Customer Reviews

Lilo & Stitch [VHS]

5 star:		(237)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

A heartwarming, moving and beautifully animated Walt Disney film get its special DVD treatment in a brand new 2-Disc Big Wave Edition.

In 2002, Walt Disney's 42nd animated feature from the Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida studio would become a commercial success with over $35 million in its first weekend and eventually would make over $273 million worldwide. Since 2002, the animated film has received several direct-to-video film releases and even a cartoon series.

With the original DVD release back in 2002, in 2003 a 2-disc DVD release was announced but was delayed. Fans of the film have waited for the 2-disc version for years and the question many who own the original DVD may be asking, is this 2-disc release worth it?

If you are a big fan of the animated film, then the answer is a resounding...YES!!!

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Lilo & Stitch" is a beautiful, animated film that takes place in Hawaii. So, this animated film definitely showcases a variety of colors of the island and the Hawaiian clothing and lush lands and beautiful beach. Personally, I would love to see a Blu-ray Disc treatment of this film because it's a type of film that would benefit in 1080p. But overall, the picture quality of the DVD is vibrant with colors and the animation had a distinct character designs and overall, beautiful to look at.

The video is presented with an aspect ratio of (1:66:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 televisions.

As for the audio, audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and also includes French and Spanish language tracks. The audio utilizes the rear channels during the action segments and also musically, the music plays a big part in the film. Although not a musical but a dialogue-based film, overall, "Lilo & Stitch" utilizes the speaker channels with the front channel showcasing the dialogue and musical tracks with the rear channels utilizing various background sounds, ambient sounds and also booms and crashes during the action scenes.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

This is where the 2-Disc Big Wave Edition of "Lilo & Stitch" shines. There are tons of special features on disc 1 and a length documentary and deleted/edited scenes in disc 2. Included are:

Disc 1:

* Audio Commentary - Commentary featuring producer Clark Spencer and directors/writers Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. A very informative commentary as Sanders and DeBlois talked about how there were some major changes from the original storyline and the final cut. Discussions of going to Hawaii, meeting with talent like Tia Carrere and how Hawaiian music came to play in the film and also the ending flight chase scenes and how it was changed due to 9/11. A lot of informative tid-bits on the creation of the film. Cool commentary!
* Deleted Scenes - This featurette features how the storyboard artists and artists teaching the viewer how to draw Po and each member of the Furious Five via sketching the characters one-by-one. For example, with Po, the artist would start off with two circles and explain by detail of drawing the rest of the body and features. Each segment varies in time but most are around 6 minutes long. Very informative.
* Your "Ohana" Music Video featuring the Hawaiian Chorus - A two minute music video featuring segments from the film and the Hawaiian Chorus singing "Ohana".
* Lilo & Stitch Island Adventure Games - An adventure game narrated by David and people can play three "Lilo & Stitch" games which include Gecko Race, Hamsterviel's Coconut Shell Game and Hamsterviel's Experiment Match Game.
* A Stitch in Time: Follow Stitch through the Disney Years - This three minute featurette showcases classic Disney films and how Stitch was in those films and how Stitch has shaken things up at Disney by trying to be part of the classic Walt Disney films but unfortunately he wasn't up to par for parts in those films and didn't make the final cut.
* "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" music video performed by A-Teens - A short music video of a cover of the popular Elvis Presley song sung by A-Teens.
* Create Your Own Alien Experiment Game - A quiz based video game using your DVD remote.
* DisneyPedia: Hawaii - The Islands of Aloha: Explore the Hawaiian Islands - A featurette which Nani and Lilo explain what Hawaii is and the various islands and information on Molokai, Lana'i, Oahu, Kauai and Maui. Selecting an island showcases a video of the island featuring information on luau's, pineapples and whales in the warm waters, Captain Cook, King Kamehameha and more.
* Hula Lesson - A three minute featurette on how to learn hula.
* Burning Love - Behind the Scenes with Wynonna - Nearly two minutes long, a behind-the-scenes look at Wynonna Judd recording "Burning Love".
* Animating the Hula - A three minute featurette and Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois wanting to get the hula dances correctly in the animation, so they filmed the hula dancers and then their art department using the video to make sure they get the action and timing of the hula dance correctly by viewing the video.
* "Inter-Stitch-ials" Theatrical Trailers - Fun trailers for "Lilo & Stitch" but how Stitch was integrated in commercials utilizing "Beauty & the Beast", "Aladdin", "The Little Mermaid" and "The Lion King".

Disc 2:

* Documentary - Around 2 hours and five minutes long is a documentary from the beginning in 1997 (planning stages) up to the end of premiering at Cannes Film Festival and it's nationwide premiere in 2002. This documentary was great! Many interviews with the producer Clark Spencer, directors/writers Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, Disney Chairman Roy E. Disney, Disney President Tom Schumaker, Executive Vice President Pam Coats, Animating Supervisor Alex Kundershchmidt, Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Giland, the voice talent, crew behind-the-scenes and much more. Years of footage of what took place during the planning stages of "Lilo & Stitch", recording audio, animating, changing scenes because of what transpired in 9/11, marketing including the "Lilo & Stitch" toys, the McDonalds Happy Meals toys and more.
* Documentary Footnotes: Aside from the documentary and deleted/early version scenes, the documentary footnotes includes more bonus footage such as scene that Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois worked on for "Mulan" titled "Mulan's Decision", Walking is Falling: Joe Grant in Conversation with Dean DeBlois, Chris' Pitch Book, Chris' Photo Gallery, Treatise on Stich, Andreas Deja's sketches of Lilo, Fishing with Ric, Ric Slutter Interviews Maurice Noble, Dumbo: The Train Arrives, Chalk Talk: Alex Kupershmidt on Stitch, Chalk Talk: Andreas Deja on Lilo, The Sanders Style book and the Disney "Lilo & Stitch" trailers.
* Deleted Scenes and Early Version Scenes - There were considerable amount of changes during "Lilo & Stitch" from its original treatment to the final cut. The deleted scenes include the airplane through the city scene which was scrapped due to the events that happened on 9/11 and thus the crew changing the chase scene to two space crafts in air. The following deleted scenes are featured: Stitch's Trail, Gantu's Challenge, The Untimely Death of Pudge the Fish, Bedtime Story, The 747 Sequence and three early version scenes: Model Citizen- Mayhem on the Beach, Jumba Attacks and The 747 Sequence with Stitch's Gang.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Lilo and Stitch" was a wonderful animated film and who can't deny the cuteness and the wit of the latest duo from Disney, Hawaiian girl Lilo and her little alien pet Stitch. These two characters are so unlike any Disney characters with Lilo who comes from literally a broken home, her older sister Nani trying to make ends meet as the guardian of Lilo after the death of their parents and just to watch how their life has been personally affected. Stitch is unlike any Disney character that we have seen. He is quite mischievous and eats his snot, how crazy is that?

The character of Lilo is full of vitality but because her parents are deceased and having to stay at home while her sister works and the family not exactly having a lot of money, she wants to fit in with the other girls but it just doesn't happen that easily.

And the relationship between Lilo & Stitch was just enjoyable to watch. Stitch brings joy into her life despite being a bit troublesome, but Lilo is somewhat similar and thus starts to grow up now that she has the responsibility of taking care of her pet. As for Stitch, being raised to be this weapon of destruction, he learns from Lilo that being part of a family is very important and like the story of "Ugly Duckling", Lilo embraces him with open arms and he learns how relationships mean to him. Love rather than destruction.

Combined with a beautiful, colorful and lush setting of Hawaii, the art and animation department did a great job capturing Hawaii all the way up to the movements of the hulu dancing. Overall, this film was just fun to watch and it's also great to watch this film again and watching a Disney animated film that were hand drawn using CGI but a film not entirely 3D which many of the animated Disney films are of late.

When "Lilo & Stitch" was released into theaters, I have to admit that I was very happy because America would get a second animated film from Disney that would feature a lead and supporting character that is Asian. "Mulan" was fun but it was a period film taking place during the Chinese Dynasty, "Lilo & Stich" on the other hand, this is an entirely different animated film with it's own style thanks to the characters and the overall setting. This is just an enjoyably fun and entertaining film.

The documentary included on disc 2 was just amazing to watch because you literally see how directors/writers Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois really gave their all for this film. It's rare to catch these lengthy documentaries in a Walt Disney DVD release and I don't think I have ever watched a documentary over 2 hours long in a DVD or Blu-ray release for an animated film. But nevertheless, really good insight on the creative process and those who want to get involved in the animated film industry will definitely enjoy this documentary and what they can learn from it.

As for the release of the "2-Disc Big Wave Edition", it's literally the cherry on top of the cake. I was just amazed by the sheer amount of special features included. Disc 1 is pretty much packed with bonus features but to know there was more footage ala the documentary and deleted scenes on disc 2, I was impressed. Disney definitely went all out for this release.

It's quite interesting how this 2-Disc DVD release was announced back in 2003 but finally made its way to DVD seven years later and with that being said, this is one of those films that you can only hope that Disney releases on Blu-ray because if this animated film looks and sounds good on DVD, I can imagine how awesome it would look in high definition.

All in all, there really is nothing negative I can say about this "Lilo & Stitch: 2-Disc Big Wave Edition" release. It's an awesome film in which Disney went all out in making sure fans get the ultimate DVD release and this release doesn't disappoint at all. The only thing that can be better is a high definition release but for now, this DVD release definitely gets an A+.

"Lilo & Stitch: 2-Disc Big Wave Edition" is highly recommended!

There have been some fine Disney animated features over the years, but this is the one that I watch over and over again. For my money, this stands head and shoulders above the rest of the animated movies I've seen (and I try to see them all).

ANIMATION - A+: In the opening scene of the hula dancers, observe the reflections of the dancers on the wood floor. Wow!

PRODUCTION VALUES - A+: The movie is visually stunning. The backgrounds look like watercolor paintings and are extremely colorful. The backgrounds completely capture the look, colors, and flavor of living in a small town in Hawaii.

CHARACTER DESIGN - A+: The directors took great pains to design the look of the characters. Unlike most Disney women characters, the older sister has some meat on her bones and looks athletic, not anemic. Hallelujah! A more realistic approach to portraying women.

Lilo reminds me so much of my Hawaiian nieces in the way she moves and speaks! And the feistiness of her! Some people have said she does not present a good role model for children! I would say that she is a much more realistic child than usually shown in movies. I LOVE her spunk and strong personality!

My heart was completely captured by Stitch! What a roly poly, cute character he is. Chris Sanders, the director, provided the temporary voice of Stitch, but did such a great job that they kept his voice in the final movie. I can't imagine Stitch sounding any other way.

MUSIC = A+: Wow! The choral music sung by Hawaiian children is wonderfully moving! And of course, the King (Elvis)! Very appropriate as he was extremely popular in Hawaii.

TARGET AUDIENCE = B: The movie is SO entertaining for adults that I rather wonder if it isn't more enjoyable for adults than kids. I know that my three-year old niece wouldn't watch it because she thought the beginning was too "scary." Whereas, I've watched it maybe 5 or 6 times and laughed each time at the Elvis jokes and some of the other jokes that I think might go over the heads of children.

And just between you and me (nobody else is reading this, right?), there are a few moments when Stitch reads the story of the Ugly Duckling, realizing that he too is separated from any family, and when he prepares to leave Lilo that always make me cry. How a little furry animated character can show dignity and nobility I don't know, but he does.

I find the movie a delight visually, musically, emotionally, and it makes me laugh!

DVD EXTRAS = A+: I thought the extras on the DVD were quite nice. A great documentary on how the animators "got" the hula by attending a hula school, and a nice piece on the main animators and on the children's choir that sang the Hawaiian-style choral music in the film. Also lots of information on the Hawaiian islands.

First of all, please forgive me for going on in this review like I'm writing a college essay - the film is light and fun, and I don't want you to get the impression that it is anything less. I just want to answer the charge that no thought has gone into the issues covered in the film, or that the film indulges in meanness for the sake of a cheap laugh. This is not an attack on the reviewer that made the review I disagree with, but an explanation of why I disagree with the reviewer's points. I've never answered a review directly before, but I liked this film, and feel that the review by "storyboarder" elsewhere on this review page (who no doubt makes points that others agree with) was a little unfair, and that maybe the reviewer and others aren't reading between the lines as well as they should if they're truly choosing to hold this film to its apparent themes as rigorously as they claim.

The film did indeed take on a weighty subject as the reviewer says, but I don't agree it was handled lightly - grief is implied, not ignored. We don't need to be shown in a Disney film how people react to grief, and to expect Disney to explain the concept of the death of a parent to children is unfair... Disney is in the business of giving us and our children entertainment. Penny in "The Rescuers" was an orphan, but I don't remember anyone expecting a detailed study of how being an orphan affected her present or future life!

The true theme of the story is, in my view, isolation and loneliness, feelings probably experienced and understood by many children at some point in their lives. Stitch was supplied as a different perspective to the same pain - where Lilo and Nani have lost their family, Stitch never had one. Bringing Lilo and Stitch together combines two characters who are natural companions because they both understand what it is to be lonely and isolated, and almost by definition only have each other as true companions, even if they don't realise it.

The film is light in places - it couldn't be "sad" all the way through otherwise it would grind on and on, either sending children to sleep or into tears. The characters relieve the tension with plenty of fun moments, such as training Stitch to be more like Elvis, or "frolicking on the beach". Who cares where the little Elvis costume came from! I've seen kids on television impersonating Elvis... maybe Lilo bought it from the same place as they did! The fun and companionship in the surfing scene is also a necessary element for Stitch to witness, not just an excuse for a surfing scene, as it shows him what he is rejecting when he fights Lilo's attempts to make him part of her family.

As for meanness in the story or jokes in the film being mean-spirited - well, part of the theme of the film is the redemption of Stitch, just as it is for Ebeneezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol", a character who is similarly mean-spirited, and also a parody of himself. As with Scrooge, Stitch's redemption would have no value if he weren't really bad to begin with! The greater the bad, the greater the value of the change to good at the end, and also the greater the goodness of the good characters for putting up with and persisting with the bad one!

"Lilo and Stitch" is one of the best animated films I've seen in many a long year. It isn't out to force-feed anyone's view of family morality, but is instead a true-to-modern-life story that many, many children will identify with, and also a nice redemption story in it's own right... if it has a fault, it's that the Disney mould for running time is too short for such an original and therefore valuable story, and perhaps it also ends a little too suddenly at the end, as if a better idea for an ending was abandoned at the last minute in favour of a more compact ending.

Chris Sanders, the voice of Stitch, is the person who came up with the idea of the story, did the original design drawings, contributed to the writing of the story, and also co-directed it along with Dean DeBlois. It is my hope that here is another great like Don Bluth in the making (and perhaps a Gary Goldman in Dean DeBlois). I will be watching out for their names in the future.

Well done Disney... I'm only sorry I wasn't able to see this film when I was 8, and had it to enjoy as a childhood memory throughout my life. I'll bet it's a while before we see the like of this film from Disney again. "Lilo and Stitch"'s unexpected popularity will probably cause it to be seen as a 'winning formula', and see it milked for all its worth, but I hope this first film of any future series manages to stay looking as fresh and original as it is now forever!

Get this DVD and watch it, twice. It's worth it. The story is charming, emotional, and real to life. People find that they can change, that they have a place in life, even if it's not the same place as everyone else.

It's real Hawaii, the wonderful, traditional, somewhat anti-tourist place that I remember.

It's scientific fantasy without the endless laser blasts, a family story without the so-called "traditional" family, a love story that includes arguing... In short, it mirrors the lives we lead, but the mirror is forgiving.

Quite a lot for an animation!

And of course, it's full of the King of Rock and Roll, and that ain't bad.

You will read some review here that pan the movie because it features a less than idyllic family scene. My response is, thank goodness! I want the audience to raise it's hands if they've never EVER argued with a sibling...Good, no hands.

Great movie. A keeper.

I saw "Lilo & Stitch" in the theatre a week or so after it was released. Initial marketing from Disney didn't inspire me to want to see it much -- to be honest, it looked like the invasion of "cute Disney sidekick run amok," and the "cute sidekick critter" getting his own movie didn't appeal to me. The addition, the commercial's exclamation of "cowabunga!" really turned me off. But then, fortunately, I caught a "making of" short with Chris Sanders. I decided I did want to see it... and before it left the theatres, I'd managed to drag all my friends to see it with me, too, and recommended it across web boards and email lists across the net. I saw it seven times in the theatre and pre-ordered the disc as soon as it was available.

The movie itself; well, if you've read the other reviews here, you know the story. A little alien, who is an illegal genetic experiment by an "evil genius," escapes his captors (who have sentenced him to life on a prison asteroid) and crash-lands on one of the islands of Hawai'i. There he masquerades as a dog so as to use the little girl who adopts him, Lilo, as a shield to prevent his re-capture. What he didn't expect -- despite having the brains to "think faster than super computer" -- was that he would come to love his little shield, and want not only to love and protect her from his alien pursuers, but also to be a part of her little family; for Lilo is an orphan, and is as exiled and lonely as he himself is.

That Stitch is a mean and nasty creature is a given; his creator, Jumba Jukiba, says right from the start that his "Experiment 626" was created as a weapon of mass destruction, an unstoppable machine with no other purpose than to destroy. But Lilo, who herself is not your run-of-the-mill individual (she studies "Practical Voodoo" to punish her "friends," who tease her and exclude her from their play; she feeds a peanut butter sandwich to a fish named "Pudge" once a week because he controls the weather; she made her own doll and because the head is too big, she pretends bugs laid eggs in the doll's ears), knows that her "puppy" is the right one from her. She tells him right away, "You ruin everything you touch. Why don't you make something?"

Disney doesn't lay it on too thick with this story, and I suspect that is the masterful hand of Chris Sanders in all aspects of its creation. It's irreverent, but not annoying; it's sweet but not cloying; it's hilarious and silly, but never stupid. That this alien who was "never given a higher purpose" finds one "all on his own" is the true moral of the story. That family is where you find it, and that love is greater than anything, is obvious without being driven home with a hammer.

Lilo is an Elvis fan, so most of the music used in the movie are great Elvis classics -- "Devil In Disguise," "Stuck On You," "Hound Dog," and "Heartbreak Hotel." My only complaint was using a new recording (by country/blues artist Wynonna) of "Burning Love" over the final "year in the life of Stitch & Family" montage instead of Elvis' magnificent recording, but I guess they wanted a few more original cuts (there is also a cover of "Can't Help Falling In Love" over the credits, as well as two brand-new songs) in addition to the nearly all-Elvis soundtrack... but at least Wynonna kicks it into high gear with her cover, and it's growing on me. "Lilo & Stitch" is not a musical -- all the music is made to enhance the story only, used only as background.

The DVD is an overall great buy, as well; containing not only this marvelous film but also a great collection of extras -- lessons in how to do the hula, a study of the islands of Hawai'i, behind-the-scenes with the magnificent Chris Sanders and Dean Deblois, scenes of the vocal recordings with the actors (something that has become my favorite extra on ANY Disney DVD), story and animation development, music videos, and more.

Perhaps I came to love this movie because I've always been a fan of so many of its elements -- animation, Elvis, science fiction -- or maybe it's because I was the sort of child Lilo was -- fanciful, lonely, and excluded -- or perhaps it's all those things and more. "Lilo & Stitch" is a gentle, quiet, timeless little movie (note that Lilo listens to vinyl RECORDS, not to CDs, and there's not a computer in their house), as sweet as it is funny. Disney needs to remember the times when their movies were more about people and problems than hype and selling merchandise (although for the first time since "The Lion King" I went out looking for that merchandise... and found precious little). Or maybe it's just because it's nice to go to a movie (or rent one, or buy one) and just hear good dialogue telling a good story for a change, and not just special effects and "wow isn't this technologically advanced" CG animation. It's just a good story, and it's so nice to see.

When I saw this movie advertised as being "PG" rated, I couldn't understand why an animated film would labor under such a restriction. On the other hand, considering that almost every Disney animation has its scary bits (think the Wicked Witch in the studio's very first full-length animated feature, "Snow White"), maybe it's overdue.

Stitch (so named by Lilo, the six-year-old Hawaiian girl who buys him from the State pound under the misapprehension that he's a dog) is really Experiment 626--an intelligent, all-but-invulnerable, six-limbed, blue-furred, keen-eared, grotesque-yet-loveable genetic construct designed as a living war machine (his creator, alien scientist Jumba Jookiba, says he will be inevitably "attracted to large cities"). Condemned to a prison asteroid by the Galactic Council, he escapes in a stolen police boat and ends up on Earth, hotly pursued by Jumba (paroled for the purpose) and a Council observer, the monocular Pleakley. Here he becomes a member of the "ohana" (family in Hawaiian) of Lilo and her big sister/guardian Nani, who are struggling to stay together despite interference from Social Services, while Lilo uses fantasy and acting-out to cope with the apparently very recent accidental death of their parents. Unable to leave the sisters' little island (his molecular structure is too dense to cope with water), and therefore thwarted in his need to find a "large city," he eventually bonds with Lilo (a touching scene occurs in her bedroom when she tells him about her parents and asks if he too has lost loved ones--"I hear you crying in your sleep," she says), and after a couple of hilariously failed attempts to be a "model citizen" on the order of Lilo's hero, Elvis, he redeems himself by rescuing her after his nemesis, Captain Gantu of the Galactic Space Navy (who resembles a giant whale on two legs), more or less inadvertantly kidnaps her. A delightful montage of "photographs" under the closing credits suggests that he and the sisters, with Nani's would-be boyfriend David, social worker and ex-CIA agent Cobra Bubbles, and the two exiled aliens, eventually form an "ohana," with holiday celebrations together, picnics on the beach, and even a trip to the Mainland to visit Graceland.

Some of the aliens, like Jumba and Gantu, may scare the youngest kids, but probably not if they've already seen and enjoyed "Shrek" or "Monsters Inc." (Others are small and cuddly, resembling beloved stuffed animals.) One very positive alien is Madame President of the Council: though not human or conventionally female in appearance, she's referred to as "she" from the beginning, and may remind adult viewers of certain teachers from their past--strict, yet just. The sequence in which David and the girls introduce Stitch to the joys of surfing is particularly well done, and the pursuit of Gantu in his small spaceboat by Nani, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley in a bigger one, is full of thrills and thunderous background music. There are plentiful humorous bits, like Jumba and Pleakley's attempts to blend into the background and the denouement of Bubbles's past. I would personally have preferred more Hawaiian and original music in the score and less Elvis, but that's a personal quirk.

I was very happy with Lilo and Stitch! It's about time that Disney got more realistic with their characters. While Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Mary Poppins may be 'masterpieces', this movie shows a more realistic view of some families. Not all families are peaches and cream. Lilo and her sister, Nani, are from a broken home, and while people may say that the scenes with the two of them are 'scary'... it does remind people that there are real relationships like this. In fact, my family was much the same way. This movie is much more realistic when dealing with families.

Also, the character is more realistic, too. Not everyone is 'stick thin' like all the characters in older movies. Nani is one of the first Disney characters that actually has HIPS! I applaud Disney on their more realistic view of not only the charachter design and their animation, but in portraying the broken home that actually does have a happy ending. That hits closer to home for me than any 'fairy tale' story with completely perfect families and naturally thin characters.

Lilo and Stitch, in my mind, is a MASTERPIECE! =)

Lilo and Stitch doesn't quite have that "Disney magic" which is found in Sleeping Beauty, Mary Poppins, and such, but it is nonetheless a very good family movie.

Lilo is a lonely girl who is from a broken home (the parents are dead and the older sister tries to keep the two together). She is a social outcast who takes solace in her apparently antique collection of Elvis LPs. Her characterization is the most interesting in the whole film; a small child who has distinctly adult attitudes. She adopts a dog, which is really a funky space creature and an outcast in his own right. Stitch is a drooling, snarling genetic mutant that learns from Lilo, the value of himself and the importance of family.

The story line moves away from the standard fairy tale fare that is the cornerstone of Disney films, and follows a dysfunctional family for a change. Indeed, Disney marketing blatantly represented Stitch as the black sheep of the animation family. The Ugly Duckling and the importance of family ("no one is left behind") are the core themes of the movie, and it does an acceptable job of turning these elements into a happy ending.

The animation is unique in that the figures are roundish, in sort of a Pillsbury Doughboy fashion, and the direct opposite of what Disney did with Hercules. This non-threatening approach to animation helps offset some action scenes that may be scary for younger children. Nevertheless, this is good entertainment for the family, and a must for anyone who wants to see an animated space alien wear an Elvis jumpsuit.

Let's face it: most of us think of hand-painted, high quality animation when we think of Disney. Not CGI (this is not a knock on Pixar. They do great work. I'm talking about the Mouse here).

The last few efforts; "The Emporer's New Groove", "Tarzan" and "Atlantis" were not Disney's best, despite the reciepts.
I don't know why, nor do I claim to know enough to speculate.
That's why "Lilo & Stich" was such a happy surprise.

A Hawaiian girl and her sister, struggling within the states Social Services to stay together despite many pitfalls (they lost thier parents in a car accident), end up involved with an escaped experiment from a distant galaxy. This creature was designed to have no guilt or remorse while rampaging. However, when it was supposed to be sent into exile on a deserted planet it escapes to Earth, a planet considered a Wildlife Preserve for skeeters by the galactic community. Along the way, it learns the concept of family and belonging.

This could have been a bad movie. It WAS in production limbo for quite a while. However, someone saw the film for it's originality and cut it loose. With minimal promotion, it went on to become a huge winner for Disney.

Never too slow, never too preachy and having enough humor for adults to appreciate without being gross, this is indeed a family film.

Buy it. You never know when they'll make a good one again.

Lilo and stitch is one of the most charming and lovable disney films ever and this single disc edition dvd is not bad either. With great picture, excellent sound and fairly decent amount of extras...few may have expected another dvd release but that's true. Disney had plans of releasing a very special 2disc masterpiece edition of lilo and stitch in 2005 but for some strange reasons it was delayed repeatedly and will be hitting the stores early next year.

This special edition will include complete making of the film with running time over two hours, covering each and every part of the movie. There will be lots of interviews from the animators and directors, concept art, rough animation and other stuff too. And that's just not all. Other than this long documentary, there will be a commentary track from the directors, never before seen deleted scenes, art galleries...and lots more. It will also contain all the bonus materials from this single disc release.

With a full making-of documentary and other impressive bonus features, this lilo and stitch 2disc masterpiece edition dvd is said to be the best disney dvd release ever.

If you feel a little too restless with not even its release date out yet, here's some good news. This 2disc edition has already been released in Italy and UK (region 2) and is available from amazon.co.uk at a fairly reasonable price.

If you dont already own lilo and stitch on dvd but are planning to do so, get it from amazon UK or wait till this masterpiece edition comes out. Well, it will be worth all the wait and money spent.