Toon Talk: Lilo & Stitch DVD
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Toon Talk
Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt
Lilo & Stitch
Standard DVD
Hawaiian Delights
The LaughingPlace Store |
Since the release of the standard DVD of Lilo and Stitch, Disney fans have been wondering “is it worth getting this version, or should I wait for the deluxe Collectors Edition?” While we are still waiting for the official confirmation from Disney that a Collectors Edition will even been released (every other day brings up a new rumor), this DVD will sufficiently wet the appetites of the film’s many aficionados.
In fact, aside from a missing audio commentary and concept art gallery, this release could very well stand on its own, if it indeed will be the only DVD for Lilo and Stitch.
Following a preview for the direct to video Stitch movie (that will answer the question as to “what happened to the other 625 experiments”) premiering next summer, viewers are presented with menus that cleverly combine the film’s Hawaiian and extra-terrestrial elements. Watching the film again, in a beautifully done video and audio transfer that retains the film’s gorgeous water color backgrounds and the bright colors and shapes of the characters, one can easily predict that Lilo and Stitch will soon find itself in heavy rotation on the home entertainment systems of fans, both old and new (not to mention young and old) alike. (For added giggles, watch a few scenes with the alternate French or Spanish language tracks … )
And while it is not clear if any of them will make their way to the supposed Collector’s Edition, the Bonus Features on this standard disc offer fun and informative peeks into the creativity and imaginations that brought Lilo and Stitch to life. And, for anyone who gets bogged down in the embarrassment of riches that has often overwhelmingly saddled the Collector’s Editions of previous films, this edition provides a refreshingly digestible, yet still wholly enjoyable, selection of DVD goodies.
So, for those who can’t wait for the infamous Collector’s Edition, or can’t get enough of Stitch and his extended Ohana, this DVD will make a near perfect edition to your Disney video library.
Bonus Features Highlights:
- Lilo and Nani (Daveigh Chase and Tia Carrere) are your guides for a video tour of the Hawaiian Islands in DisneyPedia: Hawaii, including fascinating facts about the history, culture and animal and plant life of their home.
- Help Jumba (David Ogden Stiers) in his creation of a new batch of creatures in the Create Your Own Alien Experiment DVD Game. (I wonder if we’ll be seeing these Pokemon-like characters again in the upcoming Stitch sequel and/or television series …)
- Stiers again narrates A Stitch in Time: Follow Stitch Through the Disney Years, a hysterical revisionist history of how our favorite alien was far from an “overnight sensation”.
- The film’s hula consultant (and lyricist/lead vocalist for the two new songs) Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu leads a Hula Lesson, teaching the basic steps of “the heartbeat of Hawaii”.
- Visit the inspirational recording sessions of the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus, singing the film’s now classic songs “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” and “He Mele No Lilo”, in Young Voices of Hawaii.
- Catch glimpses of Chris Sanders’ ‘pitch book’, his early concept art for Lilo, as well as more examples of his unique, rounded-style in his previous work for such films as The Rescuers Down Under and Mulan, in The Look of ‘Lilo and Stitch’.
- Respect for the traditions of the Islands, attention to detail … and no rotoscoping … was used in successfully Animating the Hula.