Animated titles galore from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Clear some room on your Home Video shelves Beyond the Marquee readers, because this week Walt DIsney Studios Home Entertainment are delivering a tri-fecta of fun with the releases of the Lilo & Stitch, The Emperor’s New Groove and Atlantis: The Lost Empire 2-Movie Collections This is the first time these titles have been released on Blu-ray and to sweeten the deal, you get the original and the sequel together in one Combo Pack. Click ahead for our review of all of them below!

The Lilo & Stitch 2 Movie Collection

This summer Walt Disney Studios treats audiences to two heartwarming and hilarious animated comedies about bringing friends and family together even when they seem worlds apart in one fun “Lilo and Stitch” 2-movie collection. The “Lilo & Stitch” and “Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has A Glitch” movies are hours of fantastic fun in one incredible collection! The 3-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack includes both feature films on one Blu-ray disc plus each film on individual DVDs.

“Lilo and Stitch” is the story of Lilo, a lonely little girl, and Stitch the mischievous little creature from outer space. When Stitch crash-lands in Hawaii, Lilo adopts him as her pet, but he soon turns her world upside down. Stitch takes Hawaii by storm, wreaking havoc and hanging ten while he evades the alien bounty hunters who are after him, and also learning about loyalty and friendship. Featuring six original Elvis Presley songs, “Lilo and Stitch” is fun for the entire family.

The laughter continues in the hysterical sequel “Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch.” As Stitch  settles into life with his human family it appears his molecular makeup is out of whack and his friendship with Lilo is threatened as a result. Lilo and her friends must find a way to restore his “goodness” level before he ruins everything, including Lilo’s big hula competition – the same competition her mother won years before.

Discover that “ohana” means family, and celebrate the unbreakable bonds of friendship like never before with these two unforgettable movies on Disney Blu-ray for the first time!

*NOTE: No Extras on the Blu-ray disc for this film, only on the DVD

BTM REVIEW:

Lilo & Stitch: Hard to complain about a movie that is one of Disney’s visual best in a long time. The clean and crisp, yet simple animation time after time lends itself to a visual treat with bold, yet never too contrasting hues. On Blu-ray this carries over and amplifies from the previous DVD release. The image was always sharp and defined…never felt that it was meant to be a transfer, but a true upgrade to the original format. The backgrounds blend great with the foreground animation and the story is supported by one of the last great hand drawn animated Disney classics. Audio wise…there is so much to love in this film as it plays to the sound as much as it plays to the picture. From outer space to a tropical island…everything you’d expect from spaceships and lasers to palm trees and ocean waves is delivered crystal clear, so many more subtle audio elements seem to be evident in this Blu-ray than I ever noticed before. This is the jewel of the double feature for sure.

Stitch Has a Glitch: Surprisingly this holds up as a pretty decent sequesl, not just storywise, but animation wise. You can tell that pride was taken to try and keep the level of quality as high as could be afforded to match the original. The Blu-ray transfer looks great and once again, like it’s inspiration, the background and foreground compliment one another thanks to clean and detailed animation. Sound wise…nothing out of the ordinary, laser blasts and spaceships work hand in hand with hula skirts and tropical breezes. Definitely suggest picking this double-set up for your collection!

The Emporer and Kronk’s New Groove

Get into the groove with two outrageously funny animated comedies, “The Emperor’s New Groove” and “Kronk’s New Groove”, available for the first time ever on Blu-ray hi-definition, in a 2 movie collection. The 3-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack includes both feature films on a single Blu-ray disc plus each film on individual DVDs.

The fun begins with “The Emperor’s New Groove,” featuring an all-star cast and Academy Award®-nominated music by Sting (Best Music, Original Song, Sting, 2000). When the young and spoiled Emperor Kuzco (voice of David Spade) is transformed into a llama by his sinister advisor Yzma (voice of Eartha Kitt) and her henchman Kronk (voice of Patrick Warburton), it takes a thoughtful peasant named Pasha (voice of John Goodman) to restore the kingdom and show Kuzco just how much fun it is to be true to yourself.

Then audiences can continue the fun with “Kronk’s New Groove.” The outrageous sequel stars Yzma’s hilarious henchman Kronk in a riotous adventure that’s filled with hysterical mayhem and mishaps. Kronk cooks up a get-rich quick scheme to impress his Dad. But when things go wrong, Kronk kicks into comical high gear and discovers that the true riches in life are his friends and being “true to your groove.”

BTM REVIEW:

Emperor’s New Groove: Despite the pale reception this film recieved from critics and Disney fans, the Blu-ray conversion at least gives it a glorified visual treatment deserving of the animation and talents put into it. Colors are sharp and clear, the animation is defined and bold with shapely characters and fun locations/backgrounds. Audio wise, the songs were clean and sharp, the dialogue delivers the best these comedic artists delivered and though not wowed by anything major with sound effects or channel separation, the kids and I enjoyed watching and listening to this one.

Kronk’s New Groove: Once again this is the case where the direct to video sequel fails to deliver the magic that the first film had, despite poor reviews. What feels like rushed Saturday Morning animation stylying is what you get here, the story has flaws and though the voice cast is great, you could feel this was not one that had the heart and sould of the original put into it. Sound wise…some good channel separation and voices and ambient sounds all mix well together in the end. If you have the time to spare to watch this film, reconsider watching something else, you won’t be dissapointed in doing something else, trust me.

ATLANTIS is Waiting for you to Dive Into the Fun!

Disney delivers double the action and double the adventure for the first time in a 2-movie collection Blu-ray Combo Pack — “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” and “Atlantis: Milo’s Return” From the creators of Disney’s “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast” the exciting Disney animated features take audiences under the sea on action-packed voyages of adventure and discovery.

This must-own 2-Movie Collection is filled with stunning visual effects that come to life like never before in digitally restored high definition picture and sound.  These captivating stories of friendship and teamwork are available as a 3-disco Blu-ray Combo Pack which includes both films on a single Blu-ray disc plus each film on individual DVDs.

Set a course for adventure as Milo Thatch and his fearless crew dive into the mysteries of the sea.  The group’s underwater expedition brings them face-to-face with gigantic sea monsters, spectacular spirits and the mythical land of Atlantis while they discover the power of friendship and teamwork.  Loaded with thrills and stunning visual effects, this sensational 2-Movie Collection takes audiences on an unforgettable voyage they’ll want to experience over and over again!

 Special Features (Lost Empire):

• Audio Commentary: Incredible insight into the films production origins, development, story, characters, animation styles and more from Producer Don Hahn and directors Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise

• The Making of Atlantis (SD, 63 minutes): Just over an hour of pure fun is this documentary about the making of the film

• Deleted Scenes (SD, 16 minutes): Check out 4 cut scenes that are a mix of final animation and some animated storyboards

• How to Speak Atlantean (SD, 2 minutes): A classic news reel style piece on the language of Atlantis

• Atlantis: Fact or Fiction? (SD, 7 minutes): Seven minutes of a fun featurette on the theories of Atlantis

• Theatrical Trailers (SD, 6 minutes): 3 trailers for the film.

•  (Milos’s Return Special Feature) Deleted Scene (SD, 1 minute): Just one extra on the sequels disc and it’s a cut scene called, “Kraken Baby Sequence,”

BTM REVIEW:

Lost Empire: A stunning conversion to Blu-ray, this movie is just beautiful and in 1080 it was a real treat to watch with the kids. The colors are crisp, the animation is clean and vibrant and I’ve never see Atlantis look better. Sound wise, no complaints, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track had lots of great separation and audible surprises from every channel. We enjoyed having the audio cranked up a little higher than normal on this one.

Milo’s Return: My kids wouldn’t let me keep this movie on long enough to watch it to the end. And movie may be an understatement as it’s more a series of shorter adventures that feel like it’s a made for TV animated weekly series. The animation was a major step down from the film, the quality is visibly less that you’d expect from a Disney movie. Audio..eh, nothing spectacular here to rave about.

In closing: Bottom line…if you’re big into Special Features like Deleted Scenes and Making Of Features, than these sets may not be the best choice for you. But if you’re into just enjoying the films themselves as you would going to the movies, than this is a great value. With today’s economy with two movies for the price of one is well worth it, get ready for hours of laughter and adventure for the entire family and better than ever on Disney Blu-ray!

Animated titles galore from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment