The concept of "normal" is tossed around a lot in "Lilo and Stitch". The two main characters both find themselves faced with the overpowering problem of not being able to fit in with everyone else. However, this is not the only way in which this issue is brought forth to the viewers. Concepts of social behaviour, personality, belonging, and identity are all dealt with as the story progresses.

Anti-social behaviour is the most noticeable way in which the characters depart from the norm, most particularly in the examples of Stitch, Lilo, Jumba, and Gantuu. Jumba is convicted because he breaks the law in his experiments and takes delight in the destructiveness he instils in his creation. Jumba thereafter is viewed as a particularly anti-social entity, as he constantly endeavours to do things his own way with little respect to others, e.g. his desire to capture Stitch directly and without secrecy. Stitch, likewise, is offensive and violent to an extreme, having no care for those around him. From the moment he utters what appear to be profanity in an alien language at Jumba's trial, Stitch ruthlessly continues the self-serving attitude begun by Jumba. Throughout the film he is pushy, prone to anger, thieving, vulgar (often mooning others), and destructive in the extreme. Stitch represents a force that is completely unable to fit in with a civilized society. Lilo and Gantuu also present anti-social tendencies, both in their sudden violent outbursts. Neither of the two characters appears to have much control over their tempers. Gantuu nearly shoots Stitch for biting him, and Lilo attacks another little girl for calling her "weird". However, while all four of these characters suffer from an inability to conform to acceptable modes of behaviour, only Gantuu is ultimately punished without resolution. The other three find either positive outlets for their tendencies, such as Jumba choosing near the end to help Lilo, or adjust to integrate themselves into societies standards, as in the case of Stitch becoming part of a family. The reason for the specific exclusion of Gantuu from this happy ending appears to be a combination of a message directly against intolerant aggression (which Gantuu embodies), and a simple Disney ideal that seems to require that every story must have an unrepentant villain.

The status of being "weird" is another way in which many of the characters are unable to be normal. This is most evidenced by Lilo. Imagination seems to be Lilo's "flaw", and her peers because of it label her "weird". She claims a fish controls the weather and must be appeased with peanut butter sandwiches. She pretends her homemade doll is having medical problems. She takes pictures of overweight people, and performs voodoo. And, perhaps the most profound expression of "weirdness", she sees goodness in Stitch when no one else does. These factors contribute to her loneliness and behavioural difficulties. Yet Disney presents these factors not as things for which she should be condemned. Rather, throughout the movie, even when we find her quirks to be particularly odd, the audience sympathizes with Lilo and sees her detractors to be intolerant and elitist.

Throughout the entire film many of the main characters struggle with, or toy with, their personal identities. Identity quickly becomes one of the primary ways in which normality is explored. Many of the characters at one time or another pretend to be something they are not. Stitch is, of course, foremost in this area. His first alteration of identity comes when he is forced to pretend to be a dog, in order to be adopted and protected by his proximity to Lilo. This is an extreme disguise, requiring him to physically change form, hiding two of his six arms, his antennae, and the fringe on his back. His alien nature is hidden, however unconvincingly, so that he can be accepted in Lilo and Nani's family, being defended therein by Pleakley's insistence that no harm comes to the human population of Hawaii. Stitch obviously struggles within this disguise, and bends or breaks the rules of it whenever possible. He usually walks on two feet, makes use of his opposable thumb, and generally acts very sentient. While the pretence of being a dog is necessary, Stitch chafes within it, a fact which Jumba and Pleakley laugh at, telling him "Whenever you are ready to give up, just let us know."

Later, Lilo attempts to civilize Stitch by teaching him to be like Elvis. This is not a disguise, as it is easy to tell he is not Elvis, but it is an attempt to hide his malicious nature under a socially acceptable outward appearance. Stitch fails at every lesson Lilo tries to teach him, but she is undeterred and has him dress in a rhinestone jumpsuit, with an Elvis wig and guitar, and perform on a beach. The attitude of a famous rock star is more in tune with Stitch's actual persona, and he does seem to fit this role more so than being a dog. However, Stitch cannot hide his true nature, and when crowded by onlookers his aggressive tendencies run rampant again. These two attempted re-designs of Stitch's personality, as a dog and as Elvis, are unable to hide the truth of what he is. This tells us that Disney is suggesting a message of real change, rather than superficial alterations in appearance. This holds true with the end of the film, where Stitch has undergone a significant internal change, finally able to fit into society without pretending to be something he is not. Oddly, Stitch continues to use his dog disguise during the resolution scenes, though it appears Disney chooses to do this only because Stitch looks cuter as a dog. It can be suggested that by using the "cute Stitch" look so often during the end sequence, Disney is being hypocritical in its suggestion that outward appearance is unimportant. However, I believe that the use of Stitch in both forms during this sequence drives home the ideal that outward appearance is unimportant. Stitch has become good, no matter what he looks like.

Stitch's lack of a name and a past are two driving forces behind his lack of identity. Through the first 20 minutes of the film he is known only as "Experiment 626", and does not come to be called "Stitch" until Lilo names him. When she does she comes under fire from the dog pound woman, who suggests that it is not a real name. This is the first moment in the movie where Stitch comes to consider his identity, noticing the fact that he has just been given a name other than his scientific one. This change not only begins his journey to find himself and his place, but also causes the audience to suddenly view him as something other than a monster. He is now a part of Lilo's life, and has a name. Our sympathies begin to go to him now because he is no longer simply a number. He has been humanized by his name, however inhuman he or his name is, and Disney plays upon the fact that we tend to care more for things with names. In Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein" the monster of Dr. Frankenstein is never given a name, and is thus always considered a monster. Disney is here giving us a Frankenstein story, but giving the monster a name in order to explore what might have happened. Stitch even becomes very proud of his name, insisting that the Grand Council Woman call him by it when he is finally captured, which is the moment when she is forced to consider is he is a true monster or not. Like us, she has to give something with a name a chance.

His lack of past similarly causes his identity to suffer. He has no upbringing or teaching to look back on or use as a guideline for his behaviour. Jumba even wonders, "What must it be like to have nothing...not even memories to visit, in the middle of the night?" Stitch has no moral compass to guide him because he was never given one. Lilo observes that he cries at night, attributing it to missing his family. But it is deeper than that. Stitch has no family to miss, and the closest thing he had to a father was Jumba, who designed him for no greater purpose than destruction.

Finally, one identity issue which I choose to bring up here, mostly because of the prevalence of similar issues throughout Disney films, all of which spark extreme controversy, is that of sexual identity. In "Lilo and Stitch" the reference to homosexuality or being transgendered is minimal yet obvious. It comes in the form of Jumba and Pleakley, who are forced into disguise in order to follow Stitch into populated areas. Pleakley, despite having no distinctly male or female form, chooses to wear a dress and a longhaired wig. He speaks in a high pitched voice and takes on the role of Jumba's wife. While definitely a funny situation, it does cause one to question the reasons behind it. Is this more of Disney's promotion of the "homosexual agenda"? Certainly the presence of men dressing as women is common to Disney films. "Mulan", "The Lion King", and "The Jungle Book" all have moments of cross-dressing. The question is furthered in "Lilo and Stitch" as at one point Pleakley, no longer in disguise, tries on the wig in order to admire himself. When discovered he tries to deny it, but Jumba takes the wig from him and tries it on himself. This seems to be Disney suggesting tolerance for transgendered individuals, as Jumba does not make fun of Pleakley, and indeed joins him. While I would suspect many fundamentalist Christian groups might take issue with these scenes, I have not found any statements concerning them, which suggests that the more important message of "Lilo and Stitch", being "the value of unconditional love" (Mauldin, "Movie Review: Lilo and Stitch) as one Christian reviewer put it, has managed to shine through.

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