilo is desperate for friends. stitch, the dog-like alien, is a fluffy, coffee-drinking, destructive, spaceship-driving maniac unsure of his surroundings. beneath the chaos of alien invasion, this story reminds me of my (and their) journey at that age looking to belong and seeking friends. i value this film because it conjures my past. i remember quite vividly feeling awkward in my neighborhood, at school, in life. i remember my tantrums, my fantasy worlds, my inane attempts to be like them. and i remember the day that changed. when my stitch named jeremy arrived across the street. unfortunately, he was not an alien.