Lilo and Stitch on DVD
By Jim Bray
Full disclosure: when the theatrical release of Lilo and Stitch
was being advertised, it struck me as a movie I really didnt want to see,
despite a love for classic Disney that extends right up to such modern
masterpieces as Tarzan. Dunno know why I got that impression, really (though
the teasers may have had something to do with it), but there was just something
that rubbed me the wrong way, that transmitted to me the feeling that it would
be some kind of politically correct pap turned out by the liberals at
Disney.
But some people whose opinions I respect saw it and said it was
very good, so I did my best to go into the DVD with as open a mind as possible.
I really wanted to be pleasantly surprised.
Alas, Lilo and Stitch is politically correct in the extreme
(though calling it pap isnt really fair), where the audience is beaten
over the head with the philosophy that family is where you find it or
make it. This may not be a bad message in itself, but the way its
presented here its just to cutesy and predictable to even be believable.
The result is a fairly enjoyable family film, but one that pales in comparison
with Disney's best.
Lilo and Stitch isnt even a great example of Disneys
best animation, with quality that looks almost like one of their made for
TV features that seem to come out every couple of weeks. In fact, I
thought Return to Neverland
featured better animation and a better story than Lilo and Stitch.
Anyway, the tale follows a troubled Hawaiian girl (Lilo, voiced
by Daveigh Chase) and her big sister, who live alone together after their
parents were killed in a car accident (probably by a rampaging SUV). Older
sister Nani (voiced by Tia Carrere) appears old enough to parent (though of
course its hard to judge the age of an animated figure), but she seems to
have a black cloud following her around and it doesnt help that Lilo is a
troubled little hellion with issues of her own.
The Bad Guys are the governments Social Services people,
represented here by the ominous and threatening Mr. Bubbles (Ving Rhames), who
seems more motivated to separate the sisters than helping to find a way to make
their family work. He gives Nani an ultimatum to pull her life together or lose
Lilo.
Meanwhile, theres Stitch, whose real name is Experiment #626
(voiced by co-director Chris Sanders). At the movies opening its
revealed that hes a lean mean destructive machine invented
for just that purpose, and when hes unleashed on an unsuspecting Earth
his inventor and a handler are sent to bring him back.
Theres a lot more to #626 than meets the eye; he can change
his shape somewhat, and this ability leads to him being mistaken for a strange
type of dog. He gets adopted by Nani and Lilo, who names him Stitch and starts
loving him without further ado.
But Stitch is still a destructive creature and the havoc he wreaks
manages to destroy Nanis attempts at finding a job and keeping the family
together.
Everything works out fine at the end, of course, as the
engineered to destroy Stitch discovers love and family and responds
to Lilo's love, changing from chaotic to cuddly (if only it were that
easy!).
As mentioned, Lilo and Stitch is far too saccharine for my
tastes, though I have to admit I rather enjoyed the science fiction aspects and
the scenes on the far off planet. But the writing is ham-handed and the
animation blend of traditional and CG offers nothing more innovative than one
can get from watching Futurama on TV, except that Futurama has the
occasional laugh.
Too bad; there was great potential for an ET the
Extraterrestrial-type story.
The DVD is very good, however. Its THX-Certified, and the
audio and video quality are excellent. The picture is presented in anamorphic
widescreen, 16x9 TV compatible, and its beautiful, with wonderful color
and razor sharp images. The aspect ratio is 1.66:1, and it fills the 16x9 TV
screen fully. This makes me wonder why other 1.66:1 aspect ratio movies
arent released anamorphically; it makes for a far more satisfying viewing
experience than the letterboxed versions that have to be zoomed to
fit 16x9 TVs with a resulting loss of resolution.
Audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 and its very good, though
wed have liked to have heard much more use of the surround channels,
especially since there was plenty of opportunity for good surround effects.
Extras are typically Disney, and that isnt meant as a shot.
The companys product has traditionally been a babysitter of choice for
busy parents out empowering themselves, and this disc is no different, since it
includes stuff aimed specifically at kids as well as moviegoers in general.
First up is a series of deleted scenes, and Burning Love:
Behind the scenes with Wynonna (theres a real Elvis component to
this flick, and thanks to the Dolby Digital technology the King may never have
sounded so good). You also get A Stitch in Time, which has little
Stitch wreaking his personal kind of havoc (obviously before he discovered
theres more to life than destruction) in classic Disney films. Keeping
with the Hawaiian theme, you also get a Mickey Mouse tour of the
islands (sorry, I couldnt resist that joke, but the tours actually
quite interesting), as well as a lesson in the hula and a Young Voices of
Hawaii featurette.
Then theres the Create your own alien
experiment game, which is strictly for the younger ankle biters.
Theres also a video by the A*Teens doing Elvis I Cant
Help Falling In Love With You, The Look of Lilo and Stitch,
animating the hula and On Location with the Directors,
all of which are pretty self-explanatory.
You also get four theatrical teaser trailers for the movie that
put Stitch into a quartet of far better Disney animated classics:
Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little
Mermaid, and The Lion King (the latter teaser displaying a certain
Simba-lism). The cashing in on these legitimate classics may have
been my first warning that there was less to Lilo and Stitch than meets the
eye.
As it stands, Lilo and Stitch is a better DVD than it is a movie,
and its a shame. There was so much potential here; too bad it wasnt
reached.
Lilo and Stitch, from Walt Disney Home Video
85 min. amamorphic widescreen (1.66:1), 16x9 TV compatible, Dolby Digital
5.1 surround
Starring the voices of Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, Jason Scott Lee,
Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Ving Rhames
directed by Dean DeBlois,
Chris Sanders
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