Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch

The kiddies will be delighted, of course, with Stitch's continuing "bad" behavior--turns out the little monster's genetic engineering was never quite completed, and now he's running a little haywire in ways that today's Ritalin-dosed children can only fantasize about. Lilo, meanwhile, is forced to learn how to overcome her perfectly natural instinct to beat up her mortal enemy, the snotty little brat in her hula dance class who desperately deserves it. However, adult fans of the original Disney feature film--a warm and wise story of love and family, boasting gorgeous animation, and a wealth of Elvis tunes woven smartly into the tale--will find nothing here to engage their enthusiasm, despite the fantastic talents of the returning voice cast, including David Ogden Stiers and Kevin McDonald (from Kids in the Hall). Lilo & Stitch 2 feels cheap and slapped together (and some grownups might even be a tad disturbed by the story's tacit embrace of artificial docility in children, or at least in little blue alien monsters). Optional. [Note: DVD extras include a bonus short called “The Origin of Stitch” (5 min.), the music video “Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride” performed by Jump5, a “Where’s Pleakley?” set-top game, a “Jumba’s Experiment Profiler” featurette and mini-game, and trailers. Bottom line: a strictly kid-friendly extras package for a strictly kid-friendly film.] (M. Johanson)[Blu-ray Review—July 2, 2013—Walt Disney, 3 discs, 153 min., PG, $29.99—Making their first appearance on Blu-ray, 2002's Lilo & Stitch and 2005's Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch both feature fine transfers and DTS-HD 5.1 soundtracks. The Blu-ray contains both feature films with no special features, while the bonus DVD copies included carry over extras from previous releases. The DVD for Lilo & Stitch features audio commentary by writers/directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, a hula lesson (4 min.), “A Stitch in Time” (3 min.), “Animating the Hula” (3 min.), “Burning Love: Behind the Scenes with Wynonna” on the soundtrack song (2 min.), the interactive “DisneyPedia: Hawaii—The Islands of Aloha,” the music videos “I Can't Help Falling in Love with You” by A-Teens, and “Your ‘Ohana” featuring the Hawaiian Chorus, the “Create Your Own Alien Experiment” game, and trailers. The DVD for Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch includes a bonus short called “The Origin of Stitch” (5 min.), the music video “Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride” by Jump5, a “Where's Pleakley?” set-top game, a “Jumba's Experiment Profiler” featurette and mini-game, and trailers. Bottom line: a welcome, bargain-priced Blu-ray debut for Lilo & Stitch and its sequel.]