Aloha. Disney had another hit with this Hawaiian themed family film concerning an alien who finds his own family on the isle.
Dr. Jumba Jookiba (David Ogden Steirs) has been thrown in to an intergalactic prison for genetic experiments. Experiment 626 (co-director Chris Sanders) had been specifically designed to destroy cities but is now exiled to an asteroid – that is until he escapes to Earth.
Jumba is paired up with Agent Pleakley (Kevin McDonald) to go to Earth and recover the beast. 626 lands in Hawaii, is hit by a car, knocked unconscious, and taken to an animal shelter since he’s mistaken for a dog. Lilo (Daveigh Chase) lives with her older sister Nani Pelekai (Tia Carrere) since both of their parents were killed in a car accident.
They’re in dire straits since social worker Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames) is warning that if Nani can’t care for Lilo that he’ll be forced to take her into foster care. The family is stressed out so Nani says that Lilo can go to the animal shelter and adopt a pet. Of course, she adopts 626 and rechristens him Stitch. Unfortunately, all of Jumba and Pleakley’s attempts to capture Stitch are witnessed by Cobra and misinterpreted enough that he’s going to take Lilo into foster care.
Luckily, Hawaii is lacking in any big cities for Stitch to practice his destruction on so he’s taught to be more civilized by Lilo, but can he keep himself from getting captured and also keep Lilo from being taken from her family.
Lilo & Stitch was another hit from the House of Mouse thanks to a family friendly plot as well as a creative advertising plan. In the ads, the mischievous alien found his way into clips of some classic Disney films, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King.
Happily, these creative trailers are found on this special edition and it was a joy to see them again. These creative trailers put you in the right mood for the film. I know they did me. The vocal cast is a delight and the family plotline also adds to the story, though it’s a bit of a modern take on family as the parents have been killed (adding to those Disney flicks where a parent dies).
The Hawaiian setting is a novel one for a Disney film and adds to some of the great look of the animation. Originally the film was supposed to be set in Kansas, but the isolation of an island is what when off the mainland and it was a great idea.
Throw in some Elvis and you’ve got a nice little family flick featuring a new, infectious Disney character. The new two-disc edition adds in some great special features that will delight Disney fans.
Lilo & Stitch is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.66:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features on disc one include a commentary with directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. You also get two games (Lilo & Stitch Island Adventure Game and Create your Own Alien Experiment) and a DisneyPedia entry on Hawaii (8 minutes).
The amusing “A Stitch in Time” (3 minutes) is biography of Stitch as if he had appearances in other Disney films before promoted to stardom with this film. Next is a “Hula Lesson” (3 minutes) that teaches you to do the iconic dance of the islands. “Burning Love” is a 1 minute behind-the-scenes look at Wynonna Judd recording the end title song. A painful 1 minute Elvis tune “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” is covered by A-Teens.
The 3 minute “Animating the Hula” looks at the care that the animators put into recreating the dance in the film. Finally you get the 4 “Inter-Stitch-ial” trailers (around 1 minute apiece) that I mentioned earlier.
Disc two is the meat for the serious Disney fan as it has a brand 2-hour documentary about Lilo & Stitch, documentary footnotes, and deleted scenes and early versions. Disc one is mainly for the kiddies, but film buffs will be delighted with the contents of disc two.
Lilo & Stitch is another notch in the Disney roster of classic films. This new edition has something for everyone – fluff for the kiddies and an expansive two-hour documentary for the adults. If you’re a fan of the film then this is a must have.
Lilo & Stitch (2-Disc Big Wave Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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