Back in 2002 when Lilo & Stitch was released in theaters it did something for the animation department of Disney that hadn't been done for a while; it created buzz. The Disney brand had been arguably stagnant for a few years until the blue devil came along and aside from the success of Pixar there was little to be excited about. I too had grown disenchanted with Disney animation (mostly due to the death of the musical numbers) but when I sat down to watch Lilo & Stitch I have to admit that I had a lot of fun.

The film offered just about everything you could ever want from an animated adventure. The artwork was beautiful, the voice actors were perfectly cast, the story was entertaining (stereotypical in execution, but fun none-the-less), and most importantly the project had a certain energy. Stitch was such a maniacal character that you never knew what he was going to do next. He was the anti-Disney hero compared to the likes of Aladdin, Beast, and Simba. The most important thing though was that the characters and film were easily accessible by children and adults alike.

Evidence in support of the success for the film can easily be seen in the form of merchandise and the fact that the original movie has seen a sequel, a TV series, and now two direct to video adventures. The sequel (Stitch has a Glitch) was entertaining though it felt a little frivolous is in the end. Granted that tends to be the case with just about every Disney "sequel" but that particular one was closer to the original material than most others I have seen. Stitch! The Movie was something entirely different since it was basically a springboard for the television show. The newest adventure, Leroy & Stitch is basically the sequel to Stitch! The Movie due to it being an ending for the TV show.

In case you haven't seen the series on the Disney Channel you should know that Jumba's 625 other experiments got loose on Hawaii. It was basically put in the hands of Lilo and Stitch to use their charm, wit and the influence of Elvis to reign them all in and make them good. I know, it's lame, but you're talking about the milking of a license here and marketing that appeals to a very young demographic. In Leroy & Stitch we see something of an end to all of this. All of the experiments have been captured and reassigned and our heroes stand before the Galactic Federation awaiting their reward.

Jumba gets access to his evil genius laboratory, Pleakley gets a non-teaching teaching job at some galactic academy, Lilo becomes an emissary of sorts and Stitch is granted the rank of captain in the fleet and given his own big red battleship. Everyone adores their prize but thanks to the selfishness of a young child they refuse them in order to remain on Earth with her. Eventually Lilo sees the error of her ways and gives up on keeping her friends close to her. Everyone goes their separate ways and everything gets all depressing.

The kinetic energy that was present in the past endeavors gets replaced by a weak attempt to evoke emotion from the kids watching the show. It feels too forced and convenient, especially once the movie keeps going after the fact. In the meantime Gantu launches himself into space in order to release Dr. Hamsterviel from jail and thus to retain his sense of dignity. Things get worse once the two force Jumba to create an army of evil Stitch clones, which Hamsterviel names Leroy. With the villain in place and stage set it's up to Lilo to swoop in and save the day or else the galaxy is doomed.

Yes the plot is cheesy and yes I know it's a children's movie but there's no beating around the bush; this film is bad. Because this could be considered a continuation of the original film there's no other way to describe this project instead of comparing the two. Leroy & Stitch contains none of the energy, charisma, or production quality that the original movie had. Yes the voice actors are all present and accounted for but the material lacks life, enjoyment and creativity. It's depressing seeing what happened to the franchise thanks to over-marketing though to be fair this release is basically an extended episode from the TV show.

I guess that's the only audience this DVD can really claim; kids who loved the series. I wanted to enjoy it and kept telling myself that it was going to get better as it was moving along, but sadly I was let down. The jokes often were often deadpanned or rehashed and the range of emotion felt forced and hollow. The story was uncreative and dull to the point that I just didn't care. It's sad to see where the franchise has gone since 2002 and I have to admit that I find myself hoping this is the end for direct to DVD Stitch releases.

Leroy & Stitch is presented on DVD with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and for the most part looks very good. The print quality is acceptable with no flaws to really complain about aside from some aliasing. The transfer doesn't exactly impress as much as it should though. This is mostly due in part to the animation quality of the project. It's not as fluid or vibrant as past endeavors and it comes across as "cheap" in a way.

The audio is presented here with a 5.1 Dolby Digital track that offers a decent spread of channel separation. For the most part the action takes place on the front soundstage and overall I found the track to be somewhat limiting in its range. Don't get me wrong. Since this was a direct to DVD release and essentially an extended episode of the TV series I was expecting to see a stereo online offering. I'm pleased the 5.1 is included, but it's just not as outstanding as it could (or should) have been.

Considering this release is targeted at fans of the show it's only fitting that a never before seen episode is included on this disc as a bonus feature. The episode was cutesy and mildly entertaining, but since I haven't watched the show I guess I couldn't tell why this particular episode was never shown or so special. Aside from that there is a Big Red Battleship flight simulator game for the kiddies to play around with.

In just about every conceivable way Leroy & Stitch is a let down for fans of the original film. It's sub-par in just about every category across the board. There were a couple of points where it got me to chuckle, but the shallow plot and limited range of the script brought things back to disappointing. This release was made strictly with young fans of the TV show in mind so everyone else can pretty much not waste their time. Rent it if you like the show; skip it if you have never seen it.

Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!