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Lilo & Stitch

Lilo & Stitch

List Price: $29.99
Your Price: $26.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Disney meets Elvis
Review: 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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "Ohana means. . . another Disney HIT.
Review: Ohana means Disney Hit
Reviewer: Chris Jarmick from Seattle, WA USA
"Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind" is a line you'll hear several times in this funny, warm, good for the family PG rated Disney film. Lilo and Stitch features some fine voice work from Tia Carrere (Wayne's World), David Ogden Stiers (TV's Mash)), Kevin McDonald (Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy),Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Oceans 11) and Daveigh Chase (voice of Lilo).

It is not a typical Disney animated film however. Lilo and Stitch are two sisters (whose parents have died), trying to avoid the social services agent who might have to take Lilo away from the teenaged Stitch. None of this will upset the small fry very much, but there a few intense emotional scenes that might have a few near tears.

Meanwhile a genetically created monster alien is created on a planet in a galaxy far far away. The Alien 'Stitch' escapes and comes to earth programmed to create lots of malicious mischief. It lands in Hawaii and is befriended by LILO. Aliens soon come to earth looking for the bad STITCH.

The soundtrack consists of Elvis songs, the location is Hawaii, Lilo and her sister are Hawaiin, and not drawn as pencil thin, cover-girl model animated Barbie girls either. They are slightly chunky... nice to see.

STITCH has an edge to him, he's too naughty to be completely loveable.. though he grows on you of course. Think the original Daffy Duck from Warners and you're getting warm.

As an adult, I found the film easy to like, laughing several times, and never feeling I was being dipped in way too much honey
coated maudlin sentimentality.. well through most of it anyway.

Toward the end of the film, the slapstick and cartoonish elements take over and things get a little too silly and unbelievable.. but hey, it's a cartoon geared at kids and it just happens to be so good you'll probably forget that for a lot of it's running time.

DVD IMAGE AND SOUND

Lilo & Stitch is presented in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen. and the print is clear of any noticeable imperfections. The wide variety of bright colors shine. The Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound Mix isn't quite perfect but you can always hear the dialogue loud and clear and various channels are used appropriately for sound
effects and music.

For a one disc Disney DVD there's a lot of extras here:

DisneyPedia -- The Islands of Hawaii: Learn about the six islands of America's tropical paradis as Nani and Lilo explain the history and some fun facts about the
island.

There's a couple of games the kids will like included.

A Stitch in Time: Is a witty ditty about how STITCH has been a part of Disney for a long time and actually was in such films at Snow White and Seven Dwarfs
etc. Silly fun.

Hula Lesson: Learn to dance an authentic Hawaiian hula dance.

There's a couple of brief behind the scenes featurettes that are fluffy but interesting. There's a slightly more indepth On Location with the Directors 20 minute look
at the making of the film as well. It was shot full-frame to be used on Disney's cable channel as a promo for the film--but it's well done. You get a music video
from the A-Teens of course.

Three Deleted Scenes: These include "Stitch's Trial," "Gantu Challenges," and "Bedtime Story." All are presented in rough form
Most are only half completed, consisting of pencil drawings and rough animation.

Theatrical Teaser Trailers: A real treat because STITCH appears inappropriately in them and they're pretty funny. Nice to see Disney folks having fun, even
laughing at themselves a bit.

Bonus Trailers: Eight trailers and promotional spots for different Disney films, DVDs, including an upcoming direct to video "Stitch" movie in the works.

Got kids? This is a DVD well worth getting. Adults will like, kids will love...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: good
Review: The only reason this movie was not given five stars was because i expected a mirical movie from the trailers, but i really liked it. Its worth the buy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the disney ever
Review: i'm not a big disney fan, but i loved lilo and stitch. it portrays and "real" family that maybe not everyone is born into it and they might not always get along, but when it comes down to it give truth to everything a family is all about. this is the first disney that, i think, shows people as they could be in real life not the normal fairy tale people they usually show. if you want a great feel good movie that's fun as well as funny this is the one for you. on top of all this great elvis tunes and incredible animation. i highly reccomend this to everyone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fun Stuff
Review: Lilo & Stitch is incredibly fun and delightful. Set in beautiful Hawaii, it combines a zany, uncontollable little rascal alien that passes for a dog(Stitch) with a cute, funny, little troublemaker girl(Lilo). The DVD is chock-full of tidbits including a cool How to Hula demonstration. This movie has some adult humor and bigger words that kids might not comprehend, but that's what makes it a great movie to buy for both kids and adults. Good stuff.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: suprising
Review: not suprising for disney of course, disney is always great. i put in this movie expecting the expected. light entertainment with some good laughs. this movie was different. i was a little disturbed. lol. i mean its a story about this little ferocious monster that destroys everything he touches. and he's really mean and disgusting and obscene. and this broken home with two sisters. very instable. the little girl is sick, you know? disturbed or something. but it was funny. the director took a different appraoch. i personally liked the social worker, "cobra bubbles" the best. ving rhames supporting the voice. he was great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best original movies from Disney!
Review: Lilo & Stitch is a great movie for all ages. Everyone will fall completely in love with the cute "alien", Stitch and the sweet and innocent little Hawaiian girl, Lilo. It's a movie about family and no matter what, family never gets left behind or forgotten. A charming story with timeless characters. Another great Disney DVD to add to your collection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Timeless Wonder and Delight
Review: 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.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Charming, but flawed.
Review: Lilo & Stitch was Disney's big summer movie for 2002, with very positive buzz the movie went on to become a big hit. Watching this movie i felt that there were two movies in one. The first a very charming and well done tale of two orphaned girls struggling to stay together as a family and the second being a hackneyed tale of an alien trying to find his way in the world and inadvertedly finding a family. Lilo is a quirky and troubled little girl, with a love of Elvis,no friends, a violent temper, and a sister who doesn't understand her. Unfortunatly her sister Nani has a lot more problems to deal with, being thrust with the responsabilty of raising her little sister,being cast in the role of a parent is a very awkward position for Nani. They also have to contend with a social worker, Mr.Bubbles, who genuinely is looking out for Lilos best interests, even if it means placing Lilo in a separate family. The scenes with Lilo and Nani are very touching, especially the part when Lilo tells Nani she lkes her better as a sister than a mother. The second storyline is the part that drags, it involves an alien scientist who creates a genetically engineered creature whos sole purpose is to destroy, the creature (Stitch) escapes and ends up on earth in Hawaii. Stitch pretends to be a dog and is adopted by Lilo, alien bounty hunters are after him and chaos ensues. There is absolutly no chemistry between Lilo and her "dog" , personally i didn't like being force fed Stitchs "cuteness". The movie is gorgeously animated it leaps of the screen and the voice acting is fantastic. I had a big problem with the ending, i considered it to be too "Tarzany" meaning all these odd characters living together and forming a "family". The story shines with the interaction between Lilo and Nani, maybe that is the direction the movie should have taken. "LILO AND NANI" has a nice ring to it. EP

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Disney's best!
Review: Ok let's face it. Disney cartoons as of late have totally lost the heart and appeal that they once had. Other than the Pixar movies, which don't lack heart or appeal at all Disney hasn't really made a good cartoon since the early 90's! It's sad that as of late Disney has been aiming their cartoons towards a more grown up audience and has featured more grown up looking animation that basically is the only thing good about them. Movies like Snow White, Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood, Bambi are all legendary films that rank up there with movies with real actors/actreses in them and have more heart and appeal than some of those movies. The late 80's saw Disney cartoon come out of a slump with the mega hit, The Little Mermaid. It seemed that basically everything that would follow in the next few years would also be a hit, and they were. Beauty and The Beast, The Lion King and Aladdin all had the feel of the old Disney cartoons. They were going to be those classics for the next generations of familes to enjoy. Sadly after those films it seemed like Disney truly ran out of ideas. The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Pochahauntus, and Moulin were all bombs and were the begingings of Disney's downfall. All of those films seemed to be not totally directed for a child audience and for the first time since The Black Calduron (which happens to be one of my fave. Disney films and the most darkest)a cartoon carried a PG rating which was the given to the huge bomb, Moulin. The somewhat savior of Disney would come with the creation of Pixar. Toy Story was a huge hit, which Disney so badly needed. The sequel went onto to become a huge hit as well. When Pixar created A Bug's Life they had competition with a rip off movie called ANTZ. ANTZ went onto bomb and Pixar was still the champ that was until a little movie called Shrek came out and Disney was left baffeled. Not to be outdone Disney fired back with Monster's Inc. which had just as much impact as Toy Story did but sadly it didn't do as well as Shrek but did better than Shrek's follow up, Ice Age (which is pretty good I might add). Two summer's ago Disney took a huge risk with Atlantis. Atlantis looked like no other Disney cartoon and got the PG rating. Disney's risk failed and once again has failed with the newly released, Treasure Planet. Inbetween those releases though the savior of Disney cartoons was release. Lilo and Stitch has the feel of a old beloved Disney classic with a bit of the Pixar films humor. Sadly the movie didn't do as well as expected even with the cutest Disney character, Stitch and to many was another failed attempt to regain old glory but to me it wasn't. This is by far in my opinion the best Disney film of all time. Anytime a film brings tears to my eyes (and i'm a 24 year old guy)there is something special about it. This reminded me in many way of a cartoon version of E.T. or A.I., both of which brought tears to my eyes and in my opinion are two of the best films in movie history. Lilo and Stitch is like nothing else Disney has done before but it still has that classic feel. I saw that someone said they liked this film but wished that they were a little kid. When I was watching this film I did feel like a little kid again and that's something that Disney only does with Pixar films nowadays to me. If you're scared away for some reason to the recent Disney movies for whatever reason please don't miss this film. This film is just as important to the Disney legacy as Snow White, The Little Mermaid and, Beauty And The Beast The Lion King are. It may have not done well in the theater (only the Pixar films do these days)but i'm willing to bet that when you rent or buy this film you will regret not seeing this film in the theater because it's one of those movies you'll remember. I was lucky enough to see E.T. snd Return Of The Jedi in the theater back in the early 80's and both are two of my fave. movies of all time (i've collected Star Wars merch ever since I was little). I'm thankful for seeing those back then but sadly missed out on Lilo and Stitch in the theater and feel that if I did go to see it theatrically that it would give me the same memories like E.T. and Jedi did over some 20 years ago.


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