20 years ago, #LiloAndStitch hit the big screen and its soundtrack made a splash thanks to the voices of the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus. Now, the students who sang the memorable songs look back on their two-decade Hawaiian roller coaster ride. lat.ms/3pQK2uh
“Watching it now as an adult, you see the impact that it has,” said Kamehameha alum Paul Iona, a 32-year-old graphics producer who recorded the soundtrack when he was 11. “It’s one of those films that you can gather so much at different times of your life” lat.ms/3pQK2uh
“The kids have no idea the effect that they have on the audiences,” longtime choir director Lynell Bright said of the choir, her classroom now a shrine to Experiment 626, also known as Stitch. lat.ms/3pQK2uh
“It made me feel really proud to be able to have this full Hawaiian song be the opening song,” says Leimomi Kanagusuku, who was 11 when the choir recorded the soundtrack. “To be able to share our culture and our language was a really powerful thing.” lat.ms/3pQK2uh
“We had no idea what the scope of it was gonna be or how it would impact my life,” says Rachel Justice, who was 12 at the time of recording the “Lilo & Stitch” soundtrack. “I was the oldest among us, but still we had no clue what we were getting into.” lat.ms/3pQK2uh
“We were used to practicing, but this was practice to a whole ’nother level,” Kanagusuku said. “We had mics in front of us. We got to wear these earphones ... Even though it was repetitive ... I don’t think any of us ever really complained.” lat.ms/3pQK2uh
“You’re so entranced by the idea of this alien coming to Hawaii as a kid, and that’s pretty much all you get,” Iona said of watching the film as a kid. But recently, he saw the movie through different eyes. lat.ms/3pQK2uh
“‘Lilo & Stitch’ and choir and music in general really shaped my life,” Kanagusuku said. “I don’t know if [Mrs. Bright] actually realized how much she and music have impacted all of us.” lat.ms/3pQK2uh
Read @christicarras’ full interview with the former members of the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus who so memorably lent their voices to #LiloAndStitch. lat.ms/3pQK2uh
📸 See all the photos by @snapsbybea: latimes.com/entertainment-…
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