If you’re a regular reader then you’ll know that Lilo & Stitch is my favourite Disney Animated Classic, and you’ll also know that the franchise’s first direct to DVD sequel, Stitch the Movie was a perfectly ok pilot to the TV series, but lacked a lot of what makes the original film so endearing. So, it fills me with great joy to say that DisneyToon Studio’s didn’t mess up a full-blown sequel to the original film, making Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has A Glitch one of the studio’s best films and one of the best Disney Animated Sequels.
The local May Day festival is just around the corner and Lilo (Dakota Fanning) is tasked with creating a hula dance that is to be performed as part of the festivities. Knowing that her now deceased mother was May Day Queen when she was around Lilo’s age, Lilo is desperate to not disappoint her. However, when Stitch (Chris Sanders) begins involuntarily destroying everything around him, Jumba (David Ogden Stiers) and Pleakley (Kevin McDonald) must race against the clock to build a machine to fix Stitch before his genetic code begins to tear itself apart.
The local May Day festival is just around the corner and Lilo (Dakota Fanning) is tasked with creating a hula dance that is to be performed as part of the festivities. Knowing that her now deceased mother was May Day Queen when she was around Lilo’s age, Lilo is desperate to not disappoint her. However, when Stitch (Chris Sanders) begins involuntarily destroying everything around him, Jumba (David Ogden Stiers) and Pleakley (Kevin McDonald) must race against the clock to build a machine to fix Stitch before his genetic code begins to tear itself apart.
Like the best Disney Animated Sequels, Lilo & Stitch 2 retains all of the spirit and charm of the original film. Being less interested in aliens and Jumba’s experiments, Lilo & Stitch 2 puts Lilo’s grief and trauma front and centre once again in a touching tale of friendship and sisterhood. Nani (Tia Carrere) is still struggling to keep the household under control, mostly due to her new alien lodgers, but the subplot between her and David (Jason Scott Lee) is extremely funny and brings some much-needed levity to Lilo’s comparatively sad story.
In the films latter stages it’s an emotional bomb that will leave even the most stoic viewers welling up, with an ending that I feel perfectly encapsulates both this film and the original in terms of how it deals with love, death, and family.
Lilo & Stitch 2 also retains the same art style as the original film, with its watercolour-esque backdrops and creative alien architecture. It does include more 3D computer generated elements than the first film did, and they do stick out quite noticeably at times, but it’s not a total dealbreaker. The fantastic soundtrack returns once again with a combination of Hawaiian inspired folk songs and some of Elvis’ most beloved hits.
Whilst Lilo & Stitch 2 may not be quite as incredible as the first film, it’s by far one of the best Disney Animated Sequels to be released direct to home video. Alongside the likes of The Lion King II and Return to Neverland, Lilo & Stitch 2 is a true triumph of low budget animation and most certainly a must watch for any Disney fan.
In the films latter stages it’s an emotional bomb that will leave even the most stoic viewers welling up, with an ending that I feel perfectly encapsulates both this film and the original in terms of how it deals with love, death, and family.
Lilo & Stitch 2 also retains the same art style as the original film, with its watercolour-esque backdrops and creative alien architecture. It does include more 3D computer generated elements than the first film did, and they do stick out quite noticeably at times, but it’s not a total dealbreaker. The fantastic soundtrack returns once again with a combination of Hawaiian inspired folk songs and some of Elvis’ most beloved hits.
Whilst Lilo & Stitch 2 may not be quite as incredible as the first film, it’s by far one of the best Disney Animated Sequels to be released direct to home video. Alongside the likes of The Lion King II and Return to Neverland, Lilo & Stitch 2 is a true triumph of low budget animation and most certainly a must watch for any Disney fan.