"Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." With those 11 simple words, the world of Disney animation changed forever back in 2002. For the first time, audiences were introduced to a little girl and an alien instead of a prince and princess or a dog, forest animals, etc. When Lilo & Stitch first made its way to theaters, people didn't necessarily know what to make of it. It was set in Hawaii, it had a mischievous extraterrestrial, and a little girl who punched other girls and misbehaved. Stitch has since become a beloved Disney character and is set to become the latest live-action adaptation later this month. In anticipation of the new film, Disney has (FINALLY!) released the original animated movie in 4K.
On the planet Turo, Experiment 626 is set to be exiled on a desert planet after his creator, the evil scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba (David Ogden-Stiers; M*A*S*H*), is convicted of performing illegal experiments. However, Experiment 626 escapes and ends up on Earth, where he is adopted by Lilo (Daveigh Chase; The Ring) and her sister, Nani (Tia Carrere; Wayne's World), who is Lilo's legal guardian after their parents died in a car accident. Unfortunately, Nani is having difficulty controlling Lilo, threatening her guardianship, which is only made worse by their new "dog" that Lilo has named Stitch.
Lilo & Stitch was a gamble for Disney for many reasons. Besides the aforementioned setting and alien, it was also hand-animated in watercolor backgrounds as opposed to gouache, a technique that Disney had primarily been using in the early 2000s. The effect was a more worn, less precise drawing in the same vein as 1941's Dumbo. Not only did it make the process more time-consuming, but it also required the animators to learn this alternate watercolor technique, as they had only learned gouache previously.
This new Dolby Vision presentation has both good and bad points to it. The 2160p resolution offers sharp details, though it reveals some of the inconsistencies of true lines, which stem from the old hand-drawn watercolor technique. However, conversely, the colors are bright and bold with gradient hues that pop off the screen.
Luckily, Disney took the time to convert the audio to Dolby Atmos, which enhances the viewer's enjoyment. From the Elvis-filled soundtrack to the vocal talent, everything sounds sharper than what is on the Blu-ray disc. The Atmos tracks aren't extremely different from the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 found on the Blu-ray, but enough to make the 4K version slightly stronger.
This new release includes the 4K disc, Blu-ray Disc, and a digital code. Unfortunately, the extras have all been transferred over from an earlier release of Lilo & Stitch and are housed on the Blu-ray disc. The extras include Hula Lesson, Animating the Hula, DisneyPedia: Hawai'i - The Islands of Aloha, Audio Commentary, A Stitch in Time: Follow Stitch Through the Disney Years, Inter-Stitch-ials: Theatrical Teaser Trailers, and Music (Burning Love: Behind the Scenes with Wynonna, Can't Help Falling in Love: A*Teens Music Video, and Your 'Ohana' Music Video).
The sweet story behind Lilo & Stitch is one of family - Ohana - and that what constitutes family isn't always blood relatives. However, with the sneaky and destructive Stitch behind many of the problems Nani and Lilo face, not to mention Lilo's behavior, it doesn't fit the mold of other Disney stories, making it a unique entry into the world of Disney animation.
Lilo & Stitch is not only technically beautiful, but also offers a fun and interesting way of telling a story of a "lost" little girl and her "dog".
Grade: A
