LILO & STITCH (U, 85 mins) Featuring the voices of Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere.

THIS is a charming animated fable.

Evil alien scientist Jumba (voiced by David Ogden Stiers) and his creature Stitch (Sanders) are jailed on a planet for dangerous animals.

Stitch escapes, only to crashland on Earth in a dog pound in Hawaii. There, orphan Lilo (Daveigh Chase) and her older sister Nani (Tia Carrere) adopt Stitch and their love helps him quell his impulses for destruction.

But a bounty hunter has been despatched to capture the alien critter dead or alive.

Finely crafted, with plenty of visual gags for kids and sly pop culture references for parents. This is a refreshing change: the sassy orphan heroine, the uncute animal sidekick and the offbeat tone.

Rating: 8 out of 10