Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch

(The Disneycember logo is shown, before showing clips from Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch)

Doug (vo): It's interesting how we go from a movie called Lilo and Stitch to its sequel Stitch to its other sequel called Lilo and Stitch 2. Though, in a way, I do kind of understand it, seeing how Stitch was obviously a pilot to a TV series, like Tarzan and Jane was obviously a pilot to a TV series, but then they come out with Tarzan II and Lilo and Stitch 2, which seem more like actual sequels. It's also interesting that these sequels sort of fall into this slew of smaller stories. They definitely connect to the first one, but they're not as big or grand. And, well, with the exception of Mulan II, they're surprisingly kind of welcomed. I really enjoyed Tarzan II, I thought a lot of great effort was put into it. And here, this one's not too bad either...eh, for the most part. We'll get to the bad stuff, too.

Story
Doug (vo): In this movie, Stitch has a glitch. He starts acting all evil and attacking people and doing all sorts of terrible things. But, it comes and goes. Eventually, it's discovered that this came from a glitch that happened years ago, and the Russian alien is trying to figure out how to stop it. While that's going on, Lilo has this big hula competition that she really wants to win, especially seeing how her mother won it years ago. And the rest of the story focuses less on alien encounters and explosions and ray guns, and more on them just trying to figure out what to do for their hula contest and keeping Stitch under control.

Review
Doug (vo): Like I said, a much smaller movie, but for what it is, it's actually all right. In the first film, I thought the sisters really stole the show, and in the second film, I thought the aliens really stole the show, and here, it seems perfectly balanced.

(The characters are shown)

Doug (vo): Both Lilo and Stitch are a ton of fun to watch. They're just adorable. I love how she's written like a real little kid, and that sort of spreads to Stitch as well. The side characters, though nobody really new, are a lot of fun to watch as well. Does that make it as good as the first? Well, there are a couple problems. There's one or two awkward moments that just come across as odd.

(Scenes focusing on Jumba and his device to save Stitch are shown)

Doug (vo): For example, the Russian alien knows that Stitch has a glitch and he's trying to put together this device, but he keeps it a secret for some reason. Why would he do that? Shouldn't everybody know that this thing can explode at any moment and he can attack people and seriously hurt them or even kill them? Why is he keeping it a secret? He's sneaking around, trying to get household items to build this device to save him, but why does he just tell people? I'll tell you why, 'cause you have to have a scene where Lilo thinks Stitch is really bad, and Stitch does feel bad, and there's this "misunderstanding", and it's stupid. It's so frigging stupid. There's also minor things, like the romance between Nani and the boyfriend is kind of bland once again. I guess they never really got this right. Sometimes there's a read from an actor that clearly needed to be done again. And even the water-colored backgrounds are a little too obvious this time. I don't know. I remember in the first film, it was blended a little better, but here, it just looks so super flat. And I know that's kind of the idea, water-color, but I don't know. It just doesn't blend well here.

(Some scenes showing the climax of the movie is shown, but the scenes do not entirely show what happened)

Doug (vo): Oh, and without giving too much away, there is a huge cop-out ending. There's a really emotional moment, the acting is great, the animation is great, but then suddenly, it's just retconned, and they never explain why. It's just...kind of magic, I guess, or is it magic? Is it science? I don't know. It just comes out of nowhere, and they openly admit they don't know why it happened. Stuff like this that could so easily be fixed is what keeps it from being as good as the original. But still, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy a lot of it, again, as smaller stories go. Most of the same actors are back, with the exception of Lilo, who this time, is replaced by Dakota Fanning. And by God, she does a great job impersonating her, not just the voice, but the heart, the comedy, the emotion. She really gets it. I don't know if they wanted to switch her out because they wanted to pick a celebrity or if the original actress's voice was changing, but she does a great job. You barely even notice the difference.

Final thought
Doug (vo): So even though it's a sequel that doesn't really add much and, yeah, probably doesn't need to exist, I still have a soft spot for Lilo and Stitch, and if you do, too, you'll probably enjoy this. Grant your hovership and check it out.

(A scene showing Lilo and Stitch dancing together is shown)