4K Review: Disney's Animated "Lilo & Stitch" Finally Comes Home with Theater Quality Picture and Sound
I feared we wouldn’t see more hand-drawn Disney animated classics receive a 4K Ultra-HD release. Say what you will about live-action remakes, at the very least, fans of the animated Lilo & Stitch can now experience theatrical-quality picture and sound at home, thanks to renewed interest in the 2002 underdog film that beat the odds to become a classic. Disney’s “Ultimate Collector’s Edition" of Lilo & Stitch is now available to add to your collection, pairing a 4K Ultra-HD disc with a Blu-Ray and digital copy.
“Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." That belief system is tested when misfit orphan Lilo and her older sister Nani adopt a “dog," aka an illegal extraterrestrial experiment with one purpose in life: to destroy everything he touches. Could Stitch be just the thing they need to repair their broken home, or will he fulfill his destiny of breaking them apart?
Made at a time when Disney Animation was on the brink of canceling hand-drawn output entirely, Lilo & Stitch is considered the studio’s best film of the decade. This 4K/Blu-Ray/Digital “Ultimate Collector’s Edition" pairs the single-film Blu-Ray disc (previously exclusive to the Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection in the U.S.A.) with the new 4K disc. Both versions of the film use the U.K.’s “pizza box cut," a slight change that replaces the dryer Lilo hides in with a cupboard and a pizza box.
Video
The 4K Ultra-HD version of Lilo & Stitch continues the home video tradition of releasing the film in its open matte, animated aspect ratio of 1.66:1 (the theatrical aspect ratio was 1.85:1, shaving off some of the image at the top and bottom of the frame). This release is like the previous DVD and Blu-Ray transfers, sourced from the original digital file. The previous Blu-Ray releases were satisfactory, but there is a noticeable upgrade in color performance and background detail. You can sometimes see the pulp of the paper in the watercolor backgrounds. And thankfully, the colors seem untampered with, maintaining the film’s carefully crafted color timing to maximize its emotional impact.
Audio
Video upgrades aren’t the only upgrade, thanks to the new Dolby Atmos mix found on the 4K Ultra-HD disc. Capable of adapting to your home theater’s setup, I experienced the film in 7.1 surround sound for the first time. Faithful to the film’s original mix, most of the dialogue comes from the front channels, while score (and Elvis songs) fill in the rear speakers. Aimed at an all-ages audience, the sound effects that come from the rear channels tend to be more subdued, but it certainly expands the soundscape beyond the Blu-Ray’s 5.1 mix. The 4K disc also includes a stereo descriptive audio track, plus French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, and a Japanese 5.1 DTS-HDMA mix.
The included Blu-Ray disc features the previous 5.1 DTS-HDMA mix, the descriptive audio track, and the French and Spanish 5.1 mixes.
Bonus Features
The following bonus features are included on the Blu-Ray disc and with the digital copy.
- Hula Lesson (3:36) - Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu explains the tradition of hula dancing in this DVD bonus feature.
- Animating the Hula (3:04) - The filmmakers talk about the challenge of accurately depicting hula dancing in the film.
- DisneyPedia: Hawai’i - The Islands of Aloha (8:46) - Lilo and Nani narrate this educational look at the islands that make up the 50th state.
- Big Island of Hawai’i
- Oahu
- Maui
- Kuai’i
- Lana’i
- Moloka’i
- Music
- “Burnin’ Love": Behind the Scenes with Wynonna (1:34)
- “Can’t Help Falling in Love" A*Teens Music Video (1:02)
- “Your Ohana" Music Video (2:11)
- Audio Commentary by Clark Spencer, Chris Sanders, and Dean DeBlois (1:25:15)
- A Stitch in Time (3:31) - A guide to how Stitch fits into the Disney pantheon of characters, inspired by the “Inter-Stitch-ials" marketing campaign.
- “Inter-Stitch-ials": Theatrical Teaser Trailers (4:21) - Disney’s viral marketing strategy that inserted Stitch into scenes from Disney classics.
- Beauty and the Beast
- Aladdin
- The Little Mermaid
- The Lion King
The following bonus features are accessible via the digital copy.
- The Story Room (1:59:16) - An immersive and exhaustive deep dive into the making of Lilo & Stitch.
- The Look of Lilo & Stitch (4:05) - How Chris Sanders’ unique style was blended with traditional Disney animation.
- On Location with the Directors (19:07) - A briefer, more traditional look at the making-of process.
- Young Voices of Hawai’i (2:45) - A look at how students in the Kamehameha School choir lent their voices to the film.
- Deleted Scenes and Early Versions
- Stitch’s Trial (2:59)
- Gantu’s Challenge (1:25)
- The Untimely Death of Pudge the Fish (2:14)
- Bedtime Story (2:35)
- The 747 Sequence (3:18)
- Model Citizen - Mayhem on the Beach (1:30)
- Jumba Attacks (2:18)
- The 747 Sequence with Stitch’s Gang (5:21)
Packaging & Design
The 4K “Ultimate Collector’s Edition" of Lilo & Stitch comes home in a standard black 4K Blu-Ray case with disc holders on each side of the interior. The 4K disc features artwork of Lilo and Stitch taking hula lessons; The Blu-Ray disc doesn’t have any artwork. The only insert is a digital copy code, redeemable through Movies Anywhere. The initial pressing includes a matte-rinish slipcover.
The menu for both discs uses the previous Blu-Ray release’s design of Lilo and Stitch riding a surfboard towards the screen, with ocean water swirling behind them, set to score. The navigable menu is listed on a vertical surfboard. There aren’t trailers on either disc.
Final Thoughts
I’m beyond excited to see Disney give another hand-drawn animated classic the 4K treatment, and they’ve done a stellar job with Lilo & Stitch. With nearly every legacy bonus feature included between the Blu-Ray and digital copy, the only criticism I can give this release is that it includes the U.K.’s alteration, which feels very inconsequential to the overall experience of the film (although it does diminish the effect of a cute gag). With renewed interest in the film thanks to the upcoming live-action adaptation, I’m hopeful that more classic Disney animated features will follow. So much talent goes into these films, and they can finally be enjoyed at home the way the filmmakers originally intended.
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