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Stitch! The Movie

Stitch! The Movie

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

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Preview for the TV Show
Review: We highly anticipated this "movie's" arrival and lucked out when our local video store put it on the shelf a week earlier than they were supposed to. We ran home and threw it in the DVD player. The movie is cute and the story is good, even though it is only about an hour long. Remember that Stitch is experiment 626? Well now we get to meet 625 and 624. At the end of the movie the other 623 experiments have all been released and Lilo and Stitch must find them...hence the storyline for the new Disney TV series. Another bad thing was that there was only 1 Elvis song. Buy this movie if you are a Disney fan. If you have little ones, be prepared to throw in the original movie since this one is too short.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Would have given it less
Review: Although this one of my kids' favorite movies to watch, for the time being at least, I found it to be nothing but a commercial for the cartoon series on Disney. The animation is not up to the standards in the movie, the music lacks spark, and the story line is transparent and trite. I feel taken for the $$ I spent on it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Solid Sequel....Obvious Marketing Tool
Review: "Stitch!" is a decent sequel considering it was direct-to-DVD. Most Disney sequels that garner that title are lifeless, but this movie does have an interesting story that does hold your attention for the short amount of time it takes to watch. My 2 year old likes this movie, but even she rathers to watch the original.

In typical Disney fashion, this is a blatant infomercial for the Disney Channel series "Lilo & Stitch." I have yet to watch the series, but if this movie is any indication, I'm afraid the story will run its course rather quickly.

If you have little ones, this movie is a reasonable investment. If you're one of those people who buys Disney movies because that's just your thing, skip this one.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not Really A Sequel; Just A Launch
Review: I think it would first have to be stated that it would be unfair to compare this film with the orginal 'Lilo & Stitch' masterpiece, because that's simply not what it was meant to be.

Most noticably, the animation has been altered to a lower level, and the storyline is less dramatic than in the original. On the good side, the original voice-cast is still present...although many of the sound effects (especially Stitch's alien-talk) are simply ones taken from the original movie.

As I was saying, comparing this movie to the first is pretty much unacceptable, because what Disney has released as it's "sequel" to 'Lilo & Stitch' is basically just a kick-off for the televised 'Lilo & Stitch: The Series', that started airing shortly after the film's release.

To count this movie as an actual part of 'The Series' is probably more understandable than it may seem.
First of all, in the creation of an actual feature-length, animated movie ('Lilo & Stitch'), there is tremendous work and effort put into quality and perfection, which takes much time to complete.

Obviously, the animators of 'The Series' will not be able to use watercolor backgrounds and Chris Sanders' original artwork for a whole series of 30-minute shows, and that's what they tried to prepare us for in 'Stitch!'. It simply wouldn't be beneficial (but it would be possible) to present cinematic-level qualities to children on Satuday morning. They'd certainly be giving much more than they would be receiving in return.

The movie is left off with an open ending, which would immedietly transfer into the exploits and scenarios shown in 'The Series'. Children will appreciate it, mainly because the original 'Lilo & Stitch' was so popular and lovable; because they'll already be anticipating see it ('The Series') every week at home. They'll appreciate it, even though they'll surely notice the difference in animation...but children who have built themselves an icon out of Stitch won't care as long as they hear his voice.

I wouldn't reccomend this movie over too many others, but it's worth a look if you're a 'Lilo & Stitch' fan; rent it and take a look.
I bought it just to say I own it, and the more I watch it, the more I ignore the flaws and focus on what's good about it...but you'll have to figure that out for yourself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nice TV show lead in
Review: Much like the Buzz Lightyear animated movie this is really a foundation for the new TV series coming this fall. It is definitely worth viewing and even buying. We rented it this weekend and my three year old son watched it a total of 4 times in 2 days. I'm ordering it today as it is worthy of purchase. It is fun, has most, if not all, of the original voice actors from the Lilo & Stitch movie, and has a great replay value with kids. The animation quality is not as good as a theatre release animation, but direct to video never is. The bonus features on the DVD definitely are good - trivia and misc games. Our house is looking forward to the new series.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disney's most creative marketing scheme
Review: Disney has lowered the bar and sadly ruined a new classic Disney movie for me. Lilo & Stitch was one of the most witty and cleverly entertaining movies Disney has produced in many years. It is sad to see it followed by Stitch! The Movie. I am calling this DVD Disney's most creative marketing scheme for several reasons. Disney recycles the plot, and may as well have spliced in clips from the original in several places, but you would have noticed the distinct difference in quality, so maybe they just settled for the audio. We get to hear the Kennel "Hi" sequence and watch Lilo's "friends" running off screaming again, despite the appearance of this situation being resolved in the original. The good thing about this movie is that kids don't care about plot repetition or poor animation. So both of our children were amused by this rendition of the Stitch adventure. The DVD includes an insert that introduces us to a few dozen of Dr. Jumba's purported 625 other experiments. Sadly, the movie only includes 2. Look at the cover, what you see is what you get. The entire movie can be summed up by this snippet from *inside* the DVD. "Find more experiments! Watch Disney Channel every day and ABC Kids on Saturday!" The Lilo and Stitch DVD had a clever trivia game that built some of these new experiments when all the questions were answered correctly. It also showed a brief preview for the next Stitch movie. Then the new movie was marketed with the line "Stitch was experiment 626...meet the other 625" right on the cover. Well, in this they lied. You buy Stitch! The Movie so you can get slightly warmed up for Stitch! The Series. Yep, a nice little ad campaign. And it worked, my daughter is already planning to see the experiments that this DVD alluded to in the upcoming series. So congratulations Disney! Your ad campaign worked! However, the disclaimer on the back cover guarantees satisfaction or it can be returned. So I'm off to DisneyVideos.com to take a look at those details and restrictions.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: If you can't compare, they can't disappoint!
Review: When I first discovered that Disney were releasing a sequel to their greatest hit to date, Lilo & Stitch, I couldn't believe it. I remember watching the original film in theatres and have loved it ever since. So obviously I had to go out and buy the sequel as soon as it came out and was I disappointed? Hell no! Strangely not a lot of others agree so but I totally agree with the points that Rezo has made. All Disney sequels that go direct to video don't bother going through the big struggle of being better than the first. Obviously this is no exception, but it's a bloody good effort, and it's undoubtedly unfair to compare this to the original film, which is what I'm not doing.
This film is brilliant. It doesn't have the feel of a sequel when you finish watching it, and technically it is just a way to start off the TV series, but I can very easily enjoy it as both. The qualities of the first film include all the fantastic voice talents returning, which isn't that common for something that goes straight to video, especially with such names like Tia Carrere, Kevin McDonald and Ving Rhames, and the fact that its unique style of comedy that made the first film such a success has been superbly recreated here. Let's now divide its details:
Storyline
Many sequels are poor rehashes with exactly the same storyline as before, films like Jungle Book 2 for example, but this one has a clever story to it. Stitch is experiment 626, and here begins the discovery of his 625 older 'cousins'. The new evil Badguy, Dr. Hamsterviel, who you can't help but feel sorry for in the end, teams up with Gantu, who's just been fired from his job, and kidnaps Jumba for his share of the collection. But Lilo and Stitch won't stop there, because for both of them, ohana still means nobody gets left behind. And because the mention of ohana is a key element in Lilo and Stitch, the sequel spaces the feeling out for both worlds. Whereas the first film explaining the situation of Lilo's family, Stitch! The Movie is more based on Stitch's.
Animation
Because it precedes a TV show, the watercolour backgrounds of the original can't be reused. But for television and straight to video, it's not really that bad. Kids won't care as long as they have the characters they love on the screen, and adults shouldn't care as long as they have the humour of the original's brilliance.
Voices
Apart from Jason Scott Lee, who is replaced by Dee Bradley Baker as David, they all came back and they all do well. The new voice of David does a great performance, and Tia Carrere is still good as Nani. Also the dating interest seems to be getting better between them despite Nani's doubts. David Ogden Stiers and Kevin McDonald as Jumba and Pleakley spare us more wit this time around, as well as Ving Rhames (Cobra) and Kevin Michael Richardson (Gantu) being as stunningly cool as before. As for previous voices, the amazing, should-be-Oscar-nominated, Daveigh Chase is the best of the lot as Lilo for the second film running, with the Grandcouncil Woman's Zoe Caldwell coming a very close second, in front of Gantu, Cobra and Pleakley.
In the department of new voices, Jeff Bennett is hilarious as the fantastic new villian Hamsterviel, and Rob Paulsen fits the part of 625 perfectly.
Humour
A reprisal from the new style of comedy brought along by the first film that has been winningly used to offer no signs of disappointment in this area. There's also a great use of the Peter Gunn theme put in here for extra effect on those who were impressed with all the comedic nostalgia references in the first film.

To finalise, listen to everything I've said, and take some of Rezo's advice, and watch it that way. Chances are you won't nearly be as disappointed as the many others. Think of it as The Matrix Reloaded, it's not as good as number one, but definitely a necessary release as there is now a series and talk of a third film. Sandwich, anyone?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Stitch -- The TV Pilot
Review: Stitch! The Movie is a good movie, although you have to have seen Lilo & Stitch to understand it. It's quite short, and nowhere near as good as the original. I was irritated by the fact that it turned out not to be a real movie, but essentially the pilot for a TV series coming this fall. Still, I'll watch the series, too; this was a 4-star movie.

So, what happens if Stitch's 625 previous experiments are let loose? That's the premise of the TV series, not this movie. Only two new "cousins" appear in this movie--625 and 221--and only 221 has a major role. In the series, Lilo & Stitch will interact with all the other experiments; I wish they could have done a bit more in the movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: If you can't compare, they can't disappoint!
Review: When I first discovered that Disney were releasing a sequel to their greatest hit to date, Lilo & Stitch, I couldn't believe it. I remember watching the original film in theatres and have loved it ever since. So obviously I had to go out and buy the sequel as soon as it came out and was I disappointed? Hell no! Strangely not a lot of others agree so but I totally agree with the points that Rezo has made. All Disney sequels that go direct to video don't bother going through the big struggle of being better than the first. Obviously this is no exception, but it's a bloody good effort, and it's undoubtedly unfair to compare this to the original film, which is what I'm not doing.
This film is brilliant. It doesn't have the feel of a sequel when you finish watching it, and technically it is just a way to start off the TV series, but I can very easily enjoy it as both. The qualities of the first film include all the fantastic voice talents returning, which isn't that common for something that goes straight to video, especially with such names like Tia Carrere, Kevin McDonald and Ving Rhames, and the fact that its unique style of comedy that made the first film such a success has been superbly recreated here. Let's now divide its details:
Storyline
Many sequels are poor rehashes with exactly the same storyline as before, films like Jungle Book 2 for example, but this one has a clever story to it. Stitch is experiment 626, and here begins the discovery of his 625 older 'cousins'. The new evil Badguy, Dr. Hamsterviel, who you can't help but feel sorry for in the end, teams up with Gantu, who's just been fired from his job, and kidnaps Jumba for his share of the collection. But Lilo and Stitch won't stop there, because for both of them, ohana still means nobody gets left behind. And because the mention of ohana is a key element in Lilo and Stitch, the sequel spaces the feeling out for both worlds. Whereas the first film explaining the situation of Lilo's family, Stitch! The Movie is more based on Stitch's.
Animation
Because it precedes a TV show, the watercolour backgrounds of the original can't be reused. But for television and straight to video, it's not really that bad. Kids won't care as long as they have the characters they love on the screen, and adults shouldn't care as long as they have the humour of the original's brilliance.
Voices
Apart from Jason Scott Lee, who is replaced by Dee Bradley Baker as David, they all came back and they all do well. The new voice of David does a great performance, and Tia Carrere is still good as Nani. Also the dating interest seems to be getting better between them despite Nani's doubts. David Ogden Stiers and Kevin McDonald as Jumba and Pleakley spare us more wit this time around, as well as Ving Rhames (Cobra) and Kevin Michael Richardson (Gantu) being as stunningly cool as before. As for previous voices, the amazing, should-be-Oscar-nominated, Daveigh Chase is the best of the lot as Lilo for the second film running, with the Grandcouncil Woman's Zoe Caldwell coming a very close second, in front of Gantu, Cobra and Pleakley.
In the department of new voices, Jeff Bennett is hilarious as the fantastic new villian Hamsterviel, and Rob Paulsen fits the part of 625 perfectly.
Humour
A reprisal from the new style of comedy brought along by the first film that has been winningly used to offer no signs of disappointment in this area. There's also a great use of the Peter Gunn theme put in here for extra effect on those who were impressed with all the comedic nostalgia references in the first film.

To finalise, listen to everything I've said, and take some of Rezo's advice, and watch it that way. Chances are you won't nearly be as disappointed as the many others. Think of it as The Matrix Reloaded, it's not as good as number one, but definitely a necessary release as there is now a series and talk of a third film. Sandwich, anyone?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not Really A Sequel; Just A Launch
Review: I think it would first have to be stated that it would be unfair to compare this film with the orginal 'Lilo & Stitch' masterpiece, because that's simply not what it was meant to be.

Most noticably, the animation has been altered to a lower level, and the storyline is less dramatic than in the original. On the good side, the original voice-cast is still present...although many of the sound effects (especially Stitch's alien-talk) are simply ones taken from the original movie.

As I was saying, comparing this movie to the first is pretty much unacceptable, because what Disney has released as it's "sequel" to 'Lilo & Stitch' is basically just a kick-off for the televised 'Lilo & Stitch: The Series', that started airing shortly after the film's release.

To count this movie as an actual part of 'The Series' is probably more understandable than it may seem.
First of all, in the creation of an actual feature-length, animated movie ('Lilo & Stitch'), there is tremendous work and effort put into quality and perfection, which takes much time to complete.

Obviously, the animators of 'The Series' will not be able to use watercolor backgrounds and Chris Sanders' original artwork for a whole series of 30-minute shows, and that's what they tried to prepare us for in 'Stitch!'. It simply wouldn't be beneficial (but it would be possible) to present cinematic-level qualities to children on Satuday morning. They'd certainly be giving much more than they would be receiving in return.

The movie is left off with an open ending, which would immedietly transfer into the exploits and scenarios shown in 'The Series'. Children will appreciate it, mainly because the original 'Lilo & Stitch' was so popular and lovable; because they'll already be anticipating see it ('The Series') every week at home. They'll appreciate it, even though they'll surely notice the difference in animation...but children who have built themselves an icon out of Stitch won't care as long as they hear his voice.

I wouldn't reccomend this movie over too many others, but it's worth a look if you're a 'Lilo & Stitch' fan; rent it and take a look.
I bought it just to say I own it, and the more I watch it, the more I ignore the flaws and focus on what's good about it...but you'll have to figure that out for yourself.


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