Why So Blu?

Lilo & Stitch (Ultimate Collector’s Edition) (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Does anyone else ever feel like the time has been more fleeting than ever lately? It feels like just yesterday I was running into Walmart to purchase a copy of Lilo & Stitch on DVD for my mother. Then I get out of my own delusional head and realize that was way back in 2002.  Now, here in real life, it’s 2025 and Lilo & Stitchis making its way back into cinemas for a live-action revival. Disney has been riding the wave, so to speak, and decided to re-release the original animated feature on 4K UHD Blu-ray, just in time for the new film’s theatrical release! So how does that gorgeous hand-drawn animation hold up in 4K you ask? Find out more and always remember: “Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind…”

Film

Lilo is a lonely young Hawaiian girl who adopts a small ugly ‘dog’, whom she names Stitch. He would be the perfect pet if he wasn’t a genetic experiment that escaped from an alien planet and crash-landed on earth. Through her faith and unwavering belief in “ohana”, the Hawaiian concept of family, Lilo helps Stitch to unlock his heart. This gives him the one thing he wasn’t designed for – the ability to love!

We first meet Stitch on his home planet of Turo.  In a glass encasement, he is tiny but ferocious and feral.  His maker has named him 626.  Deemed too dangerous even as an experiment, he is banished to an asteroid and his maker, Dr. Jookiba sentenced to prison time.  626 escapes and hijacks a spaceship, crash landing on Kaua ‘I and being picked up by an animal shelter.

When we meet Lilo, she is feeding fish. In the ocean. Their food, you ask? A peanut butter sandwich. Lilo should be at her school practicing hula, but she’s worried about her fishy friends. When she arrives late, she is teased by her classmates, and she retaliates by biting one.  She’s sent home, where she arrives to no one.  Her sister Nani is raising her now that they’ve been orphaned following their parent’s death.  Depressed by the day’s events, Lilo locks herself in her room listening to Elvis.

When Nani returns home, she pleads with Lilo to open the door, only to discover the door is nailed shut. A social worker is on the way. Nani knows if they discover that Lilo was left alone she could be taken away.  There is a desire for them to stay together despite the disfunction. The social worker, one Cobra Bubbles, comes and inspects the home and the sisters.  He vows to take Lilo to foster care if Nani doesn’t prove herself a worthwhile guardian.

When the pair agree to make it work, they also decide to adopt a dog.  Going to the animal shelter, Lilo is drawn to 626 and begs to adopt him.  Bringing him home, Lilo names 626 Stitch and the antics begin immediately.  But things change.  Stitch begins to speak. Nani also loses her job. At a party, Stitch causes a scene.  Bubbles appears and tells Nani and Lilo to figure it out or face the consequences.

Dr. Jookiba is sent with a handler Pleakley to retrieve 626 from Kaua ‘I, and they are bumbling along being foiled at every turn.  Unimpressed with them, the Grand Councilwoman of Planet Turo comes with her second in command to take over. As Bubbles notices the suspicious new “people” he begins to suspect more issues for Lilo and Nani than economic and family hardships.  Bubbles, along with Lilo, Nani, Stitch and Nani’s crush David come together to save Stitch and keep him forever.

Lilo & Stitch feels like the last animated film of its kind.  I think the film is gorgeously drawn, and its voice acting is fabulous.  The story itself for my money is mid-tier at best.  It’s not bad by any means. It’s also not that great.  Without the beautiful animation and impossibly adorable titular characters Lilo & Stitch would not be as widely well regarded as it is.

I do have an appreciation for the fact that Lilo & Stitch revived the legendary Elvis Presley for a new generation of kids.  I also love that the film gave an opening for a new cultural representation in an animation realm also.  The merits of representation in films of any kind in the early-aughts had a lot of miles to cover and this was a big steppingstone film for that. Without Lilo & Stitch there wouldn’t have been a Princess & The Frog or Moana even considered.

Mid-Tier as it may be to me, there is no denying the charms of Lilo & Stitch. It’s a little bit screwball and a little bit sci-fi. It’s a little bit family drama and a little bit island life. There’s also good music and some genuinely sweet moments too.  This is a comfort cartoon for many and now the 4K treatment has given some new life to those beautiful images! So, ride the Hawaiian roller coaster ride in 4K, and rest assured, it’s still a lot of fun!

Video

Encoding: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: 2160p

Aspect Ratio: 1.68:1

HDR: Dolby Vision

Layers: BD-66

Clarity/Detail: Lilo & Stitch jumps to 4K with its original aspect ratio intact. The film has never looked bad on disc, but its treatment hasn’t been the most lovable either.  Here the cool and warm tones are refined, and the hand drawn animation cels look beautiful. Source limitations show their age, but these age lines don’t detract from the experience of the film looking beautiful and better than ever.

Depth: Camera panning for the animation panels is fluid and rendered well throughout.

Black Levels: Black levels are near perfection.

Color Reproduction: Colors here are all over the spectrum.  They are varied, bright, beautiful and near stunning. Color grading is gorgeous and vibrant.

Flesh Tones: N/A

Noise/Artifacts: Clean.

Audio

Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, French (Canadian) Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Japanese

Dynamics: Active Atmos is the name of the game for a revamped new mix for Lilo & Stitch. The old-timey Disney logo comes on screen and height activity begins along with a nice low-end rumble.  Along with that comes crisp dialogue, great surround activity and great stereo spacing too!

Height: Height speakers have a nice configuration where sounds often move around when necessary.  The opening sequence is the most active and moments during the surfing scene and later moments of action have some movement as well.  I noticed when the height speakers are locked in a static formation they act as added surrounds and sound wonderful that way too.

Low Frequency Extension: Bass works wonders for certain music cues, space sounds, crash landings and the odd explosion or too.

Surround Sound Presentation: Surrounds have the job of carrying music, sound effects, off-screen dialogue, and some panning effects. They sound excellent and provide a great balance to the mix.

Dialogue: Dialogue sounds perfect for the duration of the film.

Extras

Extras are ported over from previous release of Lilo & Stitch. At the time of this review, there is only a standard slipcover edition of the film available.  The 4K disc comes with a bundled Blu-ray and a digital code.  The Bonus features are on the Blu-ray disc.

Hula Lesson (SD. 3:36)

Animating the Hula (SD. 3:04)

DisneyPedia: Hawai’i – The Islands of Aloha (SD. 8:46)

Audio Commentary

A Stitch in Time: Follow Stitch Through the Disney Years (SD. 3:31)

Inter-Stitch-ials: Theatrical Teaser Trailers (SD, 4:21)

Music:

Burning Love: Behind the Scenes with Wynonna (SD. 1:32)

Can’t Help Falling in Love: A*Teens Music Video (SD. 1:02)

Your ‘Ohana’ Music Video (SD. 2:11)

Summary

Lilo & Stitch may not be my favorite Disney Classic, but it’s a cute little diversion film.  This new edition is a definitive transfer, and the sound is exceptional as well.  I have no doubt that fans of the film will be over the moon for the love that was put into this new presentation. This will be perfect viewing in anticipation for the Live-Action Lilo & Stitch arriving in late May! Buy with confidence!

Buy a copy of Lilo & Stitch 4K UHD Blu-ray HERE