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Following the success of 2002’s Lilo & Stitch, Disney gave lovable little Lilo and her troublemaking pet alien their very own TV series. Then, in 2005, came the straight-to-video sequel, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, which once again finds Stitch behaving badly.
Just a few weeks after Stitch’s arrival in Hawaii, he’s already settled into life with his new family: Lilo (now voiced by Dakota Fanning) and her big sister, Nani (Tia Carrere). They’ve also been joined by Stitch’s creator, the evil Dr. Jumba Jookiba (David Ogden Stiers), and Pleakley (Kevin McDonald), which makes them one unusual (but still happy) little family. But when Stitch’s worst nightmares begin coming true—and a glitch in his genetic makeup makes him start misbehaving again—it threatens to destroy their odd little family’s happiness.
Meanwhile, with just three days to the town’s May Day Celebration, Lilo is working extra-hard to create her own hula, so she can win the hula competition—just like her mom did when she was Lilo’s age. But Stitch’s glitch might ruin her plans.
As is usually the case with straight-to-video sequels, Lilo & Stitch 2 is a simpler and sillier version of the original—one that feels more like an extended cartoon than a full-length feature. The tropical setting is as beautiful and serene as it was before, but the artwork isn’t as vibrant or as detailed. And while the story is still cute, it isn’t quite as dramatic or as action-packed as the original. Instead, it’s lighter and fluffier and not quite as memorable. Fortunately, most of the lovable characters from the original are still here (with the exception of social worker Cobra Bubbles), and the story features some fun little side adventures—like Lilo’s quest to find some kind of hula inspiration by visiting the places on the island that Elvis Presley once visited—but its sweet, dramatic moments are generally overpowered by silly scenes involving Jumba and Pleakley or a misbehaving Stitch.
There are a few convenient changes, too. For instance, Stitch now seems mostly fluent in English—and Jumba, the evil scientist, is now more of a goofy and slightly troublemaking scientist (but with a good heart, of course). And, for some reason, no one in Hawaii seems to notice that the “aunt” and “uncle” who are staying with Nani and Lilo do not have the normal number of eyes.
This straight-to-video sequel may not have the same charm—or the same vibrant tropical animation—as the original, but it’s still a fun way to reunite with these cute characters. You probably won’t want to watch over and over again, but, if you’re a fan of Lilo & Stitch this entertaining little adventure is worth popping into your Blu-ray player on a rainy day.
Blu-ray Review:
Disney’s Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch is now available on Blu-ray—as a part of the three-disc Blu-ray/DVD release of Lilo & Stitch. You won’t find any extras on the Blu-ray, but you will find both features together on the same disc.
