| Disney DVD
news has been kind of slow lately. This summer has yielded a
generally blah crop of DVDs as illustrated by my recent reviews (see
sidebar), but I have hope that the rest of the year will provide at
least a few DVDs to look forward to.
Promotional art © Disney / Pixar
Coming in the near future, on September 17, is Monsters, Inc.,
and that promises to be a big hit. Then in early October, we can expect Beauty
and the Beast, Disney’s second Platinum Collector’s Edition
title, and I know a lot of people are anxiously awaiting that one.
Looking farther down the road,
Disney recently announced its initial plans for the box office hit, Lilo
& Stitch. Here is the press release:
Disney's Animated Box-Office
Sensation Lilo & Stitch Comes to Disney DVD and Video; DVD,
Video Offer 25 Chances to Win a Trip to Hawaii
BURBANK, Calif. -- Available for
the Holiday Season on December 3; Disney DVD Includes Hilarious "InterSTITCHals,"
Deleted Scenes, Games, Behind-The-Scenes Features and More
LILO & STITCH, Disney's
animated feature masterpiece, is available for the first time ever on
Disney DVD and video on December 3 from Walt Disney Home
Entertainment. This worldwide box-office sensation is presented on
Disney DVD loaded with fun-for-everyone bonus features. Combining
out-of-this-world storytelling, stunning Disney animation and
irresistible characters, LILO & STITCH features the legendary
music of Elvis Presley in a fun-filled, heartwarming comedy about the
power of loyalty, friendship and finding your place in the world.
Promotional art © Disney
LILO & STITCH in theaters was
the second-highest-grossing traditionally animated film since Disney's
"Tarzan"(c) and among traditionally animated films it
enjoyed the highest box-office opening week since Disney's "The
Lion King." LILO & STITCH will be available in Dolby(R) 5.1
Surround Sound on Disney DVD for $29.99 (S.R.P.) and on VHS for $24.99
(S.R.P.).
Backed by a multi-million dollar
marketing campaign, the LILO & STITCH DVD and video will also be
supported by a massive Hawaiian giveaway, with the opportunity to win
25 trips to Hawaii. Entry forms are found inside the LILO & STITCH
video and DVD product. LILO & STITCH will also feature a $3 coupon
good towards purchase of the "Lilo & Stitch" soundtrack
CD.
LILO & STITCH on Disney DVD
will include loads of bonus features, including:
- Deleted Scenes: Found only on
the DVD, included are scenes planned for the original film which
didn't make the final cut, presented in various stages of
animation: "Stitch's Trial," "Bedtime Story"
and "Gantu Challenges."
- InterSTITCHals -- The Teaser
Trailers: These are the four outrageous teaser trailers seen by
audiences when "Lilo & Stitch" ran in theaters. They
feature Stitch as he comically elbows his way into parts of
Disney's "Beauty & The Beast," "Aladdin,"
"The Little Mermaid," and "The Lion King."
- New InterSTITCHals! A Stitch
In Time: Follow Stitch Through The Disney Years: Featuring all-new
"InterSTITCHals," created exclusively for home
entertainment! Believe it or not, Stitch has been trying to break
into films for years. In this piece you will see all of the
previous movies Stitch tries hilariously to be a part of, as he
interrupts such classics as: "Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs," "Lady & The Tramp," "101
Dalmatians" and more...
- "Burning Love" --
Behind The Scenes With Wynonna:
- Meet country star Wynonna,
hear her sing and hear what she has to say about Elvis, his songs,
and Lilo.
- "I Can't Help Falling In
Love With You" Music Video Performed By A*Teens
Promotional art © Disney
- Create Your Own Alien
Experiment Game: Jumba has three new aliens he wants to create,
but it seems the Galactic Alliance has destroyed his documents.
Can you help? Answer trivia questions and mix the potions in the
correct order and you can create your own aliens.
- DisneyPedia: Hawaii -- The
Islands Of Aloha: Explore the fascinating world of the Hawaiian
Islands with your hosts Lilo & Nani. Packed with interesting
facts, this fun-filled program offers up all six of the Hawaiian
Islands. Two viewing options allow you to explore individual
topics at your own pace or watch all ten in one continuous
program.
- Hula Lesson: Learn the ancient
art of hula for yourself with this featurette. Hosted by Mark
Keali'i Ho'omalu, a real life Hula Master.
- Young Voices Of Hawaii: A look
at the Kamehameha School Children's Chorus recording the Hawaiian
Roller Coaster Ride & He Mele No Lilo in the film.
- The Look of "Lilo and
Stitch" (the unique rounded look): Chris Sanders, one of the
film's directors, had a specific style in mind when he pitched the
movie. He likes a rounded look with no hard edges. Throughout the
film you'll see everything is rounded.
- Animating The Hula: A
featurette on how the filmmakers researched the hula, including a
look at a real Hawaiian hula school & master. A great mix of
live action footage, pencil animation & final animation.
- On Location With The
Directors: A 20 minute documentary utilizing footage shot by the
producers of the film. This is a fly-on-the-wall look at the
filmmakers' experiences.
The sizzling soundtrack for LILO
& STITCH includes six great songs by Lilo's favorite performer,
Elvis Presley. Also included is the exciting version of Elvis's hit
"Burning Love" by Grammy-Award-nominated country singer
Wynonna, and the Elvis classic "Can't Help Falling In Love With
You" is performed by the popular Swedish vocal group the A*Teens.
Acclaimed composer Alan Silvestri adds to the fun with his beautiful
original score, a Hawaiian themed work that includes collaborations
with renowned hula master/performer Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu and members
of the Kamehameha School Children's Chorus.
The animation for LILO &
STITCH includes the Disney Studio's first extensive use of watercolor
backgrounds in over six decades. A technique used in such classic
Disney animated masterpieces as SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS,
PINOCCHIO and BAMBI, the animators' rediscovery of this classic
technique works perfectly to evoke the lush and beautiful charm of the
Hawaiian Islands.
Promotional art © Disney
In LILO & STITCH, an
independent-minded little Hawaiian girl named Lilo (Daveigh Chase,
TV's "Fillmore!") plays Elvis Presley records and causes
mischief for her older sister and guardian, Nani (Tia Carrere,
"Wayne's World," TV's "Relic Hunter"). When the
no-nonsense social worker Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames, "Mission
Impossible") threatens to separate Lilo and Nani, the sisters try
to get their act together. Their lives are turned upside down,
however, when Stitch arrives in Hawaii. Actually a mischief-making
creature who is officially known as "Experiment 626," Stitch
has escaped from his creator, the mad alien scientist Jumba (David
Ogden Stiers, Disney's "Beauty And The Beast") and is on the
run.
When Lilo adopts Stitch in an
animal shelter as the family dog, Stitch realizes he may have found
the perfect place to hide out. Prone to somewhat anti-social
tendencies, Stitch makes a hilarious mess of Lilo and Nani's home
life, wreaking havoc and hanging ten while he evades the alien bounty
hunters who are bent on recapturing him. Soon, however, Stitch learns
that the Hawaiian concept of 'ohana (a family tradition where "no
one is left behind") even applies to runaway aliens.
The talented voice cast of LILO
& STITCH also includes Jason Scott Lee (Disney's "The Jungle
Book") as Nani's boyfriend David, four-time Tony Award winner Zoe
Caldwell ("The Purple Rose of Cairo") as the alien Grand
Councilwoman, Kevin McDonald (TV's "That '70s Show") as the
hapless alien Pleakley and Kevin Michael Richardson (TV's
"ER") as the gigantic alien Captain Gantu.
Street Date: December 3
Rated: "PG For Mild Sci-Fi
Action." Bonus material unrated and subject to change.
Running Time: Approximately 85
minutes
Sounds pretty good, but I have a
couple of comments. First, this appears to be a single-disc
release, and there is an unconfirmed rumor that a collector’s edition
will be available in January. This would hold true to past Disney DVD
releases of theatrical properties, and the faster-to-produce,
single-disc version would make Lilo & Stitch available for
the Holiday shopping season.
Second, the aspect ratio is apparently still undecided, as it is not
mentioned in the press release. Given the amount of bonus material, I
would guess that only one aspect ratio will appear on the disc, and I
can only hope that it is released in anamorphic widescreen. It would be
a crime to crop out all those lovely watercolor backgrounds in the name
of being "family friendly." When I hear something more
concrete, I’ll pass it on to you.
© Disney
One final -- and somewhat sad --
note for those of you that love the Disney Channel’s Vault
Disney programming block: By the time you read this, it will be gone.
The Disney Channel has decided to eliminate all classic programming and
replace it with children’s sitcom shows. Personally, I do not
understand this business decision, but evidently some programming guru
thought it a great idea to put children’s shows on the air at 3 in the
morning.
There has been a ton
of discussion about this on our MousePad forum, feel free to
join in the discussion. If you want to contact somebody at Disney about
this, give the Disney Channel a call at (800) 874-1687 and ask for the
Programming Department. It is worth a try.
That is all I have for now, but I will be back soon with more!
You can e-mail Kevin at:
dockrock@mouseplanet.com
|
Kevin Krock takes a look
at new DVDs including Return to Neverland and Great Mouse Detective |
