The Movie:

If you're a Disney movie fan then you know all about the straight to video sequels that seem to come out for nearly every film. Previous efforts like Lion King 2, the Aladdin sequels and even the second Beauty and the Beast left a lot to be desired. There's usually a pretty good reason that these movies come out straight to video instead of seeing a theatrical run. They just usually aren't very good.

Recently though Mulan II saw a release and I have to say that it was better than your average Disney follow-up. It may not have been as good as the original, but it's a worthwhile watch if you enjoyed the first one. I hold out hope that perhaps they are improving the quality of their home video releases so with some anticipation it's time to check out Lilo & Stitch 2 .

Since the original Lilo & Stitch came out back in 2002 the character's popularity have risen tenfold. Not only did they get their own TV show but Stitch now has his own ride in Disney World and he appears on store shelves right next to Mickey and Pooh. Even though the movie may not have been the "classic" that Beauty and the Beast or Little Mermaid were, it's a lighthearted romp through Hawaii with a wild cast of characters and a whole lot of Elvis. Much of the same can be said for Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch and the film proves it's not your normal sequel.

The movie takes place a few weeks after Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley were stranded on Earth by the Galactic Federation. Lilo and Nani are adapting to their new ohana (family) and aside from a few frustrations things seem to be going well. Lilo is still learning to hula and her instructor comes up with a project for the class to create their own and to tell a unique story while doing it.

Stitch is still sporadically insane although he's trying to be on his best behavior. Unfortunately before you can say "cute and fluffy", Stitch starts losing control and to say he has a nervous tick is an understatement. His eyes flash neon green and he starts to destroy anything in sight, including friendships. Can Jumba fix him before it's too late and he's lost forever?

Aside from the main focal points of the story there is a subplot that involves David and Nani's relationship losing it's "fizzle". This feels a little out of place and honestly doesn't need to be there other than for a few gags involving it. Another twist in the story that is questionable is the fact that even though Stitch is obviously having problems Jumba and Pleakley sneak around behind Lilo and Nani's backs to find a cure. What's wrong with just telling them?

For a Disney sequel Stitch has a Glitch is very faithful to the original. The story is very entertaining and carries a lot of the same "values" that the first movie had. It helps a lot that most all of the same voice actors have returned. The only difference is that Dakota Fanning portrays Lilo instead of Daveigh Chase this time around. Sanders didn't have his hand in the writing or direction though so the underlying tone of the film feels slightly different.

Instead of doing the whole family thing this time around though the "moral of the story" seems to be the love conquers all. There are quite a few moments are far more sappy than they need to be but overall the tale is not as touching as the original. One scene in particular towards the end is done shamelessly and only for the reason to evoke some emotion out of you. Even so this attempt is still much better than Stitch: the Movie that was released on DVD a while ago that served as a springboard for the TV series.

The production values are blatantly not as high as the first movies' were and the animation isn't as vibrant or fluid. Even so, this is still one of the better looking Disney sequels I've seen in a long time and remains faithful to the material of the first movie. I was half expecting to see the far lower quality in the animation that's used in the TV show but thankfully that's not the case here.

The DVD:

Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch is presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and is just as beautiful as the original's was. I didn't see any grain, dirt or really any flaws in the presentation other than a slight bit of aliasing in some scenes. The colors remain vibrant and even though the animation may not be as standout as the first Lilo & Stitch's was it still looks very good on the DVD. This is easily one of the best looking Disney sequels that I have ever seen.

Rounding out the aesthetic presentation for this DVD are some very good audio selections on hand. Aside from an English 5.1 DTS track there are also Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks for English, French and Spanish. The sound is very crisp with a decent use of channel mixture to offer varying directionality. I didn't notice any muffling or distortion at any time and even though the bulk of the sound comes from the front channel, I was very pleased with the overall experience. There are also some English subtitles supplied if you are interested in using those.

As typical with a Disney DVD release there are a lot of trailers on hand (not 626, but still there're a lot). Chances are though that you're looking for a little more than trailers though and there are a couple of features on the disc that are worth mentioning.

First of all there is a music video for Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride performed by Jump5. If teen bop music is your thing then you'll be pleased, otherwise this feature is a skipper. It just has clips of the kids running along the beach lip-synching the song with some random clips from the movie. Although the film is presented in widescreen this feature is shown with a full-frame ratio.

The jewel of the special features is a bonus short entitled "The Origin of Stitch". In the timeline it appears to be set shortly before the TV show since it has images of some of Jumba's other experiments. Stitch is kicking around a soccer ball and finds his way into the big red space ship only to be subjected to a video about his creation. There are a couple of funny bits in the clip, but the production value for it is significantly lower than that of the movies. Think of it as kind of a promotional five minute trailer and you'll be on the right track.

The other features on the disc are a couple of games for the little ones. The first one is basically a version of Where's Waldo, but instead of searching for the geek in a ski cap, you're looking for the one-eyed Pleakley. The other game is a question and answer in which some of Jumba's experiments are presented to you and you have to pick which one would be best at a certain task.

Final Thoughts:

Fans of the original Lilo & Stitch will definitely want to check out Stitch has a Glitch, especially because it's better than the typical Disney sequel. There is plenty of personality and humor here and Stitch is just as charming as ever. The production values may not be as high because it's a home video release instead of a theatrical, but even so the DVD looks and sounds marvelous. Overall I'm going to recommend this release and even though the story isn't as heartfelt as the original's it's still very entertaining.

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