Search - Lilo & Stitch 2-Disc Big Wave Edition on DVD

Barbara B. (stitch0852)
Reviewed on 3/3/2009...

This movie, even though animated, has had great pains taken with it to ensure authenticity of the Hawaiian customs and traditions.

From the instruments played to the performance of the hulas, Disney made a great effort to ensure accuracy.

The movie plot is quite simple, an evil scientist (David Ogden Stiers) creates a life form #626 (#1 - #625 were failures) that is indestructible yet cute and fluffy.

When 626 escapes from the planet and engages the hyperdrive on his stolen ship, he is thrown into Earth's atmosphere were he crashes on the Island of Kauai in Hawaii.

While his home planet tries to regain control, he is mistaken for a dog and adopted by a lonely little girl who has difficulty making friends since her parents were killed. She lives with her older sister and that life is in jeopardy when the social worker (a former CIA agent) threatens to remove Lilo from Nani's care when Nani looses her job.

Add in a boy trying to get Nani's attention, a little Elvis Presley music and you have a wonderful story the entire family can enjoy.

It is also recommended to view the extras, see the choir of Hawaiian children who help provide the soundtrack, how they studied for the drawing of the hula scenes, and many other aspects of making the movie.

Watch the opening credits closely for the fish swimming with his sandwich.

Delightful, easy to watch over and over, come along for the Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride!

4 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

The definitive version of "Lilo & Stitch" to own on DVD. Th

Dennis A. Amith (kndy) | California | 03/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A heartwarming, moving and beautifully animated Walt Disney film get its special DVD treatment in a brand new 2-Disc Big Wave Edition.

In 2002, Walt Disney's 42nd animated feature from the Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida studio would become a commercial success with over $35 million in its first weekend and eventually would make over $273 million worldwide. Since 2002, the animated film has received several direct-to-video film releases and even a cartoon series.

With the original DVD release back in 2002, in 2003 a 2-disc DVD release was announced but was delayed. Fans of the film have waited for the 2-disc version for years and the question many who own the original DVD may be asking, is this 2-disc release worth it?

If you are a big fan of the animated film, then the answer is a resounding...YES!!!

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Lilo & Stitch" is a beautiful, animated film that takes place in Hawaii. So, this animated film definitely showcases a variety of colors of the island and the Hawaiian clothing and lush lands and beautiful beach. Personally, I would love to see a Blu-ray Disc treatment of this film because it's a type of film that would benefit in 1080p. But overall, the picture quality of the DVD is vibrant with colors and the animation had a distinct character designs and overall, beautiful to look at.

The video is presented with an aspect ratio of (1:66:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 televisions.

As for the audio, audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and also includes French and Spanish language tracks. The audio utilizes the rear channels during the action segments and also musically, the music plays a big part in the film. Although not a musical but a dialogue-based film, overall, "Lilo & Stitch" utilizes the speaker channels with the front channel showcasing the dialogue and musical tracks with the rear channels utilizing various background sounds, ambient sounds and also booms and crashes during the action scenes.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

This is where the 2-Disc Big Wave Edition of "Lilo & Stitch" shines. There are tons of special features on disc 1 and a length documentary and deleted/edited scenes in disc 2. Included are:

Disc 1:

* Audio Commentary - Commentary featuring producer Clark Spencer and directors/writers Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. A very informative commentary as Sanders and DeBlois talked about how there were some major changes from the original storyline and the final cut. Discussions of going to Hawaii, meeting with talent like Tia Carrere and how Hawaiian music came to play in the film and also the ending flight chase scenes and how it was changed due to 9/11. A lot of informative tid-bits on the creation of the film. Cool commentary!
* Deleted Scenes - This featurette features how the storyboard artists and artists teaching the viewer how to draw Po and each member of the Furious Five via sketching the characters one-by-one. For example, with Po, the artist would start off with two circles and explain by detail of drawing the rest of the body and features. Each segment varies in time but most are around 6 minutes long. Very informative.
* Your "Ohana" Music Video featuring the Hawaiian Chorus - A two minute music video featuring segments from the film and the Hawaiian Chorus singing "Ohana".
* Lilo & Stitch Island Adventure Games - An adventure game narrated by David and people can play three "Lilo & Stitch" games which include Gecko Race, Hamsterviel's Coconut Shell Game and Hamsterviel's Experiment Match Game.
* A Stitch in Time: Follow Stitch through the Disney Years - This three minute featurette showcases classic Disney films and how Stitch was in those films and how Stitch has shaken things up at Disney by trying to be part of the classic Walt Disney films but unfortunately he wasn't up to par for parts in those films and didn't make the final cut.
* "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" music video performed by A-Teens - A short music video of a cover of the popular Elvis Presley song sung by A-Teens.
* Create Your Own Alien Experiment Game - A quiz based video game using your DVD remote.
* DisneyPedia: Hawaii - The Islands of Aloha: Explore the Hawaiian Islands - A featurette which Nani and Lilo explain what Hawaii is and the various islands and information on Molokai, Lana'i, Oahu, Kauai and Maui. Selecting an island showcases a video of the island featuring information on luau's, pineapples and whales in the warm waters, Captain Cook, King Kamehameha and more.
* Hula Lesson - A three minute featurette on how to learn hula.
* Burning Love - Behind the Scenes with Wynonna - Nearly two minutes long, a behind-the-scenes look at Wynonna Judd recording "Burning Love".
* Animating the Hula - A three minute featurette and Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois wanting to get the hula dances correctly in the animation, so they filmed the hula dancers and then their art department using the video to make sure they get the action and timing of the hula dance correctly by viewing the video.
* "Inter-Stitch-ials" Theatrical Trailers - Fun trailers for "Lilo & Stitch" but how Stitch was integrated in commercials utilizing "Beauty & the Beast", "Aladdin", "The Little Mermaid" and "The Lion King".

Disc 2:

* Documentary - Around 2 hours and five minutes long is a documentary from the beginning in 1997 (planning stages) up to the end of premiering at Cannes Film Festival and it's nationwide premiere in 2002. This documentary was great! Many interviews with the producer Clark Spencer, directors/writers Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, Disney Chairman Roy E. Disney, Disney President Tom Schumaker, Executive Vice President Pam Coats, Animating Supervisor Alex Kundershchmidt, Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Giland, the voice talent, crew behind-the-scenes and much more. Years of footage of what took place during the planning stages of "Lilo & Stitch", recording audio, animating, changing scenes because of what transpired in 9/11, marketing including the "Lilo & Stitch" toys, the McDonalds Happy Meals toys and more.
* Documentary Footnotes: Aside from the documentary and deleted/early version scenes, the documentary footnotes includes more bonus footage such as scene that Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois worked on for "Mulan" titled "Mulan's Decision", Walking is Falling: Joe Grant in Conversation with Dean DeBlois, Chris' Pitch Book, Chris' Photo Gallery, Treatise on Stich, Andreas Deja's sketches of Lilo, Fishing with Ric, Ric Slutter Interviews Maurice Noble, Dumbo: The Train Arrives, Chalk Talk: Alex Kupershmidt on Stitch, Chalk Talk: Andreas Deja on Lilo, The Sanders Style book and the Disney "Lilo & Stitch" trailers.
* Deleted Scenes and Early Version Scenes - There were considerable amount of changes during "Lilo & Stitch" from its original treatment to the final cut. The deleted scenes include the airplane through the city scene which was scrapped due to the events that happened on 9/11 and thus the crew changing the chase scene to two space crafts in air. The following deleted scenes are featured: Stitch's Trail, Gantu's Challenge, The Untimely Death of Pudge the Fish, Bedtime Story, The 747 Sequence and three early version scenes: Model Citizen- Mayhem on the Beach, Jumba Attacks and The 747 Sequence with Stitch's Gang.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Lilo and Stitch" was a wonderful animated film and who can't deny the cuteness and the wit of the latest duo from Disney, Hawaiian girl Lilo and her little alien pet Stitch. These two characters are so unlike any Disney characters with Lilo who comes from literally a broken home, her older sister Nani trying to make ends meet as the guardian of Lilo after the death of their parents and just to watch how their life has been personally affected. Stitch is unlike any Disney character that we have seen. He is quite mischievous and eats his snot, how crazy is that?

The character of Lilo is full of vitality but because her parents are deceased and having to stay at home while her sister works and the family not exactly having a lot of money, she wants to fit in with the other girls but it just doesn't happen that easily.

And the relationship between Lilo & Stitch was just enjoyable to watch. Stitch brings joy into her life despite being a bit troublesome, but Lilo is somewhat similar and thus starts to grow up now that she has the responsibility of taking care of her pet. As for Stitch, being raised to be this weapon of destruction, he learns from Lilo that being part of a family is very important and like the story of "Ugly Duckling", Lilo embraces him with open arms and he learns how relationships mean to him. Love rather than destruction.

Combined with a beautiful, colorful and lush setting of Hawaii, the art and animation department did a great job capturing Hawaii all the way up to the movements of the hulu dancing. Overall, this film was just fun to watch and it's also great to watch this film again and watching a Disney animated film that were hand drawn using CGI but a film not entirely 3D which many of the animated Disney films are of late.

When "Lilo & Stitch" was released into theaters, I have to admit that I was very happy because America would get a second animated film from Disney that would feature a lead and supporting character that is Asian. "Mulan" was fun but it was a period film taking place during the Chinese Dynasty, "Lilo & Stich" on the other hand, this is an entirely different animated film with it's own style thanks to the characters and the overall setting. This is just an enjoyably fun and entertaining film.

The documentary included on disc 2 was just amazing to watch because you literally see how directors/writers Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois really gave their all for this film. It's rare to catch these lengthy documentaries in a Walt Disney DVD release and I don't think I have ever watched a documentary over 2 hours long in a DVD or Blu-ray release for an animated film. But nevertheless, really good insight on the creative process and those who want to get involved in the animated film industry will definitely enjoy this documentary and what they can learn from it.

As for the release of the "2-Disc Big Wave Edition", it's literally the cherry on top of the cake. I was just amazed by the sheer amount of special features included. Disc 1 is pretty much packed with bonus features but to know there was more footage ala the documentary and deleted scenes on disc 2, I was impressed. Disney definitely went all out for this release.

It's quite interesting how this 2-Disc DVD release was announced back in 2003 but finally made its way to DVD seven years later and with that being said, this is one of those films that you can only hope that Disney releases on Blu-ray because if this animated film looks and sounds good on DVD, I can imagine how awesome it would look in high definition.

All in all, there really is nothing negative I can say about this "Lilo & Stitch: 2-Disc Big Wave Edition" release. It's an awesome film in which Disney went all out in making sure fans get the ultimate DVD release and this release doesn't disappoint at all. The only thing that can be better is a high definition release but for now, this DVD release definitely gets an A+.

"Lilo & Stitch: 2-Disc Big Wave Edition" is highly recommended!"

Good movie, but bonus material is a mess

Hombre Divertido | www.maskedmoviesnobs.com | 04/02/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"On March 24th Disney released Lilo & Stitch in a two disc "Big Wave" edition. This eighty-five minute animated film was a huge success when it was released in June of 2002, and is still an interesting and visually exciting film, but this new release appears to be, well, stitched together.

Lilo & Stitch take the ET formula and turns it upside down as the aggressive and nearly indestructible genetic experiment 626 escapes his prison sentence, makes his way to Earth, and is adopted by the also aggressive Lilo, who loves her unusual looking dog. Take the antics of the two main characters, throw in Lilos over extended guardian and older sister Nani, a mysteriously stern man in black social worker named Cobra Bubbles, and an alien comedy team sent to capture Stitch, put them all in the serene Hawaiian islands, and set all the action to some classic Elvis songs, and you have a film that children are sure to enjoy.

The film has some unusually violent tendencies for a Disney film, as Lilo is certainly not the standard Disney youngster. She hits, bites, and talks back, but the film is about growth and change as both characters display a well crafted evolution in who they are and how they relate to their environment and those in it. There are some good messages to be found in this film, though parents may need to break it down for children, as the story is a bit busy.

The vocal talents of Daveigh Chase and Tia Carrere, as Lilo and Nani do a wonderful job of capturing the local dialect, as does Jason Scott Lee as the local boy interested in Nani. Writer and co-director Chris Sanders has fun with the sounds emanating from Stitch, and David Ogden Stiers, Ving Rhames, Kevin McDonald, and Kevin Michael Richardson round out a talented cast of vocal artists who bring great energy to this project.

It is the look and sound of the film that will endear it to adults. The watercolors give this film a look that seems to combine the beauty of classic Disney animation with the technology of today to create images that jump of the screen and settings that draw the viewer in. The imagery is truly some of the best in the Disney vault, and it is hard to go wrong with a sound track full of Elvis songs. The entire soundtrack is worth owning as it contains great rock and roll along with wonderful songs that are sure to transport you to the islands.

It's almost seven years since the film hit the big screen and eventual DVD release, an animated television series would follow the next year, and a straight to DVD sequel in 2005, so it had to be time for a new release. Disney certainly had enough time to put together something really special, so why does the two disc "Big Wave" edition seem so thrown together? From no information as to which pieces of material are on which disc, to repetitive content, games listed as samples that aren't, a ridiculously short hula lesson, and a painfully long documentary, this is a mess.

The reselling of a film on DVD is always about the bonus material, and there is certainly a lot here, but how about putting some effort into the presentation. The second disk is an embarrassment. It loads to an amateurish menu that leads to a documentary which follows the making of the film from inception to premiere, and is exhaustively thorough at over two hours. If that is not enough, the second disk also includes footnotes from the documentary, and deleted scenes and early versions, though both features contain a lot of the same material.

The first disk contains the feature as well some pleasant and educational bonus features including audio commentary featuring producer Clark Spencer and directors/writers Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, DisneyPedia: Hawaii - The Islands of Aloha, and the theatrical trailers that creatively inserted Stitch into classic Disney films such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Aladdin.

Where as the documentary on the second disk was too long, some features on the first disc are far too short. The Hula lesson will disappoint kids as it could have easily been a terrific piece by providing some quality instruction rather than the three minute glance that it is, "Burning Love" is nothing more than watching Wynonna standing in front of a microphone singing the song, and though "A Stitch in Time" is certainly long enough at three minutes, it makes little sense.

Recommendation: If you don't own the wonderfully edgy Lilo & Stitch, than this is a fine way to add it to your collection. If you do already own the DVD, and really want to know more about the film, there is some quality bonus material here, but the presentation certainly could have been better as could some of the content.
"

Superb, loaded new edition -- nobody gets left behind, inclu

Gregory Ehrbar | Orlando, FL | 04/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When LILO & STITCH first premiered on DVD, there was quite a bit of bonus material already, but this new "Big Wave" 2-disc edition really does pay off the package claim that there are more than two hours' worth.

Much of that time is taken up by the feature-length documentary that literally follows the creative team, particularly writer/directors Chris Sanders and Dean Deblois, from initial concepts to a glamorous premiere at Cannes (where, by the way, we get to enjoy a continental breakfast with Chris Sanders as he brings his bakery products to life on the tray).

It also contains the original climactic scene in which Stitch wildly pilots a 747 through the city. This seemed completely out of the realm of reality at the time to the filmmakers, but then 911 happened and it was totally changed. (I was working on the graphic novel version at the time and was sent a new script in order to change it, too.)

Making an animated film is not all sunshine and talking muffins, though. Sanders and Deblois are also seen in the midst of a disagreement, capturing a moment that does not appear to be staged. A lot of what the two explain on the audio commentary is also supplemented with the generous supply of deleted scenes on the discs.

One of the most interesting comments the filmmakers share is that they consulted with someone at Pixar who suggested a very pivotal plot point with the "Ugly Duckling" book. This was before the Disney*Pixar merger but clearly Pixar's influence was felt. In fact, Lilo & Stitch may be one of the most Pixar-like of the Eisner era Disney films because it has a very odd storyline. Perhaps this was because it was made in Florida, 3,000 miles away from day to day "input," just as Pixar remains six hours away.

The only thing that seems to have been shoehorned in the film was the teen pop song at the end, which Sanders and Deblois dart with comic sarcasm in their commentary. The music video of this song, by the A-Teens, are among the few items not repeated on this new edition. Most of them were, in part, added to the documentary feature.

Chris Sanders' presence on the bonus materials is well worth noting. He was let go from Disney after a publicly-known creative stalemate with John Lasseter about AMERICAN DOG, which was reassigned and renamed BOLT and ironically released at the same time as this edition. But it speaks highly of Lasseter's integrity and character as a human being, as well as a person who cares about Disney, that Sanders' important role in Disney history was not obscured or removed because of ego or corporate complication.

It would it be terribly wrong to eliminate the contributions and commentary of anyone who has made a contribution to the Disney organization and history and even more heinous if they were attributed to someone else. Committing such an act would be a disservice to Disney and the people who are part of its heritage, be it past or present. It would be like saying Ward Kimball animated STEAMBOAT WILLIE because Ub Iwerks left the Company. This would reflect poorly on professionalism, ethics and respect for the contributions of Disney people, past and present (remember Walt's quote about people?).

To the immense credit of everyone connected with this edition of LILO AND STITCH, such a tremendous, unconscionable act did not occur in this particular instance. It's a fine new DVD release, which truly delivers a lot of new material and lives up to its claim of "much, much more.""