The direct-to-DVD sequel to Disney's popular LILO AND STITCH (2002) chronicles the further adventures of an artificially engineered extra-terrestrial that bonds with a little Hawaii girl.
Having abandoned outer space for an earthly home, Pleakley (voice of Kevin McDonald), Jumba (David Ogden Stiers) and their alien experiment, Stitch (Chris Sanders), love their new tropical lifestyle on Kauai. Although Stitch’s creators stay close to home, Lilo (Dakota Fanning) continues to palm off Stitch as a rare breed of dog and takes him everywhere. Raised by her older sister, Nani (Tia Carrere), lonely Lilo confides her innermost feelings to her out-of-this-world pet, especially her grief at her mother's death. An opportunity arises at school for Lilo to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a prize-winning hula dancer. With Stitch as her partner, Lilo races through a repertoire of choices before selecting an Elvis hula. But Lilo soon becomes so focused on winning that she loses patience for Stitch, whose mischievous streak grows unexpectedly
wilder. Jumba and Pleakley realize that they skipped an important step when they created Stitch’s creation; they didn’t finish his electrical charging in their lab and Stitch is actually experience malfunctions. As they escalate, Stitch decides to spare everyone embarrassment by flying away in a mini-pod. Meanwhile, Pleakley and Jumba are at Nani's house, disassembling her electrical appliances for parts to build a corrective machine. Will Lilo get her priorities straight, and is it even possible to fix Stitch?
The creative team goes all out to swaddle the requisite life lessons in catchy tunes and kid-friendly slapstick, and Stitch and Lilo's antics are very cute. Jumba and Pleakley are too similar to other Disney comical foils (chatty household items, gargoyles, underwater creatures) but that's not the kind of thing that bothers the film's target audience. --Robert Pardi
